Keep Your Computer Up To Speed

Posted under Computers, Hardware, Internet, Software by admin

New Computers are getting faster and faster every year. But the more programs you load, the slower it seems to gets. It may be time to clean house and get rid of the programs you no longer use.

To remove programs, start by going to the Control Panel. To find the control panel, click on the Start Menu button on the lower left-hand corner of the Windows XP desktop. The ‘Control Panel’ should be listed in the Start Menu.

If it’s not on your Start Menu, it’s easy to add.

1. Right-click the Start button and choose ‘Properties’ from the pop-up menu.

2. On the Start Menu tab, make sure the first (non-classic) Start Menu option is selected and click Customize.

3. Click the Advanced tab.

4. In the Start Menu Items list under the Control Panel section, select Display As Link.

Now that you have found the Control Panel, select ‘Add or Remove Programs’. A list of currently installed programs will be displayed. Start at the top of the list. The first program on the list will be highlighted. Use the up and down arrows to scroll the list.

You will see some details about the program. The size, used, and last used on date. There will also be a ‘Change/Remove’ button. Click on ‘Change/Remove’ to start the uninstall wizard. Some wizards will ask you to turn your computer off to finish the removal of the program. That’s fine, go ahead and restart your computer and continue down the list.

There may be some programs on the list that you don’t recognize. If there are other people using your computer, you might want to ask them about it before deleting it. Also, if it has words like driver, Windows, Microsoft, update or your Internet providers name in the title, you should leave it alone. Be sure to check the date last used. Then, if it has been more than a few months and is used rarely, it is safe to remove.

After you’re done removing programs, you should defrag your hard drive. Defragging your hard drive gets all the files back in line and helps your computer run faster.

To defrag your computer:

1. Select ‘My Computer’ from the Start Menu.

2. Right-click on the hard drive, this is usually referred to as the ‘C’ drive.

3. Select ‘Properties’ from the pop-up menu.

4. Select the ‘Tools’ tab and click on the ‘Defragment Now…’ button.

5. Click on the ‘Analyze’ button.

Wait a minute or so, and a little window will pop-up telling you if you need to defrag your hard drive.

When this is finished your computer should be Up to Speed. - Janean Wilson