How to Spring clean your IT

Many of us will have been given some form of new technology over the Christmas period. The domestic cleaning professionals, MOLLY MAID, believe that there’s no time like the present to Spring Clean your IT from ditching old cables to organising your folders and defragging your system.

It is common knowledge that the average laptop has a lifespan of about two to three years, but with proper care, it can be extended. Spring cleaning is a way to prolong its life and will ensure consistent performance preventing unnecessary and unexpected repairs.

Virus Protection

• One of the very first tasks with any IT which is less about Spring Cleaning and more about safety and protection, is to install a reliable virus protection software.

Make a list, check it twice

• One of the reasons why a laptop or desktop is quick to slow down is because of the number of files saved in its memory. Set aside some time to go over all your files in every usable drive and write them down. The list will help you to determine if you have multiple copies of a file, in which case, it is best to delete the unnecessary duplicates or back them up in an external hard drive or cloud storage account.

Create folders

Creating folders and sub-folders will give you an immediate idea of where your files are located for future reference and prevents further duplication.

Recycle bin

Make sure that you empty the recycle bin. You have probably already deleted some of the files that you no longer need, but it only frees up extra space if you empty the recycle bin.

Once you empty the recycle bin, this signals the system that whatever space the file used to occupy can now be overwritten.

Deeper Clean

It’s time to go for a deeper clean by deleting browser history, cache, cookies, broken or leftover items in your system registry, and other things that you may or may not have known exists in your computer.

Try downloading a free tool called CCleaner. This tool goes over your system and finds items that need to be repaired or deleted. If an item is no longer in use or is a leftover from a program you have already uninstalled and no other program is accessing it, the tool will suggest its deletion.

It will also delete cache, cookies, browser history, as well as empty the recycle bin for you when you run it. It’s an all-in-one cleaning tool.

Defragment Your System

No matter how high-tech or state-of-the-art your computer is, a system defragmentation is necessary. The process of defragmentation is in itself the computer’s way of spring cleaning its system and organising its files. It also helps your computer to open files and programs quicker. The disk defragmenter can be accessed under System Tools.

Install Updates

This is important because there are some critical updates that can reinforce your system’s protection. If you are in doubt and confused with the advantages of an update, you can always contact the customer support hotline for your operating system so they can provide some clarification.

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