Tech Tips for Writers #97: How to Add Zip to Your Slow Computer
Tech Tips for Writers is an (almost) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.
Q: I have a small netbook which is incredibly slow at starting up. My son seemed to think I could go to the start up menu. Not sure where that is or what to do when I get there! Can you help please?
A: I got this post from an efriend over at my writer’s blog. Here’s what I told her:
There are several steps to this fix. Here are the first few. If they don’t work, let me know and we’ll go to the next level:
Run defrag, which is under start button (lower left corner), type ‘defrag’ into the search bar. It’ll come up with a ‘defrag’ program. Run it. This helps put your ducks back in a row.
Run malware programs like Spybot and Adaware. If you don’t have those two free programs, download them from Download.com
Uninstall unnecessary programs. Go to Start button, Control Panel, Programs and Features. Uninstall those pesky toolbars and other programs that get on your computer when your virtual back is turned.
I didn’t hear back from her, so I suspect everything worked out well. These are starter steps. I’d recommend them every month as a routine.
Do you have any maintenance steps you take that help your computer?
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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog,Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-weekly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, s he is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.
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