Does Your PC Need a Tune Up? How to Tune-up Correctly

If you’ve noticed that your PC has been running slower than usual, experiencing frequent crashes, or taking longer to boot up, it may be time for a tune-up.

Over time, PCs can become bogged down with unused junk, outdated software, missing files, and other problems that can impact performance. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to optimize Windows and keep it running error-free.

In this guide, we’ll explore some of the key steps you can take to tune up your PC safely.

What are the signs your PC needs tuning up?

Even the most powerful computers need cleaning up and tweaking to maintain optimum performance. Here are some common signs that it’s time for a tune-up:

• Slow performance – If your computer is running slowly, taking longer to boot and load programs, or experiencing lag or delays, it may be time for a tune-up.
• Frequent crashes – A clear sign that your computer isn’t running properly is when it crashes a lot. This may be an issue with your settings, drivers, system files, or other areas of Windows that may need repairing.
• Error messages – Even if crashing doesn’t occur, error messages are there to let you know something is wrong. There could be missing system files or a combination of other problems. Some messages are clear, such as those informing you of missing DLLs. Others require a technical understanding of Windows.
• Update requests – If your software or drivers are outdated, it can cause performance issues, security vulnerabilities, and other problems. You should never postpone update requests, especially from Windows itself.
• Low drive space – When your hard drive is nearly full, especially the system partition, it will impact performance and even lead to crashes.
• Junk files build-up – Computers accumulate a lot of junk files, temporary files, and other clutter, which fills up your hard drive. It can also make it more difficult for your web browsers and even Windows itself to work at top speed.

Is tuning up your system safe?

Using built-in Windows tools to tune up your computer is perfectly safe, as long as you know what you’re doing. However, there are some risks:

• Deleting files – When manually cleaning up your PC, it’s easy to accidentally delete important files or folders, especially if you’re not familiar with the Windows file system. This can cause serious problems, including system instability and loss of data. Even deleting temporary caches can have unexpected results.
• Changing system settings – If you’re not familiar with system settings like power management, startup processes, or virtual memory, you could inadvertently make changes that cause problems or negatively impact performance.
• Damaging the Windows Registry – The registry is a critical component of your system that stores information about installed programs, system settings, and hardware. If you make a mistake while cleaning up the registry, it can lead to instability and even Blue Screen of Death errors.

How do I tune-up my computer manually?

Windows has several built-in diagnostic and tune-up features to help give your PC a boost. Here’s what to use and how to use it:

1. Perform a disk defragmentation (only for HDD, not SSD)

1. Open the Optimize Drives utility by typing optimize drives in the Windows Search bar.
2. In the Optimize Drives window, select the drive you want to defragment and click on the Optimize button to start the defragmentation process.
3. Wait for the process to complete. The time required for defragmentation will depend on the size of the drive and the level of fragmentation.

Disk defragmentation is a process that rearranges files on a hard drive to optimize performance. Over time, files become scattered across the drive, which can slow down file access times.

By defragging, everything is reorganized into contiguous blocks, resulting in faster access times and improved performance. However, you only need to perform this solution on hard disk drives (HDD), not solid state drives (SSD).

2. Clean up your PC

2.1 Using Storage Sense

1. Click on the Start menu and open Settings.
2. Click on System and then Storage.
3. Under the Storage section, click on the Configure Storage Sense or run it now option.
4. Toggle the Storage Sense switch to On, if it isn’t already.
5. Choose how often you want Storage Sense to run by selecting the dropdown under Run Storage Sense.
6. Select the options you want Storage Sense to clean up. You can choose to delete temporary files, old files in the recycle bin, and files in the Downloads folder that haven’t been modified in a certain number of days.
7. Click on Clean now if you want to run Storage Sense immediately or wait for it to run on the schedule you’ve set.

2.2 Using Disk Cleanup

1. Press the Windows key + E to start File Explorer.
2. Right-click on the drive you want to clean up (e.g., the C: drive) and select Properties.
3. Now, click on the Disk Cleanup button under the General tab.
4. Wait for the Disk Cleanup utility to calculate how much space can be freed up on your hard drive.
5. Select the types of files you want to delete. This can include temporary files, and files in the Recycle Bin, among others, then click on the OK button.
6. Click on the Delete Files button to confirm that you want to delete the selected files.
7. You may also turn back and select the Clean up system files button to clear those as well.
8. Wait for Disk Cleanup to complete the cleanup process.

As well as making your hard drive more efficient, it’s also a good idea to clean up the junk. You can do this via the Windows Disk Cleanup and Storage Sense features.

3. Uninstall unwanted programs

1. Press the Windows icon and go to Settings.
2. Now, select Apps, and wait for the list to display.
3. Find the app you want to uninstall and click on it.
4. Click on the Uninstall button and follow any prompts.

If you have let unwanted and unused programs build up on your computer, now’s the time to get them uninstalled.

