Tips for Optimizing a Computer

Series Summary

Computers are complex machines built upon very simple principles. They perform arithmetical operations millions of times over to transform digital information moving at lightning speed into usable human data. A personal computer's job is to help a user create, manipulate, deliver, receive or delete media content. This is a simple, sterile definition that sounds uninteresting on the surface. Nevertheless, these fundamental functions mimic human ability in some surprising ways. Therefore, the computer is increasingly becoming an engine of the imagination, a platform for the digital life. In this free video series on computers, computer specialist Bill Powers shares maintenance tips for improving the efficiency of a computer. Powers takes users through the entire optimization process, from downloading and installing spyware and anti-virus software, to configuring this software to using AVG anti-virus software and Spybot spyware software to improve the efficiency of a hard drive. Learn how to uninstall unused programs and remove unprotected cookies to make the hard drive run faster and more effectively.

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm Bill Powers and we are going to try to streamline the computer today. A lot of people buy computers and they come with software on them and it is hard navigating around and figuring out what is going on and there are a lot of programs on there that maybe last like only for 30 or 60 days or whatever. We are going to try to install three today. We are going to try to install three programs that are free that are there to get you around the computer and cut down on some of that overhead and so we're going to go up and make a directory. Where all our downloads are going to go you are going to see on the computer where the materials are going so you can navigate these things and have a little bit more control of what is happening. We are going to take off some of these programs. They only last for 30 to 60 days so we are going to take off some of that overhead off and show you how to do that. We are going to just step through the process on the screen. We are going to be doing three programs. We are going to do AVG which is an antivirus program. We can do Spybot which is one that takes off a lot of the spyware and then we are going to do an alternative web browser just so that you can contrast with the explorer that comes with the machine. Those are the three that we are going to try to put on there. So we're going to go through the steps and we'll see what happens."