We’ve all been there – your computer starts to lag or phone starts to run out of storage space. Sometimes the whole operating system crashes due to over-usage of RAM.

All these issues can be easily fixed by following a few simple tips so let’s find out how you can start your New Year with clean, well-performing devices.

Temp files are temporary files that hold information while a new file is being created. These temp files tend to occupy a lot of space. Many users fail to clear them, so they will accumulate over a period of time, and can start to slow down the performance of your computer.

You can easily clear these files. You can access the Temp folder through Start – first press Win + R, then type “temp” and hit Enter. Select all, and delete.

Deleting your temp files might not show an immediate, noticeable impact on the PC performance, but, not clearing your temp files will slow down PC performance over a period of time.

Typically, a browser cache contains your autofill texts, passwords, browser history and images such as logos and backgrounds of frequently visited websites. Browser cache files can become large and unwieldy with time, which can slow down the performance of the computer.

Not only that, having large cache files also means that a lot of your personal data is in jeopardy. Hence, clearing your cache regularly is good practice.

To clear the cache, select Tools > Options > Privacy & Security in your browser. Click “Clear data” to erase the cache data.

Similarly, on a mobile phone every application has a separate cache memory. Just like the browser cache on your computer, your mobile application cache contains a lot of saved data. However, a mobile cache also holds advertisements.

These advertisements take up a lot of space, so just by clearing the application cache you can save up to at least 20% of your storage space.

To delete app cache data, go into Settings > Apps, and select the app you want to clear the cache for. Go into Storage and cache, and hit “Clear cache”. 

Many of us have a collection of movies that have not been watched in a while or files that have not opened for ages, but we refuse to delete them. However, you should face the truth that it’s time to delete those files.

Uninstalling unused applications will reduce the load on your processor and improve performance. However, while removing unwanted files or uninstalling unused applications you might delete some important data.

We all know that our phones are filled with unwanted WhatsApp images, or games and applications installed a long time ago and never used.

Uninstall the applications and clear the WhatsApp images. Also check for similar photos such as your selfies – just hang on to one perfect selfie, and delete the rest.

Generally, when a file is saved on a drive it will be scattered across all the empty storage sectors. Since a file is saved in a large number of fragments, opening or working on that file might take more time. Not only that, but if a file is fragmented in more bits and bytes, the probability of that file getting damaged increases.

To defrag a file, you don’t require any third-party application – Windows has its own tool. All you need to do is right-click on the drive and select Properties. Go to the Tools tab, and select “Optimize and defragment the drive“.

Once the process is completed, the files saved on the drive should be completely defragmented. This will free up a lot of drive space.

Recently almost all video streaming applications have started allowing users to save videos offline and watch them later. Sometimes, users save the videos offline and forget about them. Since, these videos are not showing in the gallery or Photos app, users fail to recognize what is taking up space on their mobile phone.

If you are one of these users that saves videos offline, check whether you have deleted them. If not, delete them after watching. The average size of an hour of video from Netflix or Amazon Prime is around 500MB to 750MB. If you save two entire movies offline, typically it might require more than 3GB of space.

Following all these tips will make a difference to your PC or mobile phone performance. A better performing mobile or computer means a better experience, better productivity and a better New Year.

Are you experiencing issues with your IT equipment? Slow & unresponsive PC’s & phones can be really disruptive to your business. 

Our IT department here at Signal have many years of experience helping businesses improve their efficiency with equipment that is right for their business and performs just as it should. 

Get in touch with them today on 01748 835599 for a free no-obligation chat. 

Source courtesy of TechDonut