Often when people save files to their computers, one of the last things they think of is how much space these files take up, or exactly where they should be stored. When you are in a hurry it is easy to simply save that picture or document directly to your desktop without thinking twice. If this happens once or twice it won’t affect you much, but the more it happens the slower your computer will move. The same slowing affect will occur when you accumulate too many files that you no longer use, or that are duplicates. Computers have limited amounts of space, and the more you take up the slower they move. Here are a few things you should consider if you are having problems with a slow computer with disappearing storage space.
Clean up Your Desktop
Is your desktop screen littered with icons and shortcuts? If so, this is a major drain on your computer boot up speed. Every time you turn your computer on it has to load each one of these shortcuts. The more there are the worse it will get. It can also be a pain to sift through the many different shortcuts to find the one you need. Take the time to sit down and look at each icon on your desktop. If it is a document or picture hastily saved that could be better stored elsewhere, move it to the appropriate folder and get it off of your screen. Is it a program that you no longer use? Delete it and free up some space and memory. When you are finished you should only have icons that you use frequently and to which you need fast access. The rest can be moved or deleted for a cleaner look and faster computer.
Delete Duplicates and Unused Files
Do you have a files on your computer that are exact copies of others? If so, these are taking up space and should be deleted or stored elsewhere. It’s great to keep duplicates and back-ups, but if they are all in the same place it defeats the purpose. You probably also have files and programs on your computer that are completely unused and out of date. These can go also, as they are simply taking up space and speed on your machine. Limit yourself to one copy of the things you need on the actual machine, and clean up the clutter of unused files.
Keep Back-ups Somewhere Else
Duplicates or items with sentimental value don’t have to be deleted if you can move them to another location entirely. In fact, it is highly recommended that you back up your computer regularly anyway. An external hard drive, cloud storage, or CD’s and flash drives are great options to store duplicate files and pictures that you don’t need to access from your computer. You can then put these storage devices in a fire safe or other secure location to protect them if your computer fails.
Cleaning up your desktop, organizing and condensing your files, and moving the excess to another storage location can speed up your computer by quite a bit. It can also give you more room on your computer and make locating important files much easier. If you would like more tips or help organizing and cleaning up your machine, contact us at the Local Circuit today.