Have you noticed that you have a slow computer? Do you have slow internet? These symptoms can often be caused by having a lot of “stuff” on your computer. Most people do not even know that this clutter is there much less how to clean it up. Using a tool like CCleaner will take all the hassle out of doing it, and It’s FREE!

First you want to download CCleaner from Here.

Second, once you have downloaded and installed CCleaner, you want to open it up. The first screen you see should be the “Cleaner” Menu. This Tool will cleanup the junk and clutter on your computer that comes from daily tasks. My only warning about this tool is that unless you uncheck cookies, temp files, and history, you will lose your saved passwords and drop down list of recent websites. *Side Note: If you have a lot of passwords to remember, see our post on the best password manager.* The preferred and recommended setup is to leave everything checked that is done by default.

Third, You will want to use the “Registry” Tool. This tool is very handy for fixing a lot of those pesky error messages that you get when starting up or shutting down your computer. It will also help streamline your registry and cleanup things that you would never know to look for normally.

Fourth, Go to the “Tools” Menu and use the “uninstall” feature to get rid of unwanted programs and toolbars (toolbars may seem nice, but they slow down your internet browser). After you have finished uninstalling stuff you should use the “startup” tab to disable everything EXCEPT what is needed to run (i.e. internet assistant, logmein, etc.). You should access all your programs from the “Start” menu and not have them startup. These simple and quick fixes will give you a noticeable increase in performance.

Note: If your computer is running slow this process will help, but may not solve the problem completely. There are several contributing factors to a computers speed, and sometimes there are a host of different procedures that need to be performed in order to optimize your computer completely.

By: Josh Grillo