If you have noticed that your PC is running more slowly of late it is time to take matters into your own hands.  A computer tune up is one way to get things tidied up and moving faster.  Most people can handle this kind of thing on their own by following a few simple steps.

Back up Your Data

The first thing you want to do is create a complete backup of your computer.  If you have never run a back up before this is particularly critical.  If you have made consistent back ups, than just updating your information may suffice.

The process is as follows:
Start ?All Programs?Accessories?System Tools?Backup
When asked what information to back up, select “all information on this computer.”  Not only will this back up your files, it will provide you with a copy of information needed to reboot your system if it crashes.

Scan for Errors

Now you want to check for any errors or problems on the hard drive.  This is a good scan to run from time to time in any case.

Start?My Computer?right click on hard drive?Properties?Tools?Check Now

You can use this to scan all hard drives in your unit.  Make sure you click both options.  It can take a while to fully scan a hard drive, particularly if it is a large drive or is very full.

Defragment the Your Hard Drive
When you save things to your hard drive your computer isn’t particularly discriminating.  It lays down bits of the file all over the place, wherever it can find the room.

As a result, it can take longer and longer to recover all those little bits when you call it up later.  Defragmenting a drive allows the computer to take the time to pull all those bits together in one area, allowing for quicker access and retrieval.

Start?All Programs?Accessories?System Tools?Disk Deframenter

First run the Analyze option.  Your computer will let you know how bad the situation is and whether or not you should defragment.  Go ahead and run the defragment cycle.  You will get a report after the job is complete.  This is another utility you should run regularly.

Take Out the Trash
We have a bad habit of keeping every file, picture and document we have ever placed on our computer.  You just don’t need it all.  Now is the perfect time to remove all those excess files.

Start?All Programs?Accessories?System Tools?Disk Cleanup

Your computer will evaluate what is on your drive, how often you use it and make suggestions as to which are best to remove.  You can also click on the “more options” tab and see what else is extraneous.

This is also a good time to go the Control Panel and click on Add/Remove Programs and get rid of all those old programs you don’t use any more.  When all this is complete, empty the Recycling Bin.

Finishing Up
At this point you will run another back up so the copy you have is as clean as your computer is right now.  Then reboot the system to make sure everything takes.  There, you are done.

Registry Cleaner
If you find all that information intimidating and undeniably time consuming consider another option.  A good registry cleaner can perform a computer tune up for you in well under an hour.  Additionally a cleaner will assess the operating system’s registry and make sure it is in optimal running condition.  It takes only a few minutes and your system should be optimized for faster performance.

Optimize-Your-PC can help you computer tune up . With its advanced registry cleaning technology, it will scan, diagnose, and fix all erroneous Windows registry entries, leaving you with nothing but a highly-optimized PC.

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