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12 days of computer health

With Christmas fast upon us, it's easy to forget the health of your computer, laptop and tablet, whether it be for business or personal use. Here, Hardware Associates provides its 12 Top Tips to running a faster computer and hit the New Year with a laptop or desktop that runs at optimum speed.

1. Stop, clean and delete. 

To truly give your computer a clean, you'll need to stop a number of processes from happening whilst your computer is running. Have a look at your task manager CPU processes. If there's programmes that are hogging your computer's memory, that you only use occasionally, then disable them from running on start up. You can do this by using your system preferences.

2. Clean up your old computer files. 

Install something like CCleaner to look through all your temporary files and make recommendations of what to clean to make your system run less slowly. Then, defragment your files so that everything runs smoothly. 

3. Delete any redundant programmes. 

Just like you, your computer maybe feeling a little bloated! Go into your control panel and uninstall anything that you don't want, be careful not to delete anything your system needs to run however. Check the publisher, if it's Microsoft or your hardware manufacturer, then you should probably leave well alone. You can use tools such as decrap.org or AppCleaner for Mac.

4. Put items into storage. 

External hard-drives can be a relatively cheap way to relieve your system's workload and free up some memory. Or use an online backup service to automatically and securely protect all your paraphernalia. PCMagazine has just put together a great run down of available services and if you're a business owner you might want to consider services from the likes of Google and Microsoft, again PCMagazine has a great review of available services.

5. Empty the trash and downloads

Free up space on your Mac or PC but right clicking and opting to empty trash. It's as simple as that!

6. Is something wrong? 

Slow performance can sometimes be indicative of something going awry for your hardware. If your computer has slowed down considerably, it might be worth having it looked at and fixed with a computer repairs service. 

7. Buy more memory or invest in a solid state drive (SSD). 

Not the cheapest option, but cheaper than purchasing a new machine, is to look at getting more memory (RAM). Have a look at the memory options available in our spares shop.

8. Scan for nasties. 

Do a regular scan to check that there isn't any malware lurking on your hard-drive, slowing everything down. To get rid of malware, there are lots of free tools out there. We recommend TotalAV Ultimate Anti-Malware 2018 which removes Malware, Adware and Spyware for free. 

9. Better browsing. 

The browser you choose to use can make your internet searching experience faster or slower, so it's best to shop around and find the best one for your needs. Updating to the newest version can help your browser run faster, as well as regularly cleaning out all cookies, caches and history data. 

10. Adjust your settings. 

Speed up your computer by changing the display set-up in advanced settings. You can adjust 'for best screen performance' - and also change your screen resolution if you feel that your super high-res display is affecting processing speed.

11. Update your software. 

Make sure you're running the most up to date software for your Mac or PC. Lifewire lists a number of free software updater programs to help you ensure you're optimising your machine as much as possible.

12. And finally, shut it down. 

If you don't have a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) then we'd recommend you shut down your computer for a number of reasons. Firstly, when it restarts it will identify available software updates, and secondly, if you do have a sudden power cut then you won't lose work but more importantly your computer does have a limited lifetime. Heat and temperature can have a negative impact on a variety of parts from the processor, RAM and graphics cards to name a few. So, if you're planning on being idle for a few days why not let your computer rest too.

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