Things You'll Need:
- Block of time to focus on computer maintenance
-
Step 1
Delete old files. If your hard drive is too full, then your computer is going to perform slower. Look through your old files and delete anything that you no longer need on your computer. If you are concerned about deleting files, consider backing up all of your files onto an external hard drive. In that way, you will have access to all files that you delete from your computer’s hard drive.
-
Step 2
Remove programs that you are no longer using. Having too many programs loaded on your computer can slow down your computer’s performance. If you are using Windows, you can do this by clicking Start>Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs. The window will populate with a list of programs on your computer. You can sort the programs by the date you last used them. Click on a program and then click Remove to remove the program from your computer.
-
Step 3
Delete temporary files. Your computer generates temporary files but sometimes fails to delete them, which can slow down your computer’s performance. You can do this by searching for files that end with a .tmp extension. If you are using Windows, right click on Start and then click Explore. Click to highlight your hard drive (typically c:). Click Search>All Files and Folders. Type *.tmp and then click Search. Explorer will display a list of temporary files that can be deleted. Click on one of the files. Press Ctrl + A to highlight all of the files. Then, press Delete to delete the files.
-
Step 4
Empty your recycle bin. The recycle bin holds a copy of the files that you have deleted. To remove the files from your computer, you need to empty the recycle bin.If you are using Windows, right click on Start and then click Explore. Right click on Recycle Bin. Click Empty Recycle Bin>Yes.
-
Step 5
Run an error check on your computer. The error check can remove errors that slow down your computer. If you are using Windows, you can do this by clicking Start>My Computer. Right click on your hard drive (typically c:) and then select Properties. Click the Tools tab>Check Now and then Start.
-
Step 6
Defragment your computer. A fragmented computer runs less efficiently. By defragmenting your computer, your computer will operate in a more logical and faster way.If you are using Windows, you can do this by clicking Start>My Computer. Right click on your hard drive (typically c:) and then select Properties. Click the Tools tab>Defragment Now and then Defragment.
-
Step 7
Clean up your registry. You can purchase software that will fix any registry errors on your computer. Registry errors can cause your computer to take longer to boot up when you turn it on.
-
Step 8
Perform this computer maintenance on a weekly basis.
