In a digital age where electronics run our lives it is greatly inconvenient when these machines stop working or even don’t work the way they once did.  When your computer runs slow or encounters problems what does one do?  Pay a computer shop employee to do something so easy any computer novice could do it?  Not only is it a waste of money, it’s silly.  Computers are very easy to clean up and optimize and your wallet will thank you when you learn you can do it without anyone else’s help.  There are several things you can do to prevent and correct any computer or laptop slow downs.

• Run your anti-virus scanner
  • A lot of the problems people encounter when their computers or laptops are running slow are due to the vast amount of trojan viruses that run rampant in the digital age.  Making sure you keep your anti-virus scanner up to date and run your scans on a scheduled basis (once a week is plenty) is one way to ensure that these viruses stay off your machine.  If you should encounter a virus on your computer, your anti-virus software should be enough to clean it up.  If not, a simple google search of the virus name that your scanner finds should yield enough results to get it cleaned up yourself.
  • Download anti-malware software
    • There are plenty choices out there and running it once or twice a week will keep your computer free of infected spyware and malware files.  These files are memory hogs and bog down your computers.  They also pop up unwanted advertisements or can collect information about your computer use that you may not want in the hands of people whose intentions you don’t know.  Cleaning these files out of your hard drive is as easy as running the scan button and then choosing the repair option.  There are many good choices on the internet and a simple reading of online reviews will help you find the best option for you.
    • Defragmenting your hard drive
      • Defragmenting your hard drive once a month is a great way to speed up its performance.  The process involves moving, prioritizing and deleting unneeded files.  It arranges files in the most optimal way so that system processes can run freely and organized.  To access the defragmenter on Windows systems, simply right click on the C:/ drive icon, choose properties and then click on the Tools tab.  You can then choose a number of optimizing programs, all of which are great to run on a regular basis.
      • Upgrading your memory
        • From time to time users will find that their memory runs low.  If the steps above don’t help to speed up your computer it may be time to consider your memory sticks.  These are hardware found inside your computer and laptop (always upgradeable on either system) and are a sinch to replace.  Simply pop the bad memory stick out and slide the new one in.  Make sure that you pay attention to the original stick and how it is placed inside the machine.  This will help you figure out “which side is up.”  You may also notice that you have an extra empty slot.  If your machine can handle it (and you can find this out by going to: Start>All programs> Accessories> system tools> system information) I strongly suggest filling up this empty spot.  Most PC’s and even laptops today can take up to 4GB total memory.
        • Clean out the registry
          • One very vital step in keeping your computer in tip-top condition that you don’t hear very much about is cleaning out the registry.  Removing old files from programs that have been long since removed will speed your system up like nobody’s business.   The reason it’s not very widely recommended is because deleting the wrong file can hurt your operating system.  The solution?  Do a google search for a good registry cleaner.  These programs find registry files that are no longer associated with any existing programs on your computer.  And if you’re not sure?  Turn to google once more and do a search on the file name.  There is a plethora of information out there about file names.

If these suggestions don’t help turn your computer into a brand new system, it might be time to consider replacing the dinosaur.  Computers seem to become obsolete from the second you hit the checkout counter.  However, the tips above should help to prolong your computer’s life as long as you keep a regular schedule for cleaning it up.  Think of it as your own personal PC doctor.

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