No matter which device you’re rocking this year, most PC’s, MacBooks, and operating systems come with their fair share of awesome features and bugs to boot. But a few simple steps can get your hardware running more smoothly, despite dated systems or user’s bad habits.

First, know which programs you’re running and which apps are open. This is very important, especially if you’re running an older operating system or have had your personal laptop or desktop computer for more than a year or two. If too many apps are open and running in the background, it will slow down your computer’s performance and cause it to process data more slowly – making downloads and loading pages slower across the board.

You’ll also want to check your computer’s hard drive and see just how close it is to being full. If you’re someone who doesn’t utilize cloud software or web-based programs, then you might be storing a lot of personal data like photos, videos, and music directly on your device’s hard drive. This can be solved a few ways, but the most effective if you’d rather not put things online or on the Cloud is to simply transfer those files to an external hard drive. Those are available at any electronics store, Walmart, Target, or online. It’s also a great way to keep personal data safe if your device is ever broken or otherwise compromised.

Next, stop ignoring that reminder to update your operating system. It might be inconvenient and take more than the desired amount of time, but updating your system will most likely improve your device’s performance and speed, and it will definitely improve security for your device. Newer operating systems are built to be incrementally stronger against everyday hackers, viruses, malware and more.

It’s also important to make sure you clean your disks every now and then to ensure a clean device. If you’re unfamiliar with how this works, contact one of our experts at Rocky Mountain Computer Specialists. We have over three decades of IT experience to help you with a wide range of device and software problems that residents and businesses alike face every day.