Maybe you just invested in a new computer or were lucky enough to receive one as a gift during the holiday season. Whatever the case may be, it is crucial that you take a few precautionary measures and clean out unnecessary files, viruses, adware, and malware that will inevitably slow down your system.
I have been using computers for a majority of my life, and I used to always ask myself the same question – “What is WRONG with my computer? Why is it so slow?”
Over the years, I have found a few tools and methods that have helped me ‘clean’ my computer and keep it as fast as it was the first day I bought it. I thought it would be a good idea to share these with everyone so you won’t have to deal with a sick computer.
Defragmentation
The disk defragmenter tool included in Windows is a powerful tool when it comes to speeding up your computer. A defragmentation essentially rearranges all of the files on your disk drive and stores them side by side, making them contiguous.
Over time, the many files you install on your computer will be stored in various places on your drive. By defragging your computer, files will be placed side by side, resulting in a larger area of free space on your drive, and subsequently faster access to information.
Ad-Aware
This is a neat, free tool I have found that cleans out any adware, malware, and spyware that may be infecting your computer. Some websites place malicious files on your computer, and without any software to protect you against them, you will certainly be a victim of the slow computer syndrome in the near future. There are many free tools like it, but I recommend Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware because it is completely free and quite powerful, making it an excellent tool for the job.
CCleaner
CCleaner is one of the most powerful freeware programs I have come across. Once known as Crap Cleaner, Piriform’s CCleaner is designed to optimize a computer’s performance by cleaning out the user’s registry and all unnecessary files.
It is a good idea to run this program every day since files from your internet browser alone are enough to slow your computer down drastically over time. This software has a variety of options built-in so you can choose what location you would like to clean files from. You can also choose what types of unnecessary files you wish to eliminate.
Anti-Virus Software
Trust me when I tell you that your computer is not safe without anti-virus protection, I’ve learned the hard way. Once your computer is infected with a virus, depending on the severity, it is extremely difficult to find out how to get rid of the virus.
Take a precautionary measure and get some free anti-virus protection software. A good option is AVG Technologies’ anti-virus protection, which is available for free. I recommend AVG because the virus databases are updated on a daily basis, making it less likely to get infected.
If you’re willing to step it up and buy some anti-virus, let me tell you it is totally worth the investment. I personally use Kaspersky Anti-Virus and it has kept my computer virus-free for the past few years.
Reformat
Reformatting – the last resort. This is the ultimate way to speed up your computer, but can be intimidating if you don’t know what you are doing. I’m not going to go into the procedure of how to reformat, but I will tell you about some of the benefits.
A reformat will ultimately wipe your computer of EVERYTHING but a fresh install of Windows, or whatever OS you are using. Therefore, you need to backup all your files prior to doing this (which can be easily accomplished with a flash USB drive).
Some computers I’ve owned in the past were at the point of no return – meaning I had a ton of viruses and spyware that caused pop-ups when I wasn’t even using the internet. If you’re in this situation, it’s probably time to reformat, and use the previously mentioned tools to ensure your computer stays healthy.
In conclusion, I believe a lot of people decide to give up on their computers too soon. If you’re computer is slowing down, take the necessary actions required to fix the problem, don’t just buy a new one. These tools and methods I’ve outlined here are enough for me to keep my computer running at an optimal speed, so you should give them a shot!
