Although there are many things that can affect
performance of your computer, there are a few simply things you can do each month to help keep your computer running at maximum performance. This article will focus on two problems that impact performance of your computer and will then explain what you can do about it.Problem #1: Computer Hard Disk Files Your computer is always writing information to your hard disk, no matter what you do. Your computer attempts to keep all file information in same location on your hard drive. As you add and delete files, blank spaces are left between your files. As you add new programs or files, your computer tries to use these blank spaces.
Over time, this reading and writing of files can affect way your computer performs. The files eventually become scattered in multiple locations on your hard disk rather than in same location.
Your computer will still find information. However, more scattered information becomes on your hard drive, more accesses your computer has to make to find (and gather) information. This requires your hard disk to work harder and do more reading/writing than is necessary. It will slow down your computer by as much as 200% and causes increased wear and tear on your hard drive.
Problem #2: Spyware If you use Internet, at some point you will download a file or software program onto your computer. Sometimes you will know something is being downloaded to your computer. Other times you will have no idea. (Although this article will not talk about small files called “cookies”, you may want to look up information on this subject. Cookies are written onto your computer from Internet.)
Free computer programs (often referred to as Freeware) are a big hit on Internet. Every day thousands of users download these “free programs”. Although there are some great freeware programs, these programs often have advertisements or tracking code associated with their use. The term “Spyware” refers to programs that gather information about your computer and (Internet) surfing habits without your knowledge. This information is then sold to a third party company as a means of generating revenue.
The problem with Spyware is that it also impacts performance of your computer. It can make your computer very sluggish and unresponsive.
Three Steps to Improved Computer Performance Now that we’ve discussed two problems that affect performance of your computer, let’s discuss three things you can do to get your computer performance back to normal. You should do these three steps in order presented. Ideally, you should repeat them about once a month or whenever you notice a change in your computer’s performance.
Step #1: Delete Spyware The first thing you should do is to delete spyware files or programs from your computer. To do this, you can use a free software program such as Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition from LavaSoft. To get program, go to www.download.com and search for “Ad-Aware SE” (without quotes). Select “Download Now” and follow installation instructions. Once program is installed, you can scan your computer for spyware files. Then, you can select and delete them from your computer. Note #1: Always be sure to use “Check for updates now” option to keep your program current. Note #2: You need to be aware that when you delete spyware files, some of those “free” programs you downloaded may not continue to work correctly. If you have a program you’ve downloaded and want to continue to use, check very carefully what you select to delete from “Scanning results” once scan has been completed.
