5 Things That Are Slowing Your PC Down

Best Practices, Data Security, Data Storage, disk cleanup, Hacking, IT Efficiency, Ophtek, PC Tips, PC Tools, Speed, , , ,
29
Sep 2020

We live in a high speed age which allows us to be more productive than ever, but if anything can throw a wrench in the works it’s a slow PC.

The experience of a slow and sluggish PC is one that everyone is familiar with. And dealing with this frustration never gets easier. In fact, a PC which regularly slows down can have a serious impact on your job productivity. The complexities of the inner workings of a PC mean that identifying the exact cause is difficult. But this doesn’t mean you need to continue struggling.
It’s possible, with relative ease, to employ a number of methods and practices that will help restore your PCs speed.

5 Steps Towards a Faster PC

If you want to start ramping your productivity back up then make sure you look at the following:

  1. Defragment Your Hard Drive: A PC is, essentially, a data storage device. But the data stored on a PC needs to be retrieved every time it’s required. And the more data you store on your PC the more uneven this data distribution is. The end result is fragmented data that becomes increasingly harder to piece together. Naturally, this means that processes take longer to complete. Performing a disk defragmentation will help to reorganize your data and can easily be achieved with the Microsoft Drive Optimizer app.
  2. Browser Add-Ons: Installing add-ons to your web browser can help to maximize your online productivity, but too many can start to slow down your browsing experience. It’s common, however, to install add-ons that soon fall into disuse and no longer serve any purpose. Therefore, if your speed issues are only apparent when you’re using your browser, it may be worth evaluating your active add-ons and disabling any you don’t need.
  3. Start-up Programs: When a PC loads up it will automatically load up a long list of programs that are listed in your System Configuration. The more programs that are listed in System Configuration then the longer your PC will take to load up. Many of these programs, though, are not necessary during the start-up process e.g. a messaging app that you don’t use regularly. To avoid a bloated start-up experience just head into MSConfig and check what’s included in your start-up.
  4. Hard Drive Space: Your hard drive may, for example, have a capacity of 500GB but it’s not recommended to fill it to breaking point. The operating system on your PC needs a certain amount of hard drive space to carry out essential tasks such as creating temporary files. And if this space isn’t available then your PC will struggle to operate correctly. Regularly evaluating what is on your PC and what can be removed is crucial to avoid this.
  5. Malware: Hackers are keen to take control of PCs through the use of resource-heavy malware. Depending on the nature of the malware, such as a DDoS attack, your PCs memory can soon become overloaded and grind to a halt. Accordingly, you need to maintain good security practices to prevent the impact of malware.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Best Ways to Keep Your PC Organized

Best Practices, Ophtek, Organize, PC, Security, Updates, , , , ,
30
Jun 2020

The workplace can be a very stressful environment, so it’s vital that you keep organized. Key to this organization is a PC which doesn’t cause you stress.

It’s likely that your PC is your most important tool at work. After all, they can do almost anything from creative tasks through to data handling and communicating. But this is only possible if your PC remains organized. A badly organized PC will not only hinder your productivity, but it can have a negative impact on the health of your system.

The best workplaces avoid these shortcomings by making sure that employees follow simple, yet effective methods for organizing their PCs. And, as luck would have it, we’re going to share these with you today.

Keeping Your PC Organized

You don’t need a degree in computer science to keep your PC organized. You just need to follow these best practices:

  • Tidy Up Your Desktop: A cluttered desktop quickly becomes difficult to navigate, so it’s crucial that you keep it tidy. Ideally, your desktop should only ever contain shortcuts to the apps you use the most. Saving random files to your desktop may seem quick in the short term, but, in the long term, it makes finding everything on your desktop more difficult. 
  • Audit Your Files: No two files are the same and, accordingly, they will all have different lifespans in terms of usefulness. A spreadsheet on outgoing costs, for example, is likely to be something you regularly use. But a spreadsheet detailing a one off order is going to experience less usage. Therefore, it’s a good idea to regularly go through your files and see which can be archived and which should be kept on your system. This will free up storage on your PC and allow you to find useful files more quickly. 
  • Use a Structured Folder System: Structure is the backbone of all organization and, as a result, it should be integrated into your folder system. And this should be more extensive that just moving everything into My Documents. Everyone, of course, will need and want a different system as our brains all work differently. But what’s crucial is that you breakdown all your files into their simplest terms e.g. specific client names and then into increasingly specific folders such as customer orders, correspondence and contact details. 

Final Thoughts

A well- organized PC allows an employee to work to their full potential. It’s essential that all your employees are in this position as it will provide a massive boost to your productivity. Best of all, the most effective solutions are also some of the easiest to implement. However, consistency is crucial when it comes to organization, so make sure these best practices are regularly followed.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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5 Quick Tips for Maintaining Your PC

Backup, Best Practices, Company Updates, Ophtek, PC Tools, Updates, , , , ,
31
Dec 2019

Like any other electrical product, PCs are prone to failure due to the number of components involved. But a well maintained PC is likely to last longer.

