For our first ever Tips and Tutorials post, I’m going to talk about helping your computer work efficiently, hopefully reducing stress, and of course, the time it takes you to do many different tasks!

The first thing that any computer user, and especially workplace IT should do, is ensure that your computer is working properly!
All too often people let their computers ‘go’. Files become scattered, many unnecessary programs run at start up, and things begin to slow down…

In an ideal world, things are organised from day 1! You should know where files are going to be stored and how they are going to be organised. If you create a system, and stick to it, it will make your life a lot easier should you ever need to find anything, or if anything should ever go wrong. I really can’t stress this point enough. KNOW where your files will be stored, how they will be organised, where different programs will be installed, and keep track of the old programs you no longer need.

Only install what you NEED and keep it organised!

The second thing I recommend, is keeping your hard drives defragged. This is especially important in a server environment, however ANY computer will benefit from this process. I fully recommend the use of ‘runs in the background’ defrag software. We use Diskeeper and it works brilliantly. It keeps everything in check, and it does it while the hard drives are not being used by other programs. It runs constantly so we never have to worry about file fragmentation, and it doesn’t use up system resources while we work!
Such software isn’t for everyone however. Your standard defrag software that comes with your operating system is far better than nothing at all, so remember to use it often! You will really see the benefits in stability AND performance.

Defrag your hard drives, and do it often!

If you’re using a PC, there are a few free programs you can use to help you keep things running smoothly. We absolutely recommend Glary Utilities. It’s only a few megabytes to download and it offers a great range of simple tools to help keep things in check. It even has a ’1 click’ mode which makes it very easy to use, even if you don’t fully understand what its doing. It WILL help your computer run more efficiently.

There are also many free virus and spyware protection programs out there. And I recommend these over any store bought software. Chewy Design uses Avira Anti Virus, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and Ad-Aware. These 3 work very nicely and keep your computer free from any nasties.

Research and invest in programs that work for you!

Running these basic programs just once every week, or even every fortnight will help immensely with keeping your computer running efficiently and effectively.

Keep your computer clean- ensure its a great help and not a hindrance!