Just like the office or home the PC or laptop needs cleaning every so often but we seldom take the time to do a thorough job or dismiss our machine as old and time for replacement. My laptop was becoming slow and unresponsive at times so I sought some help and gave my old tech a spring clean and check up and this cost me nothing.

I am pleased to say things are running a lot smoother and quicker.

It took a while but I hadn’t properly sorted things out for two or three years so things were a mess.

Firstly, I went to a site called “ccleaner” and downloaded their software.

Once this has downloaded allow the software to run a check and remove the rubbish from the hard drive.

By going into the tools section of the program one can see a list of all the programs on the computer. Here you can delete any that are not needed. The less crap means more space and speed.

Secondly, I found a defragmenting site called “Auslogics defrag” and downloaded this too.

Again follow the instructions and run the defragmention program. This should reorganise files and bits of programs that have been left scattered around the memory and hard drive.

Thirdly, find a site called “Driver Booster 4.2”. It is free for a 30 day trial so one can delete it once the system has been updated.

This updates all your drivers and deletes unused or outdated drivers which can speed up your system. Once you have completed this then I suggest you delete the software using the ccleaner application so you don’t forget its there and get charged. Your drivers won’t go out of date in any hurry.

Lastly, download the free version software for “Spybot”

This will scan for malware, cookies, Trojan Horses and unwanted spyware which can slow and impair the workings of any computer.

I am now in the process of cleaning up my ancient laptop that i thought was defunct and it appears I can save it.

It’s a good idea once a month to run a ccleaner test, spybot and antivirus check and the defragmentation every six months or so.

Unless you run an antivirus package a good free one is “AVG free”.

So there we are a little work of three to four hours is well worth the time and it cuts out big bills and costs of buying new machines when they are just not needed.

Thanks readers. So long for now and I hope this is of some help.