Here’s how to help your laptop stay up to speed with your busy lifestyle
A new computer or laptop can be a big investment, which means that many of us hang on to the same device for years. But over such a long stretch of time, you may not even realise how much your computer’s performance has slowed. It’s only natural that machines become less efficient as they get older, but for those of us who use our laptops regularly (or rely on it for work) it can be a problem.
The good news is that you don’t need to fork out on a new machine in order to reap the rewards of a speedy laptop. Thanks to the tech specialists at Syntax IT Support London, we’re providing you with 10 simple ways to increase your computer speed without paying for a whole new device.
Remove Programs that Run on Start Up
One thing many of us will notice is that our computer takes a long time to get started once you switch it on. A good way to tackle this is to remove items that run on Start Up. Just click the home button, then click “run” and type “msconfig” into the box. Click the “Startup” tab and remove any items you don’t use.
Clean Your Drive
You can also type “cleanmgr.exe” into the “run” menu in order to access Disk Cleanup. This will search for programs and files and allow you to clean out any which aren’t useful to you.
Remove Programs You Don’t Use
This is probably the most straightforward way to speed up your device, but many of us avoid it because it can be time consuming. Simply click through the list of programs you have installed and get rid of any you don’t use.
Use Microsoft Fix It
Microsoft Fix It is a simply handy tool for Windows users which helps to clean up and perform many common maintenance problems. What’s more, it’s completely free so there’s no reason not to put it to use.
Scan for Malware and Remove It
A good general rule of tech is that anything starting with “mal” is bad news. Get into the habit of doing regular scans of your system in order to identify and get rid of any malware which might be slowing your computer down. There are plenty of free tools which can do this for you, such as those from Avast and Norton.
Clean Your Browser
No matter what browser you’re using, you have the option to clean it. Emptying out aspects like browsing history, cookies and cached items will help improve the performance of your browser.
Scan for Viruses and Remove Them
Like malware, viruses and spyware shouldn’t be allowed to sit and fester in your system. Use your antivirus program to manually perform a scan around once a week.
Switch Your Browser
If you are currently using Internet Explorer as your default browser, it’s time for an upgrade. Other options like Google Chrome are faster and contain fewer bugs, so your internet is less likely to crash.
Make Little Adjustments
There are lots of little visual aspects to your computer which you probably don’t even notice, but which use up space. Click on “computer”, “system properties” and then “advanced system settings” in order to select the option to “adjust for best performance”. This will remove little features like mouse shadows, but your system will be much faster as a result.
Empty your Recycling Bin
Finally, this simple measure is something we can all do from time to time. Any deleted or discarded items automatically get sent to your Recycling Bin. This is handy when you want to recover a document, but means that nothing has truly been removed from your system until you empty the bin. If you need further help improving your system performance, you may want to consider speaking to a professional IT support company.