Have you ever thought, “Gee, my computer seems to be a bit sluggish. I wonder if there’s something wrong with it?” You’re certainly not the first. After a while, even computers get “tired” and need a little rest or some “healthy” changes. Below, you’ll find some tips to keep your computer running as smoothly as possible.
Shut down or restart your computer regularly.
It goes without saying that the long you are awake and working, the more tired you get and the more rest you will require. While computers are designed to keep running efficiently for extended periods of time, they still benefit from some rest.
We recommend you restart your computer or shut it down regularly. At a minimum, you should restart your computer once a month. However, we recommend you do this on a weekly basis. Restarting your computer helps free up resources for the tasks you wish it to perform.
Install updates when prompted rather than waiting.
We wrote a whole article about system updates. These updates are important to ensure that your computer and software are secure and running efficiently. They also update your computer with the latest features that might help you get your work done more easily.
Utilize cloud storage.
Move your files to a cloud storage system, such as OneDrive. This helps free up space on your computer. When you use a sync app to keep specified folders synced with the cloud, your computer will keep local copies of your most frequently and recently accessed files and make the cloud files a click away. When the local storage on your computer nears capacity, it can cause your computer to run poorly.
Be careful about what you download or click on while browsing the web.
Clicking on popup windows or random ads can potentially cause problems on your computer or install unwanted applications or worse – malware. Be aware of the websites you’re browsing and the links you click. Malware can be pushed to your computer sometimes simply by visiting a malicious website.
