Computers, those indispensable tools that we use every day to surf the internet and work, are relatively easy to use, but need some care if you want them to be able to work for a long time without problems and without slowing down. While in several other articles we have seen what to do to speed up the PC to the maximum, in this case we do the reverse and see what are the errors that we must no longer make in the use and general maintenance of the computer, because they have the effect of slow down your PC or, worse, cause malfunctions and problems .
Just as there are good habits to remember, there are also bad ones to be eliminated in the daily use of the computer, in order to keep it safe, fast and always well functioning.
READ ALSO: Windows 10 maintenance, what changes and what remains to be done
1) Clean the registry
Always, one of the greatest computer science myths is that by cleaning the Windows registry using a "cleaner" program, the PC improves its performance. While it is right to delete obsolete files with programs like Ccleaner, it is a big mistake, instead, to touch the registry keys thinking to correct problems.
As explained in the past, registry cleaners cause more harm than good because they can go and erase important elements for the stability of the system and because if they go to erase useless elements, they would still be completely irrelevant for the performance of the computer.
2) Use programs to defragment the disk
Disk defragmentation is still an important operation on Windows PCs, for which a program is no longer needed by itself, but just just let the system run it automatically. The beauty is that in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 defragmentation is automatically disabled if there is an SSD on the PC, for which there is an optimization process called TRIM. To verify that automatic disk optimization and defragmentation is active, just search on the Start menu, " Defragment and optimize drives ".
3) Delete program folders
On Windows there is no worse mistake than deleting program folders. In this way, in fact, you do not uninstall the program which will still remain present in the Windows references, even if without the files to run. Therefore, never, ever, delete a folder of programs.
4) Avoid Windows updates
The basis of Windows security is in the weekly updates released by Microsoft, which are always patched to cover the latest vulnerabilities discovered.
Because of this importance, Microsoft has made updates in Windows 10 automatic for all PCs. Those who use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 can still disable Windows Update, however making a serious mistake that can jeopardize the security of computer data.
5) Don't make backups
We all have documents or photos that we want to keep and we don't want to lose in case the computer breaks, so a backup is always needed to save the most important data on a spare disk. Wanting to do things automatically, we have seen the Windows Backup tools and also the best free backup programs that can be used.
6) Leave everything running at startup
One of the main causes of a slow PC is the presence of too many programs in automatic start, which remain in the background occupying memory unnecessarily and slowing down the PC. Autorun is right for programs like antivirus, but not for programs like Adobe Reader, Spotify and Skype that can be opened when needed without them being active all the time.
Fortunately, it is easy to remove programs that start automatically, especially in Windows 10, where you just have to open the task manager.
In another article, the guide to disable automatic program startup.
7) Install too many extensions on Chrome or Firefox and don't check them
Browser extensions are useful, but they can slow down your internet browsing if they are too many or if they are heavy.
In another article, we saw how to check how much memory extensions use in the Chrome task manager.
8) Neglecting the care of computer hardware
A computer, a bit like a machine, needs not to be bumped or used in abrupt ways and also for cleaning. Limiting ventilation and letting dust build up are two big mistakes that can damage the computer inside.
In another article, the guide to cleaning the computer from dust
9) Always click Next when installing programs
This is a mistake that we must no longer make, because most of the free programs hide sponsors or additional programs that go to install themselves if they are not manually disabled.
In this regard, we have written a guide to not install malicious programs.
10) Always use the same password
Although this has nothing to do with the slowdown of the PC, it is a mistake that should not be done because it puts every account on the internet at risk. If we are registered for various services, if on only one of these we lose access to the account because some hackers have discovered the password, all the others are also at risk, having the same password.
Ideally you should use a password management program or create different passwords with a policy to remember.
READ ALSO: Causes and solutions of a slow computer
