There are dozens of PC tricks and procedures you can try in order to speed up a slow computer. Before you do something drastic like open your case and tinker around with the hardware, or reinstall your OS, or even call your friendly IT techs for a service call, you may first want to adopt these four PC practices that are guaranteed to boost your computer's performance.

Shut Down Unused Apps
If you have previously been unaware of this issue, and you have been using your computer long enough to see dozens of new applications come and go, then chances are, unless you have been vigilantly staying on top of this, you may have several old applications still installed on your PC and automatically booting up every time you power on. These unwanted applications use up precious resources on your PC's RAM and can dramatically slow down the overall performance of your entire PC.

To find out how many different applications your PC is currently running, look at your system tray at the right hand side of your Windows menu bar. Your system tray will give you an overview of what major programs Windows is currently running. You may see applications in your tray that you have not used in a long time, or see apps that you thought were already cleared out. By disabling or uninstalling these useless apps, you should be able to see an instant boost in your PC's performance. You will be able to access these applications by going to Windows Start Menu > Startup, and then right clicking and deleting the applications that you do not need. You can also manually uninstall the program completely by going to Windows Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program. If you are considering the uninstall of a program, especially on a company computer, be sure that you do not delete any program that is critical to the operation of the devise. Before deleting or unistalling any application or program, you may want to check with your IT Department or other IT Support professional.

Stop Using Octopus Programs
Do you remember the classic scene from the Jules Vernes novel "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" where a giant octopus is attacking Captain Nemo's submarine? Some programs on your PC are so large that they can act like a giant octopus; using tentacles to reach deep inside your PC to access a ridiculous amount of files, all for the sake of keeping the program open. In the same way the giant octopus disabled Nemo's sub, having an octopus program use its tentacles to touch more files than you are using will cripple the speed of your PC. One example of an octopus program is iTunes. iTunes is a giant program that not only keeps all of your large media files on standby, but it also always keeps a line open to the internet in order to funnel you to the Apple Store. If you are not actively using an octopus program like iTunes, then it is recommended that you close it in order to free up space previously taken up by its grimy tentacles.

Deflate Bloated Programs
There may be some applications that you regularly use that have grown too big for their own good. These applications may have grown to take up more space than is necessary. One example of a bloated program is your web browser. If you have put in a lot of miles with your browser, then you have likely picked up several add-ons and plugins that you may not use anymore. These unused add-ons and plugins can take up a big chunk of processing power and may be slowing down the speed of your PC. Like your unused applications and media files, you will want to go through and delete these useless add-ons and plugins.

Proper PC Maintenance
There are dozens of PC maintenance best practices that you can regularly perform on your machine to keep it running optimally. A few items on your PC chore list are; keeping your software updated (especially your anti-virus program), keeping your programs list minimal by regularly uninstalling unneeded applications, and regularly deleting your computer's temporary files.

Performing these practices and maintenance tasks will keep your PC speed at a maximum. One of the many IT services Network Synergy can do for your company is to remotely perform these maintenance tasks, along with many more best practices, on every one of your workstations every night. Proper PC maintenance from Network Synergy will guarantee that when you come in to work the next day to crank out an important project, your computers will be as fast as they can be and downtime will be minimal. If you would like to set up a free network evaluation where we go in and determine what exactly is slowing down your PC, then call Network Synergy at (203) 261-2201 and let us show you how to increase the performance on all of your computers.