MDPP's Guide to Optimizing Your Computer

[Guest hilaryfan80]

Do you feel like your computer is too slow, like it needs a boost? Do you feel your computer isn't running like it should? You've come to the right place!

Please select the correct OS that corresponds to your computer below.

Mac OS X

Spoiler

1. Always keep your Mac updated. Doing so will keep you up with the latest bug fixes, browsers, and make sure that your computer is in tip-top shape. Take a minute to go to Software Update and make sure that your computer is updated.
   
   
2. Use CCleaner. This is perhaps one of the best ways to keep your Mac running smooth. What it does is it deletes unnecessary files on your computer. I've removed up to 36 GB of files just by using this app alone, and it really does speed your computer up. To get this app, you can go to the Mac App Store or through Piriform's website.
   
   
3. Do a Permissions repair. Whenever you install stuff onto your Mac, the installer might change permissions of certain files that can hinder your Mac's performance. To do a Permissions repair, go to the Disk Utility app (Snow Leopard: go to the Applications folder, and Disk Utility is under the Utilities folder). Then you just click on "Macintosh HD" in the list and click the "Repair Disk Permissions" button.
   
   
4. Remove unnecessary login apps. Whenever you turn on your Mac, your Mac opens apps automatically. If you have a lot of apps to open, this can make your boot time really slow. To remove unnecessary login apps, go to System Preferences, Users (Snow Leopard: Accounts), and click on your user. From there, go to the "Login Items" tab. Remove apps from the list (clicking the "-" button) that you don't want to open automatically on boot.
   
   
5. Restart your Mac. You would not believe how many people don't restart your Mac. Over time, your Mac does get slow with use. You should probably restart every other day if you never turn off your Mac.
   
   
6. If you have Snow Leopard, don't use Safari. On Snow Leopard, Safari has been discontinued, which means any fixes that Safari have in later versions are not applied. The internet is a growing environment, and if you can't upgrade, you'll fall behind. Also, SBU has been known not to work 100% with Snow Leopard's Safari. You might as well upgrade!
   

Windows

Spoiler

This guide hasn't been made for Windows 8 yet, as it seems that nobody on SBU uses it.

1. Always keep your PC updated. Doing so will keep you up with the latest bug fixes, browsers, and make sure that your computer is in tip-top shape. Take a minute to go to Windows Update and make sure that your computer is updated. TIP: Microsoft has this thing called "Patch Thursdays", which means they release patches on Thursdays. You might want to run Windows Update every Thursday.
   
   
2. Use CCleaner. This is perhaps one of the best ways to keep your PC running smooth. What it does is it deletes unnecessary files on your computer. I've removed up to 36 GB of files just by using this app alone, and it really does speed your computer up. To get this app, you can go to Piriform's website.
   
   
3. If you upgraded to another version of Windows, delete the old Windows installation. It's simple really: why have the huge waste of space? Go to your C: drive and delete the Windows.old folder.
   
   
4. Change the amount of time it takes for menus to pop up. Go to the Start Menu and type in "regedit" and hit the enter key. You'll see a new window pop up. Now follow these instructions provided by PCWorld: "Left-click on the expandable arrow next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Open the Control Panel folder, and then click directly on Desktop in the list. In the right pane, look for and double-click MenuShowDelay. Change the value from 400 to any lesser number that's 1 or greater; this figure represents the milliseconds of delay between your click and a menu's display. Restart the computer to apply the changes immediately."
   
   
5. Remove unnecessary login apps. Whenever you turn on your PC, your PC opens apps automatically. If you have a lot of apps to open, this can make your boot time really slow. To remove unnecessary login apps, go to the Start Menu and type in "msconfig" and hit the enter key. Go to the Startup tab. If you want, you can shrink the Manufacturer part because you'll only need the Command column. Uncheck any app that you don't want opening automatically on boot.
   
   
6. Restart your PC. You would not believe how many people don't restart your PC. Over time, your PC does get slow with use. You should probably restart every other day if you never turn off your PC.
   
   
7. Never use Internet Explorer or Firefox. In today's standards, the internet is a growing environment, and Internet Explorer is really behind. For those who use Firefox, it's dangerously behind Internet Explorer! It's actually a really huge shock, if you take the time to see how far behind Firefox is! As a general rule, SBU has been known not to work 100% with Internet Explorer, but it's still functional; however, you might as well upgrade to a new browser! I would recommend Chrome, as it's the current leading program and SBU is 100% compatible. Don't believe me? Go to this website and test Internet Explorer and Firefox. Whichever gets the higher score wins.
   

[Guest ssj4gogita4]

1) Go to bed

2) IE9 & IE10 are fantastic. Fast & reliable. Sure, you could have more than one browser but really shouldn't matter. I love both versions. Unfortunately, my school recommends firefox for blackboard even though it sucks big donkey nuts. I know Beck has gotten all the browsers to be compatible for us so I'm curious as to why y'all only want to work on Chrome when all the browsers would be better to keep everyone happy. Chrome is the leading browser? Fine. But what about all the other users? What if they don't want to change over to Chrome and only want to stick with IE, Firefox, Safari, etc? You can't make anyone change their browser choice.

Not mad. Just curious. Seems weird to me.

3) I also recommend, from time to time, to do a random virus/malware scan. Obviously, you won't need to do this if you actually know what you're doing on a computer but it's always nice to double-check everything. I recommend "Malwarebytes Anti-Malware"

4) Also, for those of you who might get confused ont he "repair disk permissions" part, ccleaner also has that option. Might be a slight difference in thoroughness between ccleaner and the actual mac ability, though.

5) Good post, nonetheless. I salute you, sir.

[Sauce Mama]

CCleaner works great! Thanks for all the other tips, hilaryfan80! I never knew some of that stuff.

[crushingmayhem]

That's a really good advice. I had some slowdown problems on my computer especially when I had programs that took much of the computer's hardware. But gladly I had antivirus installed just in case some harmful data entered my computer.

[Guest hilaryfan80]

New tip!

• This tip is for all computers, including Windows, Mac, and Linux! Create a new Administrator account on your computer. Go to this new Administrator account (I named mine Squilliam and I will refer to it as the "Squilliam" account) and change your account to a Standard account. Restart and log into your usual account (not the Squilliam one). You are now using a Standard account instead of an Administrator account. Whenever you want to do something like install a program or change a setting, type in the Squilliam account's username and password and it will go through like you would expect it. By changing your account to a Standard account and using the Squilliam login for whenever you need admin, you increase your computer's security, prevent about 60% of viruses (it would ask for the admin password), and give you better privacy. Just be careful of when you type in the Squilliam account to allow something to happen to your computer: only type it in when you know that you have asked for admin access (such as installing a program). This tip has been recommended by Microsoft and CNET, both of which are very reputable sources. I know Apple recommends it as well.
  • In fact, this tip has been recommended so many times that most Linux operating systems will not even give you an admin account at first. You have to use the word "sudo" and type in your password to permit admin actions.