3. Run a System File Checker scan

1. Type cmd into the Windows Search bar and click on Run as administrator within the results to start Command Prompt with full privileges.
2. In the Command Prompt applet, type the following command and press Enter to run it: sfc /scannow
3. Wait for the scan to complete. This may take some time, depending on the size of your hard drive and the number of files to be scanned.
4. If SFC detects any corrupted or missing system files, it will automatically replace them with a cached copy from your Windows update cache.
5. Once the scan is complete, close the Command Prompt window and restart your computer.

Missing or damaged system files are a leading cause of errors and instability on Windows. The System File Checker (SFC) is a native tool that scans and replaces these files with fresh installation copies.

To save you using the Command Prompt, Fortect uses its own up-to-date database of Windows files to tune up your PC automatically.

4. Manage startup programs

1. Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or by right-clicking on the taskbar and selecting Task Manager.
2. Click on the Startup tab to view a list of programs that start automatically with Windows.
3. Select the program you want to disable and click on the Disable button at the bottom right corner of the window. Repeat this step for all the programs you want to disable.

If whenever you boot your PC a bunch of unwanted programs and software start automatically, you should consider managing your startup process. This lets you choose exactly what you want to run on startup.

5. Update drivers

1. Right-click the Start button and select Device Manager from the list.
2. Expand the category for the device whose driver you want to check.
3. Right-click on the device and select Update driver.
4. Choose the option to Search automatically for drivers. Windows will search for the latest driver online and install it automatically.
5. If Windows doesn’t find an updated driver, you can manually search for and install the driver yourself. To do this, choose the option to Browse my computer for driver software and navigate to the location of the driver file.

Drivers enable Windows to communicate with your hardware. So, when they are outdated or corrupted, problems soon arise.

Many hardware components come with their own software that includes driver updates. You can also find drivers on the manufacturer’s website.

6. Update Windows and software

1. Press the Windows + I keys to start Settings and click on Update & Security.
2. Now, click the Check for updates link.

It is also important to keep Windows and third-party software up to date to maintain compatibility and to close any security vulnerabilities.

Most software programs have the option to check for updates or will notify you automatically.

7. Use the Registry Editor

1. Press the Windows key + R, type regedit in the Run dialog box and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the registry key or subkey that you want to delete. You can use the search function or navigate manually through the folders in the left-hand pane of the Registry Editor.
3. Once you’ve found the key or subkey that you want to delete, right-click on it and select Modify or Delete.

Windows has an editor that lets you edit the registry and remove outdated or corrupt entries.

This can improve performance, but you should follow individual guides to clean precisely what you want. Deleting the wrong thing can damage Windows and cause serious problems.

If editing the registry is too daunting, tune-up software can do it automatically.

7. Run an antivirus scan

1. Click the Start button and choose Settings.
2. Now, select Update & Security.
3. Select Windows Security from the left pane and click on Virus & threat protection.
4. Then select the Full scan from the list of options and click on Scan now.

Even if there are no obvious signs, there could be malware lurking in your system and harming performance.

However, it is also a good idea to run a reputable third-party antivirus like Avira and tune-up tools like Fortect to repair malware damage.

8. Check System Info and Performance

1. Click the Start button, type system information, and click on the System Information app from the results.
2. Here, you will see all the information on the hardware and software configuration of your PC.
3. To get the performance info, right-click the Start button and select Task Manager.
4. Now, click on the Performance tab and you will get live reports on how several components are running.

You can check for obvious hardware or system performance issues by looking at the System Information summary or the Performance tab in the Task Manager.

These tools will show you if there are any unrecognized memory modules, or if any apps or processes are using too much memory, CPU, or GPU.

How do I use PC tune-up tools safely?

PC tune-up tools like Fortect save considerable time when it comes to cleaning, repairing, and tweaking Windows.

It combines many of the same features found in Windows, under one simple interface. Its repository contains millions of fresh system files that automatically replace damaged and missing files during the repair process.

Furthermore, it offers one of the only safe ways to properly repair the Windows Registry, if you don’t have the skills to use the manual registry editor.

• Download and Install Fortect  on your PC
• Click YES to scan your PC

Fortect will scan the important areas of your system in just a few minutes, and will find the following items to tune up:

• Failing programs – Know which system and third-party programs have been crashing and get them repaired.
• Malware and PUA – Go beyond your antivirus, finding unwanted programs and fixing leftover virus damage.
• Junk files – Find and remove all temporary files and other junk clogging up the hard drive.
• Browser caches – Clean out all browser caches and remove data that could be a privacy concern.
• Registry damage – Safely repair the Windows registry automatically.
• Hardware profile – Get a summary of your hardware to check for problems like unrecognized memory or overheating.

Fortect gives you full control over repairs, allowing you to safely choose which sections to fix. Click ‘Start Repair’ or ‘Fix All Sections’, to do a full tune-up, which will take 30 minutes maximum.

Conclusion

In conclusion, regularly running PC tune-up software like Fortect is a great way to maintain performance and fix problems before they get worse.

By automating the process of cleaning up junk, repairing the registry, and replacing missing or damaged system files, you can keep your system running smoothly without needing any technical knowledge yourself.