Nomad Internet

So often computers slow down due to bad Internet browsing and bad upkeep habits. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid this.

For sake of consistency, I have put a new article on the Help Desk that covers the topic of safe browsing. As simple as the Internet may seem, doing the wrong things with it result in a seemingly slow computer, a slow Internet connection, and an unhappy person, you!

When you are sure that you are following a good set of browsing guidelines, it is time to do a few things to increase the power & speed coming out of your computer.

It is good to start by cleaning house:

1. Delete temporary files that overload your system
2. Use Disk Cleanup to compress old files
3. Run a spyware cleaner like Ad-Aware
4. Defragment your hard drive

It may be helpful to print this off and keep by your computer for future reference.

Delete Temporary Files:

Download CCleaner and install it on your computer. Once installed, open CCleaner and run the cleaner and issue options.

Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup comes pre-installed on most Windows installations. Running this tool will compress files, which in turn will offer a small increase in system speed.

Run Ad-Aware

Ad-Aware will scan your computer and help you remove various files that should not be on your system. You must first obtain Ad-Aware from Lavasoft's website: Ad-Aware Free

Run Ad-Aware and remove any "Critical Objects" that it finds.

Defragment your hard drive

When you first bought your computer, it probably ran very fast and efficient. Over time this speed tends to decrease. Part of this is due to more and more programs being installed inside Windows. Part of the problem is due to fragmentation. This can be corrected by defragmenting your hard drive at least 2-3 times a month. The first time a hard drive is defragmented the process may take 30-40+ minutes depending on the size and free space remaining on the drive. Future attempts to defragment a drive will most likely not take as long.

1. Open Disk Defragmenter (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter)
2. You may be asked to chose a drive. In this case, chose "C:"
3. Click "Defragment"
4. When the program is done defragmenting, you can exit

You are done! Going through these steps will not always cause a noticeable speed increase, but it will help to keep and maintain a healthy working computer.