Help your computer run smoothly by tuning it up regularly. You'll extend the life of the machine, while also protecting the investment you've already made in it.
How much did you pay for your computer? What about all the software on it? And what's the value of the information on your PC or Mac? It's probably well over a thousand dollars. That's an expensive investment, which is reason number one you should want to maintain the machine properly. In the same way that you have to tune up a car (change the oil, check the tire pressure) or even a bicycle (grease the chain, check the brakes), you have to tune up a computer.
If you learn how and why it's important to maintain your computer, you can implement a pretty efficient system for making sure it happens regularly.
This article is for people who don't know what it means to "tune up" a computer (and if that description does not fit you, then perhaps this is an article you can share with your less technical friends and family). I'll make it simple to understand and give a few options for products and services that will do the tune up for you.
What Does it Mean to Tune Up a Computer?
Out of the box, a new computer, whether it's running Windows or Mac, usually seems downright sprightly. After several months or a year, most people notice a drop-off in performance. And after 18 months to two years, the machine you once adored is usually subject to cursing, fist-shaking, and perhaps occasional weeping, as you watch it fail to load any program or Web page this century. Your once cheetah-esque computer has turned into a sluggish and lumbering oaf.
Sometimes these problems are caused by bad Internet connections or very outdated hardware, but very often, the root problem isn't one thing alone. It's a lot of little things that have built up, like duplicate files, unneeded downloads, and the remnants of programs that never uninstalled properly. Tuning up a computer cleans out all this garbage and tidies up a few other areas that help the machine run smoother and more reliably.
remove data that you don't need related to your Internet browsers.
Neil Rubenking, a lead analyst at PCMag, notes that keeping sufficient space free on a hard drive is likely more conducive to computer speed and efficiency than defragging. While the next Get Organized column will discuss this point in more detail, the gist of it is that keeping at least 10 percent of your hard drive free is a good idea.
What Do You Get Out of a PC Tune-Up?
As mentioned, tuning up your PC usually makes it peppy (faster) and helps it run efficiently. Regular maintenance of this type can also extend the life of the computer in that people will sometimes dump an old machine and replace it with a new one because the older machine seems unresponsive. Just like with cars and other complex machinery, if you don't perform the basic upkeep, it wears down quicker.
In many ways, tuning up a PC keeps it internally organized. Essential data are filed away appropriately. Junk gets tossed. And parts of the system that were starting to get messy or torn apart (fragmented) are patched back together again.
Advanced computer users sometimes prefer to do their own tune-ups, which will be covered in the next Get Organized article, but beginner and intermediate users shouldn't mess around and try to do it manually. Instead, invest a few bucks in a tuneup utility, or software program that will do all this work for you automatically. The analysts at PCMag have tested numerous tuneup programs and have a few recommendations (see "The Best Tuneup Utilities").
Software analyst Jeffrey L. Wilson, who has reviewed many of the tuneup programs, recommends looking for an application that goes the extra mile for your needs. "For example, the Editors' Choice award-winning Iolo System Mechanic 10 ($49.95, 4.5 stars) scored high marks for its top-notch tune-up capabilities, but also for its Program Accelerator (which smartly re-aligns all of a program's dependent files on the hard drive so that the PC finds them faster), useful desktop widget (which delivers at-a-glance system information), and Whole Home Licensing (which does away with install limitations)," Wilson says.
"SlimWare Utilities SlimCleaner (free, 4.5 stars) also scored an Editors' Choice Award for its unique approach. Not only is it free and license-free, but it uses aggregated data from its user base to recommend the optimal settings for your PC," Wilson says. "It even rewards you with badges for contributing accurate information."
Whether you choose a free option, like SlimWare Utilities SlimCleaner, or a paid product, be sure to set aside about ten to 30 minutes the first time you install the program to read through the options carefully and set up regular automated tune-ups. If you do it right the first time, you'll rarely have to think about it again.