How to Maintain Your Computer

A properly maintained computer will provide you with substantially higher speeds, both via RAM and on the internet, regardless of your hardware setup and configurations.

1. 1
   Clean out all the junk left behind by browsers. To do this, you can use the Disk Cleanup utility included on the Windows systems, or download a freeware program such as CCleaner to do it for you. In Linux you can use Kleansweep or Bleachbit. Cookies and cache left behind by browsers can amount up to gigabytes of wasted space, so it is imperative they're deleted.
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2. 2
   Search and destroy spyware and/or viruses on your PC. There is a myriad of tools available to do this. AVG Anti Virus is a good one to use. Download.com is a great place to legally obtain these tools.
3. 3
   Defragment your hard drive monthly to keep your computer running smoothly. Windows XP includes a utility to do this, but a tool called Magical Defrag also exists, which automatically defrags your system during periods of inactivity.
4. 4
   Uninstall programs you no longer use, and delete music you no longer listen to. The more free space your computer has, the faster it will go. You'll be surprised how much space you'll free up and how much your computer's performance will increase.
5. 5
   Use the msconfig command in the RUN command prompt to open up a window that will allow you to uncheck start up programs you don't use. This can up your start up and boot down times a lot.
6. 6
   Use your computers disk management systems.
   • For Windows, select Performance and Maintenance and then choose "Rearrange items on you hard disk..." and "Free up space on your hard disk.".
   • For Mac, go to the Applications Folder, select Utilities Folder then launch Disk Utility.