We all know that worst feeling when your computer decides to slow down and barely function for any real reason. We are all familiar with the curse of the seemingly endless spinning wheel or non-stop hourglass. And it’s always seems to happen on those days when you need it functioning on at its fastest!
Why is that?
Why does your computer all of a sudden cease to function like a normal computer and transform into the computer from hell that you want to throw out the window? If you can think faster than your computer, we have a problem.
Why is my computer so slow?
There are several reasons why your computer might not be running at it’s optimal speed. Let’s start with what you’ve got running in the background have a quick look, how many applications do you have open, how many internet windows do you have open? Now, are all of them really necessary? If the answer is no to any of them close them, don’t just x out the window, exit out of the software. Obviously that’s not going to fix the issue completely, but there are it’s a start. The good news is there are a even more easy things you can do to keep your computer healthy and happy, and running at top speed. Here are just a few tips on how to get it back up to speed:
1. Automatically delete temporary files
Temporary files are collected and housed on your hard disk. When you get a build up of these, they can slow your computer down quite dramatically. Just think about how every click, every web page you visit all add up, and what that means for the number of temporary files you’re asking your computer to store. These are easily cleared by going to your ‘Hard Drive’ or ‘My Computer’ and access the ‘Temp’ folder. Anything that’s older than today’s date is safe to delete from the ‘Temp’ folder. Make sure you empty your ‘Recycle Bin’ afterwards as well.
2. Uninstall unused programs
Similar to the way temporary files can clog up the speed of your computer, unused programs can as well. Be honest with yourself, when was the last time you used iBooks or Keynote? In fact, there are probably a slew of programs on your computer that you aren’t even aware of! If you don’t use it, get rid of it. To remove these programs, access the ‘Control Panel>Programs and Features’, scroll through until you come to a software application you no longer require, typically each application should sit next to it’s uninstall icon. Click on it and follow the instructions to remove that piece of software from your computer.
3. Additional storage
Check on your hard drive and it’s storage capacity every once in a while, if becomes 85% full, your computer’s speed will be affected for the worst. If you use your computer often for large files, such as downloading movies etc., you might want to consider purchasing an additional hard drive for storage.
