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The mass migration from working on-location at the office to remote work brings a lot of stress to home computers. Any tech expert will tell you how important it is to upkeep your personal computer after frequent use.
Various issues can arise when booting your computer, which requires troubleshooting. These four quick tips can help organize files and boost performance while fixing issues you might encounter on your personal computer.
1. Organizing Your Files
When you centralize your documents according to type, it creates less clutter in your system. These files can include the following:
- Word Documents
- Excel Project Files
- Powerpoint Project Files
- Video Files
- Images
Placing these files all in one location can help the search and defragmentation process. Before you begin organizing, you can create various folders that prioritize your file types.
You can create an “important” or “not important” folder or a “deleted” folder that you can review before sending it to the recycle bin. A bonus tip: updating your anti-virus software will also prevent any corrupted files from sneaking into your folders.
2. Backing Up Your Files
There are a variety of ways you can back up or store backup files. The most secure method of storing these files is an external hard drive. 1TB-2TB External hard drives or flash drives are common and can be located at any electronics store or on the web.
In addition, if you’re using Windows 10, enabling file history will give you access to restoration points. These restoration points will allow you to restore your computer to an earlier state using the backup data information. This file can help you retrieve lost files.
Cloud Backup
As cloud technology continues to evolve, backing up your files to the cloud is becoming a more popular option for backing up your files. Cloud backup solutions allow you to install a client that can help you manually save to specific locations. These clients include:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Amazon AWS
Make sure you’re connected to the internet so you can retrieve or manipulate these files in real-time. If you’re unable to connect, you’ll lose access to these files. In this case, network troubleshooting will help you jumpstart your router connection.
3. Setting Up A Password Manager
There is a multitude of accounts we use for various websites, forcing us to keep track of multiple passwords. In addition, there’s an endless number of streaming services and entertainment accounts we use and track daily.
How can we manage to fit all these passwords and account logins in our heads? Password managers are an effective way to keep all your passwords in one piece of software.
Using a password manager tracks and applies logins or passwords to frequently visited websites and software. If your software disconnects, network troubleshooting will let you know whether your software is acting or has a connectivity issue.
4. Cleaning & Dusting Computer Components
An often underlooked process in computer upkeep is the dusting of various computer components. Over time, due to weather and other circumstances, your computer parts can become caked with dust.
If neglected, this dust and other materials will shut down or damage computer parts on the motherboard. Take a can of compressed air and gently shoot a little air over the chips.
This will clear out any materials that may trigger Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) and refresh your chips.
Maintaining Your Desktop
Personal computers help safely store all of the memories and documents we hold dear in our hearts. These simple maintenance tips can help you preserve those memories while boosting your overall performance.
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