Just like your car, you computer needs regular maintenance to work optimally.  A computer tune up is a process you should run from time to time to ensure that your PC works the way you want it to.

The process is pretty easy to follow but takes a great deal of time; therefore it is best to save a proper tune up for a day when you won’t need to use the computer for several hours.

Backing up the PC

If you have never run a back up on your system, this is the time.  Ideally you should be backing up your data daily, but most people don’t.  To run a back up go to the Start menu, select All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Back Up.  For an initial back up select All Information on this Computer and stand by to change out CDs as needed.

Cleaning and Tuning Your Computer

There are several scans you want to run at this point.  First check the hard drive for errors by going to Start, My Computer and right click on the volume you want scanned.  Select Properties, then Tools and finally, Check Now.  Opt for both types of scan.

When that is complete defragment the drive.  Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Defragmenter.  This will bring together all the little bits of files scattered around your drive and place them near one another.  This reduces retrieval time.

Run a virus scan.  Removing any malware, spyware and other trash will also help speed up your PC.  Finally, remove any old programs you no longer use and old restore points that your computer is hording in the system.

Finish up by running another back up and rebooting the system.

Registry Cleaner Instead
If all this seems time consuming, it is.  It is much simpler to run a registry cleaner and have it take care of errors in the operating system registry instead.  Truly these two functions are complimentary, but a registry cleaner is much faster and can be run more frequently; a computer tune up – light, if you will.  Download a good registry cleaner to keep your PC optimized when you don’t have time to run a full level clean up.

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