Simple Methods to Optimize your Computer Without a Technician

When you purchase a new PC, it loads web pages in milliseconds, can handle multiple open programs, and never needs to reboot. Life is good – problem is that this good relationship with your PC does not last long. As essential programs are installed, emails flow to the inbox, email spam exceeds your tolerance, favorite sites are saved, shortcuts are added to the desktop, pictures are uploaded, downloaded, and shared, music is downloaded, movies are watched, and games are played. All normal, every day stuff.

Although you will never experience the stripped down speed of your new virgin computer, you can reclaim space and optimize your system quite easily. If you get in the habit of performing optimization tasks on a regular basis, you can keep your computer relatively clean and well tuned.

<b>Disk Cleanup</b>

One of the first steps you can take is to click on the start button, highlight All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click on Disk Cleanup. This program will show a window of files that can be safely removed from your computer, and also compress old files to save space on your hard drive.

After you have cleaned your hard drive, click on the More Options tab at the top of the window. Here you have options to clean up windows components, remove unused programs, or remove all but the most recent restore points from System Restore.

<b>Defrag</b>

Next in System Tools, select Disk Defragmenter, run this program to clean out file fragments left from installing/uninstalling programs, moving files, and other routine activities. Highlight the drive to defrag and click Analyze. Next click Defragment.

<b>Must Have Software</b>

Antivirus software is a “must have” for every computer. Compare several programs and choose the one best suited to you. Most antivirus software companies offer a free scan; however, you must purchase the software to actually remove the threats. Once installed, make sure you have selected automatic updates, as the software must have the most recent version to protect your computer.

The next vitally important software to run is a registry cleaner. Think of your computer’s registry as the brains of your system. Every program and every file continuously create entries in the registry. Cleaning the registry is vital if you want to optimize your computer’s stability and performance. Every time files or programs are moved or removed, registry errors are created. Registry errors slow the thinking process of the computer.

<b>Registry Cleaners</b>

Because of the complexity of the registry, a purchased program is the only way to fix, clean, and optimize your registry. There are many high-power programs on the market. They include a wide range of options. Compare before you buy to get the best value and the most optimization for your computer