Your organization’s PCs are likely to be crucial for your day-to-day operations, so you need to make sure they are in good working order. After all, you wouldn’t let your car fall into a state of disrepair. You would make sure your car is regularly serviced and maintained to make sure you could continue getting from A to B. And a PC is no different. But, thankfully, you don’t need to pull on your overalls or take your PC to a garage to maintain it. You can complete regular maintenance’s quickly and easily from your office.

How to Maintain Your PC

If you want to keep your PC working to its full potential and optimize its productivity then make sure you practice the following:

  1. Declutter Your Startup: When your PC starts booting up it also starts loading all the programs which are defaulted to load at startup. However, not all of these are necessary. And the more programs that need to load then the longer the startup time. Therefore, head to Task Manager on your PC and click on the Startup tab. From here you can remove any unnecessary programs and speed up your boot time. 
  1. Install all Updates: It’s important that all recommended updates are installed immediately. These updates aren’t just related to security issues. Sometimes they are released by developers in order to fix bugs in their software and enhance the product. Ultimately, an update is one of the quickest ways to optimize your PC and ensure that it’s well protected. 
  1. Always Shutdown Correctly: The shutdown process on a PC can be a frustrating affair due to the time taken, but it’s important that you follow this procedure to the letter. It may be quicker to turn the PC off at the mains, but this approach can lead to corrupted files. Instead, make sure you save all your files and close each application down before waiting for the PC to run through the shutdown procedure. 
  1. Carry out a Registry Clean: Your PCs registry is a giant database which logs everything that happens on your PC. If you install a program or change your password then this is logged in the registry. And, over time, the amount of data stored here starts building up. This may not be too much of a problem with newer PCs, but if you’re running an older PC this can create performance issues. However, you must proceed with caution and it’s recommended that you use a highly rated registry cleaner to perform the clean to avoid issues. 
  1. Delete Unwanted Programs: It’s natural that your PC will gradually accumulate more and more installed programs over time. But not all of these programs remain relevant. And if you are running programs that are no longer relevant then they are putting an unnecessary strain on your PCs memory. So, every couple of months, make sure that you evaluate the programs installed on your PC. This will give you a clear idea of what can be uninstalled and what can remain. The result will be improved performance for those that remain.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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The Importance of an IT Induction in Business

Best Practices, Employee Training, IT Induction, IT Plan, Ophtek, Training, , ,
30
Jul 2019

Every business is unique. This is especially true when it comes to IT infrastructures. That’s why any new starters in your business need an IT induction.

It would be foolish to assume that a working knowledge of Microsoft Office is enough for a new employee to log on to your network. Each and every computer network differs in untold ways. And this means that new starters need to understand what they’re logging on to. Unfortunately, many organizations fail to grasp this fact. The end result is usually chaos and disruption.

A good IT induction can help your business avoid these setbacks by educating your employees on the best practices for your network. In particular, an IT induction can be used in the following ways:

  • Setting up Accounts: A new employee will need to create user accounts and passwords to access your network. During an induction you can take the employee through the account setup process and demonstrate how to log on correctly. There’s nothing worse for productivity than a locked user account, so it’s crucial that this process is thoroughly explained. And don’t forget to advise employees on the best password practices. 
  • Underline Your Policies: It’s important to set out your IT policies from the very start. For example, access to the internet for personal use may only be acceptable during breaks. And social media access may be completely restricted. Another key point to raise during the induction is your company’s policy on external devices. It’s increasingly popular for employees to bring their own devices to work in order to maximize productivity, but there’s also a major security risk with USB devices. An IT induction allows you to tackle this early on.
  • Educate on Cyber-Security: The threat of malware, ransomware and viruses isn’t unique to your business. However, the importance of good cyber-security needs to be established before a new employee logs on to your network. It may be that they’ve heard it all before, but a quick refresher is never going to harm anyone. Therefore, take the opportunity of an IT induction to go through the most common security threat. And, for extra assurance, invest in a training application which tests new employees’ aptitude with cyber-security. 
  • Highlight the Employee’s Duties: Every employee within your business should be expected to demonstrate a certain level of duty when it comes to your IT infrastructure. It’s vital that they understand what is and isn’t expected. For example, they should be expected to memorize their passwords rather than writing them on post-it notes and attaching them to their screen. However, they should not be expected to fix hardware issues – processes need to be set out on how employees escalate these issues to IT professionals. 

If you can establish a firm induction policy that covers all bases then you’re placing your business in a fantastic position. Not only can it help protect the security of your network, but it also allows you and your employees to get the best out of the network. And this can deliver a very welcome boost to productivity levels throughout your organization.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

 

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