Keep Your Computer Running Smooth   Get Rid of Clutter It is recommended to remove or turn off the icons in the system tray or taskbar on the bottom right corner with a right click. Those small icons represent programs that start up as your computer boots up which take time find the icons for all those shortcuts. If you don’t need immediate access to all those files like pictures and MP3s on your desktop, save them in the My Documents folders to keep eliminate clutter. Remove Old Programs If you've never used a program that came with your computer or haven't used it in over a year, you may want to consider binning it, since it is taking up hard drive space. Use the Add/Remove (in the Control Panel) or the uninstall program that comes with your program and don't forget to empty the Recycle Bin afterwards. Defrag Your Computer As you work on your computer, information gets stored onto the hard drive in bits and pieces — wherever there is space. To open a certain file, your computer searches all over for that file. To reorder your hard drive, its best to use the defrag tool (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter) Upgrade Your Operating System Keep your software and hardware frequently updated to get the best performance out of your system. Updates can be downloaded by visiting the manufacturer's website. Clear Your Cache Every time you visit a new website, content is stored in your Temporary Internet Files folder, or Cache. This makes surfing the web slower, and takes up valuable space on your hard drive. While on Internet Explorer, click on Tools, then Internet Options, and, under Temporary Internet Files > Delete Files. You can also set the amount of disk space you want such files to use by clicking on settings and changing the megabytes. Remember the more programs you keep open while you work, the more random access memory, or RAM, you need to keep them running smoothly. If your mouse isn't running smooth, quit out of whatever program(s) you are not using at the moment. Back to Tip of the Month

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