How to speed up your PC

Windows computers are very high maintenance. A professional computer technician can charge an extortionate hourly rate and a new computer can be extremely expensive. It is vital therefore to keep your computer in good shape.

Please note: Windows XP is being retired. If you are not using Windows 7 you should consider upgrading. Windows vista is supported, but is extremely unstable. Windows 8 is to be released in October 2012.

Internet explorer is still one of the world's most popular web browsers. At it's peak it had over 95% of website browsers. That number has been steadily declining. It is essential that this trend is accelerated.

A secure web browser is essential when surfing the internet. Using an insecure web browser on a computer is like driving a car without a seat belt on. The most insecure web browser by far is Internet Explorer. Unfortunately you cannot delete it (and trying to remove it can cause serious problems) but it's good to look for other options.

Research suggests that millions of computers are infected, often without the user realising it. Viruses are a very serious business. They can enable people to steal your credit card or personal data, completely disable your computer and destroy your files. Here are some of the most post popular anti virus programmes (they are free for personal computers, but have limited features):

Viruses are not the only problem your computer has to face; there is also adaware and spyware. Both can slow down your computer and access your personal data. Spybot is the simplest way of dealing with them; I personally run it once a week.

Over time your computer becomes cluttered up with file fragments. Defragmenting rectifies this. The default windows tools are slow and not as effective as they good be. Defraggler however solves this problem.