Computer Tune Up for 2013

Resolve to Regular Computer Tune Up This Year

New Year’s morning – you wake up and within a few hours you’ve broken half the resolutions you’ve set for the year. “I’ll start tomorrow,” you swear. You log on the computer, go directly to Facebook (another resolution down) and start to browse. Just like you, another year passes and your computer gets a little bit slower. If only there were some way to make sure it went to the gym and ate more healthily.

According to a study performed by Crucial.com, 4 out of 5 computer users would like to change something about their computer. The top 5 changes they’d make: faster startup, faster programs, more reliability, longer battery life, and more storage space.

While your computer can’t make these changes on its own, unlike you, there are some things you can resolve to do to make sure your computer stays fit.


1. Faster Startup:

Humans need a cup of coffee for faster startup, but don’t pour one on your computer. Instead, check your startup programs and get rid of anything you don’t use. If you’re unsure of something, consult a computer repair expert with questions. To get rid of programs bogging down your computer, hold the Windows key, then press R, type ‘msconfig’ (without quotes) and go the “startup” tab. Uncheck anything you’re not using.

2. Faster programs:

While you can’t just make your programs run faster with something as simple as the above trick, adding more RAM to your computer will usually speed it up. Talk to a computer repair expert to see if you can add more memory. This is a cheap way of upgrading your computer to squeeze some more life out of it.

3. Improved reliability:

If your system isn’t rock-solid, it means there’s something wrong with it. Computers run like they should until an outside force intervenes. Most often, that outside force is a virus or malware. Make sure you install an antivirus software this year. We recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. It’s free and gets the job done. MalwareBytes is also great for periodical scans, which you should resolve to do as well.

4. Longer battery life:

Laptop owners are perpetually cursed by the low battery warning. If you want to avoid this happening to your laptop you just got for Christmas, resolve to do a few things. Make sure not to let it overheat. Long-term heat can severely damage your laptop’s battery. Also, don’t let the battery drain all the way out. Just like driving your car on empty can strain it, running the laptop out will damage it as well.

5. More storage space:

This is by far the easiest resolution to carry through on. You can even fulfill it today. If you have a laptop, you’ll need to get an external hard drive, which you can buy online or in your local store. They come in capacities up to two terabytes, but that will surely be tiny by the time this year is over. If you have a desktop, you can install another internal drive for more storage. And if you want to be able to access files from anywhere, you should consider looking into a cloud storage solution. Google Drive has ever-increasing storage and is free!

Infographic by crucial.com