Maintenance (Not just your car needs it)

We often wonder why it is that our computers are not as quick as they used to be fresh out of the box.

Allow this simple analogy to explain the cause of this problem: Imagine if your car for 3 months, non-stop, without ever turning it off or changing the oil. Unless you're really lucky and drive a Japanese car, it will not be happy and will most certainly not run the way it did the first few miles.



This is very similar to running your computer non-stop without doing some simple maintenance here and there. It will become bogged down and slow.

How can MDT help?
We are going to offer you a few quick tips and tricks to speed that thing up and get it going the way it used to run. Do remember to always backup your important data before making any system changes such as this one.

1. First we are going to grab a free tool which will help us with this process. It is coined "CCleaner" and is a great utility. To download it, click the icon below.
   


Find it here

2. Once you have downloaded the above file, proceed to install CCleaner. Be sure to de-select the check box next to installing the "Yahoo Toolbar" unless you want to add it.

3. Find the CCleaner shortcut on your desktop and double click it.
4. From here, make sure nothing in your recycling bin is of importance. Once you are ready, make sure the Cleaner button on the top left is selected and click "Run Cleaner"
5. You may receive a warning as shown below which you can accept by clicking ok. This simply reminds you again to make sure no important files are saved in places like the recycle bin. If you don't want to see this message in the future check the box on the bottom of the window.
   


6. When complete, CCleaner will notify you in it's detailed report. It will tell you how much it deleted as well as what it deleted.

Why does this work?
Over time, your computer will collect temporary files (files the computer needs at a particular point during a process but not for a permanent basis). These files start to quickly pile up and not only take up space but also slow down your system as many of them continue to run.

Run CCleaner on a weekly basis to keep your system free of temporary files and processes.

Stop by next week for some more help in the computer maintenance department!