With viruses becoming smarter every day, protecting your laptop has never been more important. Today, we’re going to teach you about some of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your laptop. By running these tools on a regular basis (say, once per week), and by following the other tips listed, you can make sure your laptop continues to run as fast as possible.
8 ) Upgrade your RAM: Some users think that RAM upgrades are only for desktop PC owners, and that upgrading RAM on a laptop is far too difficult to be worth it. On most laptops, nothing could be further from the truth. Many models allow you to simply remove the battery cover and insert RAM in a special compartment underneath. This means that you don’t have to take apart your laptop or worry about harming anything in the process. For that reason, RAM is always one of the best upgrades to make to your laptop in terms of its price/performance ratio.
7) Uninstall unnecessary programs: Typically, laptop hard drives are smaller than those on desktop PCs. For that reason, it’s important to preserve whatever space you have left. Uninstall any programs that you don’t use to create more room on your hard drive and extend the life of your PC.
6) Cool your laptop down: Laptops can heat up very quickly, particularly if you’re running performance-intensive tasks like video games, or if your laptop is resting on a soft surface like a bed or a couch. Make sure that air can flow freely into and out of the fans on your laptop to prevent it from overheating.
5) Edit your start up programs: Every time your computer boots, it fires up hundreds of processes. However, most users only actually use a few of these applications. To get rid of any unnecessary processes, go to your Start menu and run msconfig (or search for msconfig in the Windows 7 search bar). This shows all of your PC’s startup programs and gives users the ability to pick and choose any programs they don’t want. Of course, if that sounds too technical for you, there are plenty of startup managers that will handle this process for you.
4) Remove temporary internet files and cookies: Every time you browse the internet, some of that information is stored on your hard drive. The next time you visit that website, some of this information is used to make the site load faster. However, these temporary internet files can take up several gigabytes of space on your PC, and most users choose to clean out this folder on a regular basis. You can do this within the browser itself, or by using a computer optimization tool like PC Cleaner Pro 2012.
3) Empty your recycling bin: As simple as this step seems, many PC users forget to delete the contents of their recycling bin on a regular basis. So, instead of actually freeing up space on your hard drive, you’re simply moving unnecessary files to another location. Emptying your recycling bin allows you to permanently delete these files.
2) Protect yourself with a good antivirus program: There are plenty of good antivirus programs on the market, and none of them are free. If you’re serious about protecting your PC, then it’s important to invest in a good antivirus program today. By scanning your laptop regularly, you can cut down on some of the most common causes of PC slowdowns, crashes, and errors.
1) Clean your registry: Unfortunately, some laptop owners still don’t know how important the Windows Registry is. In fact, it contains vital configuration data about every process on your PC, which means that it is being accessed constantly by your hard drive. If your registry isn’t optimized for performance, then you can run into all sorts of different problems, including PC slowdowns, crashes, and other annoyances.