Computer technology becomes outdated almost as fast as it hits the store shelves. The disparity in performance between work or school computers and the computers you use at home may lead you to conclude that your home computer is slow. In reality, businesses and schools replace their technology more frequently than home users do, so it’s no surprise that you’re looking to speed up your computer in the wake of the never-ending waves of new computer technology.

An Old Computer Isn’t Necessarily A Slow Computer

You can preserve the operating speed of your home computer by keeping it in good shape. A little maintenance and good user habits can go a long way toward making sure you get the most out of your home computer.
So, exactly what’s involved in taking care of your home computer? In this and the next few posts, I’ll discuss the periodic maintenance that you should be performing on your home computer. Ultimately, nothing will take the place of a faster, newer processor, but you can preserve the computing power you have and extend your PC’s useful life by following these tips.

Keep Your Disk Clean. No one likes cleaning, even digital cleaning. Keeping your computer free of accumulated unnecessary files will enable your computer to make the most of its disk space. Additionally, some useless files are useless because they’ve become corrupted. Corrupted files can cause major slowdowns and poor performance for your computer. It’s essential that you find these clunkers and get rid of them.

Before you get to the heavy-duty lifting, you should run Disk Cleanup, a built-in tool that Microsoft has provided. Disk Cleanup will remove temporary files, empty your Recycle Bin, optional Windows components that you’re not using, and eliminate old backup/restore files that are no longer needed. Removing the temporary files is something like removing cobwebs. These files were once useful and they’ve been replaced by something else or are no longer needed. Removing these ghosts will free up disk space and give your computer more performance options.

To access Disk Cleanup, choose Start > All Programs>Accessories>System Tools and choose Disk Cleanup. Use the wizard to help you choose the drive(s) you want to clean. Disk Cleanup will identify files it thinks you can do without and will wait for your OK to go to work.

Running Disk Cleanup is one of the easiest ways to start maintaining your PC. In future posts, I’ll cover other surefire ways to preserve your computer’s performance.

Photo Credit: Colin Howley, via Flickr

Tags: slow computer, slow computer performance, speed up your computer