Are you looking for ways to keep your PC running smoothly, and extend its shelf-life before you go looking for new hardware?
These tips are predominantly aimed at work/business PCs to ensure key software programs like nCall continue to run quickly, but they will also help you keep your personal machines running smoothly, too.
Clean up your hard drives
Using Window’s Disk Cleanup application on a monthly (or even weekly) basis will ensure you’re not hording too many temporary files. Simply click the Windows symbol at the bottom of your screen and search for ‘disk cleanup’. You will then have a choice of which files to delete, but don’t worry – nothing here is indispensable!
Defragging
Another useful Window’s application is Defragment and Optimize – this consolidates any files that have been separated into several locations on your hard drive(s). There’s a good chance your PC is doing this automatically on a regular basis, but it’s worth checking just to make sure!
Updating
It’s obvious, I know, but how often do you click ‘snooze’ or ‘remind me later’ on an update? It’s incredibly important to stay on top of updates. Programs like anti-virus applications are constantly updating to improve their efficiency working alongside other software packages.
Get rid of dust
If dust accumulates within your PC, you are putting your machine at risk of overheating. Overheating will lead to crashes and shorten the lifespan of your PC. To clean away dust, acquire a can of compressed air, remove one side of your PC’s case and blow away as much dust as you can. If possible, do this at least once a year.
Power up
By default, your Windows PC will be assigned a ‘balanced’ or ‘power-saving’ performance setting. There is nothing wrong with these settings, but if you want to get the most out of your PC go to ‘Power Options’ within your control panel and change your performance setting to ‘High performance’. You may have to create a new power plan to achieve this.
Computers are often overlooked when you’re maintaining your office, but these quick and easy tips will prolong the life of your machines and keep your PC running smoothly. You may also be interested in 5 ways to get the most out of your software.
