Everyone has an opinion on how to fix a Windows PC to make it faster. Some tips are always valid and are actually good for fixing Windows for any occasion; others seem to be good advice, but often end up being useless or even counterproductive.
Let's start by saying that holidays are the best time to devote time to fixing the computer and put it in place so that it can face another year without problems.
These are do-it-yourself operations, quite simple, which allow us to make the service on the machine and allow us to use the computer efficiently throughout the year.
READ ALSO: Windows 10 maintenance, what changes and what remains to be done
1) Among the good and recommended maintenance operations that must be done on every Windows computer at least once a year there are:
- Windows update : never and never neglect the " Windows Updates " because they are always security patches that cover holes discovered by hackers and which, if left open, can favor the intrusion of viruses. So make sure that Windows Update is running automatically on your system and, if it isn't, install all the important updates. This will keep your computer safe from external intrusions and stable, without any effort on our part. To update Windows, write Windows Update on the Start menu search bar.
- Install a new antivirus, this time one for free .
If you have paid for an antivirus program that expires every year so far, the time has come to uninstall it and instead put a new antivirus that is completely free without limitations.
The advice is to download and install Microsoft Security Essentials which configures itself, is silent, effective against viruses, light and always up to date.
Keep in mind that the best defense against malware is the common sense of surfing responsibly, avoiding dangerous websites.
- Back up the hard disk : If during the year there has never been a backup of the computer, the opportunity has come to do it, take some time, buy an external hard disk and make a copy of the disk drive.
In another full article, all the best ways to make a backup are explained. This is not about computer maintenance, but they are the most important lifesaver in case something goes wrong.
- Cleaning up the disk from temporary files or junk : Windows is a bit messy system sometimes and often leaves a lot of temporary files behind in different areas of the hard disk.
With a program like Ccleaner you can clean the hard drive from obsolete and temporary files. CCleaner is reliable, fast and fully automatic, becoming an essential software to fix disk space on your computer and to erase temporary files, caches and other garbage that accumulates over time.
- Uninstall the programs you no longer use .
A holiday period and, above all, the end of the year, is ideal for getting rid of all the programs installed on the PC that are never used. This allows you to gain disk space, to make order in the boot menus and to make the computer more snappy in startup. Instead of using the typical Add and Remove programs function integrated in Windows, it is better to use an uninstaller like Revo Uninstaller because in this way every program is completely removed, without leaving any trace on the computer.
Remove toolbar or crapware software using tools like PC Decrapifier.
- Increase RAM memory if possible .
Among the right and wrong tips to speed up a slow pc is to add RAM to your computer if you can.
- Check the automatic start items of the programs and disable those not used to make the computer turn on faster.
In another article: the best programs to manage Windows startup
- Check that programs such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, Flash and Java are updated . Even if the updates of these programs are only bug fixes and are very frequent, they are mandatory in order not to risk catching "exploit" viruses that exploit software bugs.
- Scan for viruses and spyware with MalwareBytes.
Although your computer shouldn't be infected with viruses, a quick scan with MalwareBytes every now and then takes to find out if there are remnants of old viruses or if spy files have entered that do nothing until they are activated.
2) Things not to do, unnecessary operations that do not improve or even worsen the situation :
- Defragmenting the disk is almost useless unless you're still using Windows XP.
I have already talked about this in another article. Disk defragmentation is still useful "> Most of these programs do not cause damage to the computer, but neither do they have beneficial effects, so why risk it?
The issue can be explored in the article on Registry Cleaners: more problems than benefits
- Dirty Windows Prefetching : After doing several tests I can confirm that this trick is useless, without benefits, with the risk of causing problems.
- Optimize RAM with programs that empty or defragment memory. This type of program is absolutely useless.
- Reinstall Windows whenever something goes wrong.
This makes me mad: sometimes reinstalling Windows is inevitable if the computer breaks, but if you use your pc responsibly and if you follow some basic tips, there is no reason to reinstall Windows every six months or every year. Each software problem can always be solved and the solution is often written in a Navigaweb.net guide or found on the internet.
I remember then:
- the general guide to repair the computer without going to the technician;
- the causes and solutions of a slow computer;
- Fix Microsoft Windows it solutions to fix common errors.
Be careful what you download, test new programs on a virtual machine, run the maintenance tools I mentioned in section one and there will never be a need to reinstall Windows again.
This is the breviary of the most important operations to put a Windows computer in place, to keep it in shape for as long as possible.
I also listed unnecessary operations because many guides report them wrong.
In another article, if you want to do more, you can read all the ways to
- Optimize Windows on your PC for a faster and error-free computer
- Optimize Windows 7 for a fast PC and better performance
- Guide to optimize Windows 10 and decrease the use of PC resources
