There are not many things more irritating than a slow computer. Waiting for ages to get it to load, then every time you click something, it takes a while before it even registers that anything has been clicked. Waiting for a computer to load can really make our days longer and set us on a downward spiral. Luckily there are many ways you can clean your computer and get your computer to run faster. Many of these tips would be good for small businesses too, who lose a lot of hours over the course of a month to frustratingly slow computers.
Uninstall or Delete Unused Programs
Over time, users generally download programs and only use them a handful of times, then leave them on the operating system (OS). Additionally, many computers are sold with programs preinstalled on them. If you are having space issues or speed issues, go to your control panel and delete or uninstall all the programs you do not use.
Clean Your Hard Disk Space
When you check to see how much space is left on your hard drive, your computer could be running slow if it is doesn’t have much left, say less than 15%. If you have already deleted old programs and are still low on space, start deleting old or duplicate files. If you do not want to delete, then you could download some compressing software and compress the files you don’t use often. You can use some system tools to optimise the space or learn how to clean up your macOS. The more space you can create, the faster your computer will run.
Use External Storage
It is definitely worth thinking about using the cloud or buying an external hard drive for old files such as pictures or videos you don’t want to lose. A lot of computers are filled with files that could easily be stored elsewhere.
Power Plan
A lot of computers allow you to change the power plan to low – power save, balanced, or high performance. If you want to have better performance, change this to high. However, be aware it will use more electricity and using this setting will ultimately mean that your laptop needs charging up more often.
Stop Programs from Automatically Running
A lot of computers will have programs that open up and run in the background, despite the fact that you do not need them. This usually happens during start-up. So if you have a very slow computer in the morning, this is one of the main culprits. You can check out the background programs on Windows by hitting ctrl, alt, delete (or command, option, escape on Mac) and click onto the task manager, which will show you what programs are running. You can use this to stop a lot of background processes.
Anti-Virus
Having an anti-virus and spyware scanner are essential for your computer. Your computer will be able to run to its optimum if it is not trying to combat bugs or viruses all the time. An anti-virus is essential for keeping your computer safe and clean.
