However, not all viruses will be eliminated by using system restore in this way, so a total clean up is usually necessary. Sadly, some viruses are so stubborn or so skilful in hiding themselves within your computer that the only way that you can be sure to get rid of them is by formatting your hard and reloading your operating system and your files and programmes from the manufacturer’s CD. It is vital therefore, that you back up all your files on a regular basis so that they can be reloaded onto your computer if you do indeed need to carry out a format. If you are storing important information it probably makes sense to back this information up – meaning copying it onto some portable storage medium such as a CD or a USB drive or an external hard drive – at least once every week. That way your files will be protected and capable of being restored to your computer if you are unlucky enough to have to carry out a complete re-writing of your hard drive.
The vast majority of computers have a large amount of random access memory (commonly referred to as RAM) The amount of RAM will affect how quickly your processes run. If you have an older desktop or laptop computer and it is running more slowly than you would like you may consider upgrading the amount of RAM. Memory cards can be purchased easily on the internet and you might be pleasantly surprised at the increased efficiency of your computer after carrying out an upgrade.
The same can also be said about reducing the amount of data held on your hard disk. The fuller this hard disk is the slower your computer is likely to run. There are two basic ways to free up space on your hard drive. The first of these is simply to uninstall any unnecessary or unused programmes that you have stored there.
This can free up lots of hard disk space, particularly if you are uninstalling large programmes. The second way is to defragment your hard drive. This process collects the files on your computer that have become fragmented and re-organises then tidily, thus saving space and also causing the programmes to run more efficiently. If you find that you still have simply too much stored on your computer you might try to move photographs and other heavy space using files, such as media files onto an external hard drive. This can also free up lots of space.
The final option is to buy a new hard drive and install this in place of your old one. This is an option, which, unlike the upgrading of your RAM, is likely to require the help of a computer engineer. You might also want to look at the number of programmes that automatically start up when you turn on your computer. When you download or add certain programmes they write themselves to start up every time your computer switches on. This can cause a long wait for all of these programmes to load.
The more of these you remove at start up the quicker your computer will be in loading.