Keeping Things Tidy Eliminates Slow Computer Performance

Paul Watson, PC Technician

Thursday, December 31st 2009

Keeping Things Tidy Eliminates Slow Computer Performance

If you’re looking for ways to eliminate slow computer performance, take a look at these suggestions. While these may not provide a tremendous performance boost for your computer, every little bit helps when you’re trying to squeeze the most out of your computer.

Neat Equals Speed

Sometimes computer users have problems finding files, so they like to load up their desktops with files, aliases, shortcuts and folders. This is a performance killer. You can find your files just as easily by creating a default folder in the file system for saving new files and file downloads. Windows automatically saves files to your Downloads folder if the file’s coming off the Internet, or to your Documents file if you’re creating something locally on your computer.

You can always use these files for your default arrangement and move them to specific locations within the file system. Your desktop doesn’t operate the same way that other file spaces do, so saving or storing files to the desktop long-term requires your computer to use additional memory on top of what it’s already devoted to the file system. When you save files to the desktop you are, in essence, creating two separate file systems and the Desktop happens to be a very expensive file system in terms of memory. In short, put your files where they belong. The file system is perfectly adapted to handle files. If you insist upon using your desktop to save files to, move the files to a proper space within the file structure before you shut down. At least that way, your next computer session won’t be hampered by files scattered across your desktop!

Along with keeping things neat, try defragmenting your hard disk periodically. When you write and delete files, your hard disk gets fragmented. That is, parts of files get scattered around the disk and your computer has to keep track of where all the parts are. Reassembling the file so it can be read and used takes time and slows down computer performance. By periodically defragmenting your hard disk, you bring the parts of scattered files together and make it easier for your computer to find the files you want. In making things easier to find, you also speed up your computer. If you write a lot of files to the hard disk, you’ll want to defragment more often. If you only write a limited number of files to the disk or write mostly temporary files (as you might if you’re mostly surfing the Internet), you can defragment a little less often.

Photo Credit: Jesus Corrius, via Flickr