PC Health Check - Alternative Medicine online

Ok strictly speaking Computers do not come under the umbrella of Alternative Medicine, however, I am constantly surprised by the number of people I meet who are having problems with their machines either running slowly or experiencing lock-ups and virus issues. So I decided to write a brief article to help those people to overcome some of the more common day to day problems and get some decent pc performance improvement.

Free Up Cluttered Disk Space

Space on your hard disk can become cluttered over time, by freeing up some of the clutter you can help to improve the performance of your computer. There is a utility in windows called the 'Disk Cleanup' tool, which can be used to free up space on your hard disk. This utility identifies files that you no longer need and can safely delete, it then lets you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the files identified.

The Disk Cleanup utility can be used to:
. Remove temporary Internet files.
. Remove unwanted downloaded program files which are temporarily stored.
. Empty the Recycle Bin.
. Remove any Windows components that you don't use.
. Remove Windows temporary files.

Where to find Disk Cleanup

Click on the Start menu, go to All Programs, then to Accessories, then System Tools, and click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean. It does'nt matter which drive you choose here, they can all be cleaned in turn.

Defrag your hard drives

A process know as 'disk fragmentation' over time will slow down the overall performance of your system. When files on the disk become 'fragmented', the computer has to search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The result is that response times for general computer processing takes longer and longer as the disk fragmentation increases.

Another windows utility 'Disk Defragmenter' can be used to 'de-frag' the disks and put the stored files back into neat storage for faster retrieval. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk becomes much faster.

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How do I know when my disk needs Defragmenting?

The best policy here is to run Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals, say every couple of months. Other times when it's a good idea to run a defrag:

. When you install a lot of new programs or a new version of Windows.
. When your free disk space is getting low (ie. nears 10-15 percent free).
. When you add a large number of files to your computer.
. When you forget to run a defrag for a long period of time!

Where to find Defrag Utility

Click on the Start menu, go to All Programs, then to Accessories, then System Tools, and click Disk Defragmentor. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to defrag.

Tip: Select the Analyze option first to see if the disk actually needs to be degragmented.

Protect Your Computer Against Hackers

Firewalls provide solid protection from hackers and intrusive software that could otherwise create serious problems on your Computer. It is imperative that you install and run a firewall programme BEFORE you first log onto the Internet with your new computer. There are many Firewall vendors on the market, many of them offering free basic firewall applications, click here for Zone Alarm firewall protection and information.

Protect Your Computer Against Viruses

Computer Viruses can have a serious impact on performance and functioning on your machine, it is vital to install good quality Virus software as soon as possible after purchasing your Computer. Make sure your Virus protection is running BEFORE you log onto the Internet, othewise you will be vulnerable and run the risk of downloading something potentially dangerous for your machine.

There are many Virus protection software vendors on the market, many of them offering free basic protection, click here for Avast virus protection and information.

Protect Your Computer Against Spyware

Another resource clogger, Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. The type of information that spyware collects ranges from a list of Web sites that you visit to usernames and passwords. As well as invading your privacy, spyware can very much hamper your computer's performance.

There are many Spyware protection software vendors on the market, many of them offering free basic protection, click here for Lavasofts Ad-Aware spyware software and information.

PC Performance Health Check