3 Ways To Improve Your PC Immediately

Firing up a new PC for the first time is always exciting. Then reality sets in. There are 50 icons for ads and programs you didn’t ask for. It runs slowly and all the things you are used to are suddenly moved around again. There are ways you can make your new computer into the tool you were hoping for. Keep your most used programs at your fingertips and stop programs that stop you from working smoothly. Here are three ways you can improve the performance and your interaction immediately.

1. Install a Dashboard

Working in Windows you know that you’ve got some items that launch from the taskbar. Others you have to go through the start menu. To get your Bluetooth going you have to jump into the systray. Put everything in one spot with a dashboard.

Programs like OneLaunch provide you with a dashboard experience that Apple users have known about for years. Instead of relying on dated landing pages like MSN or Yahoo on the internet, a dashboard opens as soon as you boot your computer and it shows the information you actually want to know about.

A dashboard allows you to customize your experience, adding links to your primary emails, most used websites, as well as seeing the top news stories, local weather and more. It actually makes your computer customizable in a way that most people only experience on their smartphones.

2. Remove Bloatware

The icons that lead to ads for add-ons you never wanted, icons that lead to trial versions of programs you’ll never use: bloatware is real and it slows down your machine. On the one hand, all those trial versions and add-on upgrades to software keep the cost of technology manageable. On the other hand, they slow down your machine, eat up your RAM and drain your battery. According to one computer manufacturer, their own tests indicated that computers without bloatware started up 104%  faster, shut down a third faster, and their batteries lasted nearly a half-hour longer.

Before you add any of your own programs, go through the program list to remove anything you don’t want. If you’re unsure of how to remove bloatware on your own, there are several programs to help you with the removal. It’s recommended that you use more than one since each will have slightly different parameters.

3. Limit Third-Party Antivirus

The antivirus that comes preloaded on most new computers falls firmly in the bloatware category. If not bloatware, it can act like the virus it’s supposed to protect you from. These days Windows Defender, the default antivirus that runs in the background of the Windows OS is so good that most techies will tell you that you don’t need to invest in your own antivirus suite. Uninstall any additional antivirus so it doesn’t interfere with Defender then keep an eye on alerts to make sure you’re getting the necessary definition updates.

With these three tips, followed by regular disk cleanup and defragmenting you’ll assure that your computer will be sleek and effective for years to come.