Tips to Keep Your Windows PC Running Smoothly

A year goes by after buying your brand new Windows computer system. It seems like every week the computer takes longer to load and it
feels "sluggish". There are methods you can implement that will help your PC operate and feel like the days of old. Even for those who don't have a lot of technical skill, these procedures are quite easy to do.

1. Cleanliness - Heat is the number one killer of all electronics. As dust acts like an insulate, keeping any electronic device clean will prolong its life-span. Turning off your computer and using a can of air to blow dust out from inside the case and power supply once per month could add years to its life.
2. Programmatic - When you install programs, there is a good chance you could be installing more than you wanted. Your taskbar on the bottom right of your computer screen can fill up quickly with unwanted programs. Regularly examine what is installed on your computer in the control panel and pay close attention to programs you install. Uncheck boxes that ask to install other programs.
3. Registry Cleaning - There are many programs on the market that can keep your registry clean of unused and obsolete registry keys. This helps keep the computer running smoothly as Windows tries to account for the information in the registry. If the information is no longer available, the computer's performance can become slow.
4. Taskbar Management - There are a lot of programs you install that you want to keep. However, many of them don't need to load when Windows does in order to operate. Programs such as Java, Acrobat Reader, Open Office, and others load updater and management programs that are not necessary. This slows the computer down on startup. In the run command, type in "msconfig" and hit enter. This brings up the system configuration window. Select the "Startup" tab and here you can disable various programs from starting up. However, be careful which programs you disable for you might wind up removing tools that you frequently use.
5. Defrag - There are people who believe that you should defrag your hard drive after any install. This can actually be too much as it puts wear-and-tear on your hard drive with each run. Defragging your computer once every few months will be enough to keep the drive clean and running smoothly.

Buying a computer for the first time can be intimidating to many. Just keep in mind that a computer will operate much better if constant maintenance is performed in order to keep it running. Much like caring for a car, computers will run for a very long time before finally breaking down if they are maintained regularly.

Author Bio:
Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny, www.enannysource.com/ etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.