Computer maintenance is an important activity that helps to achieve optimal computer performance. Here are the ways to clean up your system and optimize it.
Cleaning up a computer is important for its smooth functioning. The speed of your device decreases if you do not perform maintenance activity routinely. Sometimes, if it is a virus attack you may be at a higher risk.
Bad sectors developed on your hard disk can prove to be dangerous as there are chances of losing the information or data stored in these sectors. There are five steps that can help you clean up your system.
Cleaning Disk Space
Firstly, freeing up your disk space is an important step. Many operating systems provide tools to do it.
It includes deleting the Internet history, which includes the downloaded file history and temporary Internet files; emptying the recycle bin and temporary files that you never use. Also, the programs that you seldom use can be uninstalled.
Disk Defragmentation
When the computer stores data, it is stored in a fragmented form, wherein the data is scattered in different parts of the disk. The system has to search the whole disk in order to access a particular file. This introduces a delay in the access, which in turn degrades the overall performance.
Defragmentation is an essential part of this procedure. Many devices come with a defragmentation tool. This tool helps to collect the fragmented files and consolidate them so that they are saved in contiguous memory locations on the disk.
Using Antivirus
The computer must always be protected from spyware, viruses and worms. They collect your personal and confidential information and also harm the system. This can be risky as information like website usernames and passwords can be collected and misused.
They also slow down your system and affect the overall performance. A good antivirus program may help you to keep your computer clean by deleting these unwanted viruses and worms.
Cleaning Bad Sectors
The disk defragmentation is not enough, the bad sectors in your hard disk also have an effect on the overall performance. However, the software applications that scan your computer and check for any file system errors, can rectify this.
Cleaning Cookies, Registry, and Startup
The cookies are files that store information about the URLs of different websites. These files can be accessed using a web browser and are somewhat similar to the Internet history that is stored in the system.
You can retrieve the data of the websites you have visited using these cookies. They occupy unnecessary space in your hard disk and can be deleted during the clean up procedure.
The registry is the place on your hard disk where the computer stores information about the applications that are installed, documents that are created by these applications, and hardware like the ports on your computer. There are special registry clean up tools available to help you do it.
The startup programs are those which run when you boot your computer. Too many programs at the startup may affect your system performance. The duplicate files must be found out and deleted to optimize the performance.