MALIK BROWNECOM 315

How to Optimize Your Windows Computer

• I have been helping restore computers since I was fifteen years old for friends and family.

• Worked at ResNet from December 2012 to October 2014

• Internet Troubleshooting Department here at Purdue

A Little About Me

Topics to Be Covered

1. Disk Cleanup

2. Disk Defragmentation

3. Installing New Hardware

Reasons Why a Computer May Slow Down

• According to an article on geeksquad.com, there are three main reasons why your computer are running slow:

1. Low hard drive disk space

2. Not enough random access memory (RAM)

3. Outdated software/hardware

Low Hard Drive Disk Space

• Once a hard disk drive is filled up, the drive will have a hard time manipulating files.

• Only have a finite amount of space

• Can cause computer to run slow because of the time it takes to manipulate those files.

• Windows will normally alert you that you have low disk space if you reach really low numbers.

Not Enough Random Access Memory

• Random Access Memory (RAM) is what a

computer uses for temporary working and

thinking space.• If there’s not enough RAM, your computer will run

slower because it can only run so many programs at a time.

Outdated Software/Hardware

• As a laptop reaches 2-3 years old, software and

hardware becomes outdated.

• Later, we will be talking about what you can

install to make your laptop run better.

• Program that not many people know about.

• From my personal experience, I have seen it clear 250MB to 25GB of temporary files of data.

Disk Cleanup

•Press Start

Press Start

•Press the All Programs Tab in the Start Menu

All Programs •Open the Accessories Folder

Accessories

•Open the System Tools Folder

System Tools•Click Disk

Cleanup in the dropdown menu

Disk Cleanup

• The process of combining fragmented data on a volume so it works more efficiently

• A lot more well known, and frees up a good amount of space on your hard drive.

• Most computers have disk defragmentation set on a schedule.

Disk Defragmentation

•Press Start

Press Start

•Press the All Programs Tab in the Start Menu

All Programs •Open the Accessories Folder

Accessories

•Open the System Tools Folder

System Tools•Click Disk

Defrag in the dropdown menu.

Disk Defrag

Installing New Hardware/Software

• Things that may become outdated over time:

a. Central Processing Unit (CPU)

b. Random Access Memory (RAM)

c. Graphics Card

d. Hard Drive

e. Operating System

Installing New Hardware/Software Cont.

• Standard laptops have

a. Quad-Core Processsor

b. 4.00GB of RAM

c. Intel Integrated Chipset Driver, with some other graphics card

d. 250GB of Hard disk space

e. Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 (based on preference)

• I recommend bringing your computer to these specifications if they aren’t now.

What is a Solid State Drive? (SSD)

• A solid state drive (SSD) is a storage device that stores persistent data on a solid-state flash memory.

• They are not considered hard-drives, because they have no moving parts.

• According to techtarget.com. They have an array of semiconductor memory units that uses integrated circuits instead of optical storage media or magnets.

Pros and Cons of an SSD

Cons

• Set life expectancy

• Lower capacity of data (gap is closing)

• More expensive

Pros

• Data transfer to and from is much faster

• Seek time and latency are reduced

• Faster boot times

• More durable and quieter (no moving parts)

Replace your disk drive with an external hard drive

• Technology today has pretty much found CD drives not as useful as they were in the past.

• Devices such as USB and software such as Dropbox allow us to carry around data a lot easier.

• In order to maximize possible storage, you can replace your disk drive with a hard disk drive.

Replace Hard Disk Drive (HDD) with Solid State Drive (SSD) cont.

Upgrade Your RAM

• Like noted before, an average computer has 4GB of RAM.

• In order to run multiple amount of programs on your computer, 8GB of RAM is recommended. This will allow everything on your computer to work smoother as well.

• Personally, I have 24GB of RAM, so I can do video editing, play video games, work on web design projects, and browse the internet without feeling an impact on my computer.

Any Questions?

• 10 Reasons Your Computer May Be Running Slowly. (n.d.). Geeksquad Intelligence 10 Reasons Your Computer May Be Running Slowly Comments. Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://www.geeksquad.com/intelligence/blog/10-reasons-your-computer-may-be-running-slowly/

• Muchmore, M. (n.d.). 10 Tips to Speed Up Your PC. PCMAG. Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/315484/10-tips-to-speed-up-your-pc

• SSD (solid state drive, solid state disk, solid state storage drive). (n.d.). What is ?. Retrieved October 19, 2014, from http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/solid-state-drive

References