Essential Tools Every PC Should Have for Optimal Performance
A personal computer, like any other machine, or the human body, has a limited lifespan. But if you look after it, maintain it, love and nurture it, it will serve you well for years. If you don’t maintain it, neglect to take care of it, things can start going wrong. In the worst case, your computer lifespan may be significantly reduced but computer maintenance isn’t difficult provided you have the right tools at your disposal. These are the four must-haves for any PC:
1. Disk Space Analysis
You can be as tech-savvy as you like but you will still have space on your PC that is being wasted, in some cases, gigabytes worth. An average system will have thousands of folders and files on it and this makes it hard to find out where space is being wasted. You could manually clear out your PC but good luck with that! The best way is to download a disk space analyzing tool such as WinDirStat; this will scan your PC and tell you where the problems are, allowing you to fix them.
2. Optimization and File Cleaning
While you use your PC, some files will need to be deleted regularly, such as temporary files, thumbnails, browser cache, crash dumps and log files, for example. To do this by hand would take you forever so you need a file cleaner like CCleaner. This will clean up unnecessary OS files and any third-party applications that may be on your system. You need to tell the system what files you want to clean and then let it do its work – you might be surprised at how much space you free up. You can use the free version or upgrade if you require deeper cleaning.
3. Completely Uninstalling Apps
When you uninstall an app, you don’t always get it all wiped out and bits of it will still be left on your systems. These bits all add up to wasted space and poor performance. Installing a program like Geek Uninstaller will remove these bits. When an app is uninstalled using Geek, it will make sure that everything is gone and, even better, it can be installed on a fire stick and used on any PC you own. Another alternative is Revo Uninstaller, that does pretty much the same thing.
4. Scanning for Malware and Removing it
Malware is always going to be a huge problem for PC users; it can slow your computer down and you can, in bad cases, lose control of your system to a hacker or have your personal data or identity stolen. One of the best tools for dealing with this is Malwarebytes and its free to use. It is updated daily so even the newest malware will be caught by it. You can upgrade to a paid version if you want real-time protection but the free version, used regularly, is usually more than sufficient.
Windows 10 users should be aware that there are now a series of built-in tools to help keep your computer safe, including Windows Defender. It should also be noted that updates are now automatic, ensuring that you always have the latest security fixes on your PC always.