Ugh!
Clean your computer!
Ah, much better.
If only it where that easy!
Hello!
My name is Trisha Hershberger and you are watching DIY in 5, the show where I make complicated
technology more accessible, well, hopefully...
Today, we're gunna do some chores - physically cleaning dust from your computer as well as
going through files on your drive.
Ugh.
I know, why can't we just play games forever and never have to clean?
But if you want games to run at their best, then you gotta do this at least eh once a year.
If you find any of the tips in today's video useful, please go ahead and like this video
and subscribe to this channel so you don't miss out on any future tech tips.
Let's start by looking through our toy chest for toys we no longer play with.
I'm talking about all the apps and programs you forgot you ever downloaded.
But what if you need that meme generator in the future, NO!
If you don't use it then lose it!
Applications all need updates, give your computer more settings and files to sift through
and take up storage space that is already limited!
I know it's hard, but sit down and take the time to figure out which apps
you actually don't need and then uninstall them.
I like to do this on PC by heading to “Add or Remove programs” then filter by install date.
If you scroll down, you may find some long lost no-longer-needed gems.
Next, let's get into the corners for all that digital dust we've accumulated.
You know what I'm talking about, temp files your OS created,
temp files you made and forgot about, that stuff.
As we use our computers more and more, over time, data will just, like, clog it all up,
which makes your computer run slower.
If you run on Windows, this is easy, just search for the Disk Clean-up function and run that.
If you want to take it a step further, you can utilize a third-party program
like CC Cleaner for Macs, or System Mechanic for Windows.
All of these programs will go through your storage and suggest content for you to remove,
you can choose to do so or not.
You should always aim to have at least 10% disk space free for your OS to run at its most optimum.
This tip applies whether you're rocking an old spinny drive or an SSD.
You need to do this sort of maintenance yearly.
Also of note, if you have a hard drive, defragging your computer can go a long way
in improving the speed of your PC.
Defragging, or defragmenting, your hard disc essentially means that the gaps between your
packets of data are removed, making it easier for your operating system to find what it's looking for.
If you're rocking Windows 10, defragging is automatic.
But if you're unsure, you can look for Defragment and Optimize Drives, then, you know, do that.
If your drive is more than 10% fragmented, defrag that baby!
But you should not defrag an SSD.
After you've cleaned your computer, it's time to organize it, put all your toys back on
your display shelves with the pin lighting where they belong.
Believe it or not, this actually helps your OS operate more efficiently.
Start by sorting your files to their designated folders.
All those pics of you and your kids at Niagara Falls - choose which ones to keep and put
them in the Picture Folder already!
More important than that: keep your desktop and your start-up menu,
or the dock for all you Mac users, as clear as you can!
There's no reason to give your OS even more weight to lift.
And, if you can keep a document on a cloud service like Dropbox or Google Drive,
you should consider doing that as it frees up that much more space on your hard drive.
And please, I am begging you, keep your start-up menu as free as you can.
You don't need every program on your operating system to start the second you power-on your PC.
Imagine trying to open 15 pickle jars at the same time, not possible!
This is especially bad on a PC as so many programs are designed to auto-start.
So, open Task Manager, find the start-up tab and then disable the programs you don't need to autostart.
Now, if you've done all of those chores, your OS should be moving right along, footloose and fancy free.
But, there's still more you can do and that is to physically clean your hardware.
I know, I know.
This is like polishing doorknobs, does it really help that much?
But in this case, yes, it will actually help, as it can keep your hardware from becoming
clogged with dust and not ventilate properly.
It's super easy, power down your computer, open it and give it a spray, right on the insides with
a can of compressed air.
Also blast your keyboards, your ports, wipe down the outside, the screen, the mouses with a microfiber cloth.
We recommend that you do not use chemicals since these can damage plastics.
Just use a damp cloth with water and be sure to dry it.
And that's it!
Your chores are done!
You can go outside and play with your friends now!
Or, more likely, you can stay inside, jump into whatever FPS you're playing and pwn some noobs.
We always love to hear from you, so let us know in the comments below if
our spring-cleaning tips were any help.
Then make sure to like this video and subscribe to this channel for future tech tips.
My name's Trisha Hershberger and you've been watching DIY-in-5!