There is a day for just about anything on the Calendar these days. Well, today is National Clean Out Your Computer Day!
Before we get into some tips for how to navigate this day or actually attempt to do some housekeeping, a little history first. By 1994, over 11 million people in the U.S. had ccomputers. Then along came sites like MP3.com that allowed you download music. By 1997, MP3.com reported over 4 million downloads a day. Hard drives started to fill up fast, therefore slowing down a lot of computers.
So in 2000, the Institute for Business Technology promoted their first National Clean Out Your Computer Day, giving people a day to clean out everything on their computer to speed things up.
Is This Important? We Say YES!
It will help keep you organized.
If you are like me, I think I have endless amounts of computer storage to use as a dumping ground. Having a day where I can at least organize directories and files will help me in the future finding stuff. And do you really need those 500 files in the download folder that are over a year old?
It Will Make Your PC Run Faster
A filled drive will make the computer run slower than normal. Removing unused applications and files will help speed things up a bit. You can also go a step further and learn how to manage applications that run on startup which will also speed things up a bit.
Is Your Security Up To Date
It might be a good time to make sure your system security is up to date. Also, do yourself a favor and make sure you have good computer security. You can't just rely on built in Microsoft Anti-Virus or the normal ones you used to use such as McAfee, Norton, or Trend Micro. If you have questions about what to use, please ask us. If you feel comfortable with your security solution, go ahead and do a full scan to ensure nothing has slipped through.
Other PC Housekeeping To Do
E-mail Cleanup
Review your e-mails and delete e-mail you don't need. That's right, delete it. It's actually freeing to get your inbox to low number. Along with having a smaller number of e-mails to follow up on, another benefit is having your e-mail application function better.
Application Cleanup
Go ahead and get rid of applications you don't use. You will probably be surprised what actually comes pre-installed on a computer that you don't really need. These applications take up space and some run in the background without you knowing. You can also find programs that are available to use to clean up all the junk and cookies that these apps leave behind, but that isn't really enough. Take the time to go through manually, that way you don't accidentially remove something you actually need. Also use this time to make sure the applications you do use are also up to date.
Cleanup That Desktop and File Folders
Are you that person that has 100 icons on their Desktop?
That stresses me out just thinking about it. Maybe you have 500 files in your Documents folder in no organized manner? Taking some time to organize these areas will make your life easier. We promise. A clean desktop accompanied with a good folder/sub-folder strategy for file storage will help your sanity.
Cleaning The Hardware
Dust and other nasty things that have been allowed to get on the computer isn't a good thing. If you don't have a set schedule to clean your computer and peripheals like your keyboard, now is the time. Turn your computer off and unplug everything. Wipe your screen and keyboard down to disinfect them. You can also use one of those cans of air to clean out the stuff that's made it's way in between the keys. If you feel up to it, you can also open the computer, and clean out the fan. Dust can clog that area up and restrict airflow that will cause your computer to overheat.
Backup
So you have actually gone through and did some file cleanup. Bravo! Now, you know those important files you have kept on your computer? Maybe it's that magic spreadsheet you have been using for the past couple of years you can't live without. Are you backing them up? Make a list of the files you can't live without and make sure you are backing them up! Best practice is to have 3 copies of what you want to ensure is kept safe. To make things easier for you, store you information in the cloud (securely) and find a solution that will back those files up. Remember, just because it's in the cloud does not mean your files are backed up.
Passwords
If you haven't invested in a good password manager, now is a good time to this. Don't rely on Chrome, text files or spreadsheets (even if they are password protected). Get a good password manager with 2FA. If you have questions about what to use, please call us. We use and reccomend Keeper.
If you have any questions about how to get the most out of your technology, please give us a call. You can also talk to us about a health check. https://www.bluegrasstechnology.com/when-did-you-last-have-a-health-check.