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In the midst of the crisis the planet is experiencing due to the pandemic caused by the covid-19, the use of home computers has increased considerably. And whether it’s used to work remotely, enjoy multimedia content, or communicate with family or friends, a slow computer can be quite a headache.
But don’t worry, there are some functions of the computer with which you can clean it yourself and get it ready in a few minutes.
Likewise, there are programs with very reasonable prices that complement those that already come natively and, if you wish, There are also some computer technicians who work remotely, that is, they connect from their homes to your PC and do the whole process for you.
However, we must be aware that if we are talking about a computer with more than 7 years of use, and which has undergone maintenance, perhaps the best solution is to think of a new one – and they are not expensive. But start by trying to fix your machine.
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Use what you already have at your disposal
Windows, the most used operating system in the world, provides a series of functions so that the user himself can optimize his computer.
1. Clean the desktop. Its the first. Leave only the applications you use every day in it.
2. Uninstall what you don’t use. To do this, you have to look for the ‘add or remove programs’ option in the search engine (box with the magnifying glass, bottom left) and there delete the ones you don’t use.
3. Clean your hard drive. Type in the search engine ‘cleanmgr’ (without the quotes) to bring up the application ‘Disk Cleanup’. Right-click and choose the option to open as administrator. Doing so will bring up a window where you can choose which hard drive you want to free.
Select and click on ‘Next’ to start a scan of files that are unnecessary for the PC. Then, you can select what you want to delete, click ‘accept’ and you’re done. With the same ‘cleanmgr’, try cleaning also the ‘system files’ that are not needed, like old updates. All this is safe, automatic and very useful.
4. Defragment the hard drive. The files that are stored in the computer have different parts, as if it were a library with many books, so when defragmenting the hard disk, what is done is to better accommodate each of those ‘books’ to obtain better performance of the system.
To do so, open the start menu and look for ‘defragment’. Choose the hard drive you want to defragment and click ‘optimize’. This may take time and it is best if you do not use the device for the duration of the process.
5. Total reset. It is leaving the PC as it came from the factory. This is a radical option and is used in desperate cases. To do this, you must go to settings, then ‘Update and security’, click on ‘recovery’ and then ‘start’. Remember to copy all your files before this to a hard drive, as they will all be erased.
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Invest in a good antivirus
A great enemy of computers is computer viruses or ‘malwares’. These malicious files slow down devices, damage components, and can even steal information.
For this reason, a good antivirus is a fundamental tool to maintain the good performance of a PC. Windows 10 natively brings Windows Defender, which is a good free antivirus option. However, some options such as Avira, in its free version, Avast or AVG offer more complete systems that can keep you safe when browsing.
But seriously consider paying for an antivirus like Norton, considered by many to be the best in the world, as it offers many services. The annual price, for a plan of 10 devices, which include not only Windows and Mac computers but also smartphones and tablets, is at 140,000 Colombian pesos, which translates into less than 12,000 pesos per month.
For its part, Avast offers a very complete plan, also with protection against viruses, spyware, malicious software and ransomware. As well as a VPN services for safe online browsing for a similar price.
There are also programs that automatically clean and optimize your computer: AVG Tune Up is one of them. With these, you can suspend applications in the background, remove add-ons from browsers that slow you down, and keep programs updated automatically.
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Find a remote service
If you are one of those who make an ‘eight’ with this computer thing, A good option to improve the performance of your device is to hire the services of a technician who can connect remotely to your computer and solve the problem you have.
As Jorge Forero, legal representative of Expertechs, a computer repair company, explains remotely, a technician connects to your team through platforms such as AnyDesk or TeamViewer and solves any problems you may have.
The price is 15,000 Colombian pesos for home users. However, Forero is emphatic that not everything can be solved this way. For example, if there are problems with any of the components on your machine, there is not much that can be done.
But for cleanings and optimizations, system and program updates, or to solve problems with peripherals, it is a very good option.
If there is no solution, think of a new one
If you have a computer that is many years old, that has passed through the hands of many technicians and that still does not work properly, a good option is to think about buying a new computer.
Although the country is in quarantine, There are chain stores that offer virtual sales of technological products and that in a short time can bring it to your home. In addition, the equipment is not expensive and increasingly have better configurations.
What you should take into account when buying a new computer, essentially, are two aspects: the first is the amount of RAM you have. This memory, in a nutshell, is the one that is in charge of supporting different open programs at the same time and that they work correctly and quickly. It is recommended that your new computer have at least 8 GB of RAM (if you bring more, the better) so that it has an optimal performance in the future.
The hard drive is the other important factor to consider. There are two types of hard drives on the market, solid state or SSD and traditional hard drives or HHD.
Ideally, your device has an SSD (at least for the operating system), because it is much faster in processing, with less consumption and much less noise.
As for the capacity of these discs, generally in the market they are between 256 GB and 512 GB, which would sound little for some people; However, there are many services that work today in the cloud and the amount of documents that are stored in computers today is decreasing., by cloud storage and external hard drives. It all depends on what you need.
A gamer, for example, will have a good solid state hard drive – even an M.2 type, we’ll talk about them – and a large capacity physical hard drive (HHD) to store games. Take a good look at your needs and get advice and research before buying.
Start by using your own machine’s cleaning tools, which are very efficient and won’t cost you a peso.
TECHNOSPHERE DRAFTING
On twitter: @TecnosferaET
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