If your computer is starting to crawl where it once ran as fast as a cheetah, you need to start looking at different ways to free up hard drive space. Your hard drive is like the heart of your computer and like a regular heart you need to keep it as clear and uncongested as possible to maintain maximum efficiency.
There are numerous ways you can free up hard drive space and some ways are a bit more complex than others. Here are some of the easiest, yet most often overlooked ways to free up your hard drive space:
•Manual deletion of unwanted programs: Getting rid of programs that you no longer want or use should be the first step in gaining back your hard drive. Many times a computer comes with certain programs installed that you will never use. If this is the case, then delete them. Right away you will see a difference.
•Manual deletion of unwanted files: As with ridding your computer of unwanted programs, you may have numerous files that have been saved that you no longer need. By deleting these files you are ensuring that your computer will run faster because you will be freeing up all kinds of space on the hard drive. It is important to note that just because you delete a file does not mean that it is gone from your computer. Be sure to empty your recycling bin each time you delete a batch of files to be sure that the files are gone for good.
•Run a defragmentation: Running a defragmentation of your computer will actually ‘shuffle’ files around on the hard drive that are taking up too much space and will thus give you that space back. Sometimes a small file can be saved onto a full disk sector and when your computer is low on disk space or hard drive space it will then break these types of files into chunks in order to save other files and the result is a slower computer. A defragmentation will re order all of your files and the savings in hard drive space can be quite large.
•Store important files elsewhere: If you are a shutter bug you and are storing your entire pictures collection on your computer you should consider storing them elsewhere. Doing so will not only help you to free up hard drive space but will also keep your photos safe from the unforeseen. Hard drives crash all the time and when they do you could lose the photos forever. The same can be done with any other types of files like Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. This can be accomplished by using an online backup company such as Carbonite or by getting yourself a jump drive and transferring all your important files.
Keeping your computer running fast can be a tricky thing to do at times. By keeping your hard drive as clear as possible you will really help in the speed department and with a little regular maintenance this is fairly easy to do.
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