Make The Best of ICT with this tips

In one of my recent trips to Kenya, I narrowly missed an opportunity to have the Minister of ICT and Head of ICT Authority of Kenya as guests on my TV show (Tech Trends on Channels TV).

My plan was to find out from them what Kenya had done and is still doing to make her properly positioned as the Tech Headquarters of Africa. Nigeria’s new minister overseeing the tech industry has a lot on his table and I am curious to see how he steers the ship.

The tech tips I will share in today’s piece are in two parts. The first will look at the basic things an average computer user should be able to do while the other will focus on ways to make an old personal computer perform faster. Trust me, I get a lot of questions around issues like these and I believe these might help answer some of them.

Basic things an average computer user should do

1. Try to explore new uses for the programmes you have already installed
2. Keep an eye on resource usage and figure out what’s taking up the most resources as this can help in closing unused resource hungry background programmes
3. Set the system up for scheduled/automatic maintenance using Windows built-in Task Scheduler or other third party programmes like Tasks Till Dawn on a Mac
4. Explore the hidden, but not so hidden features of your Operating System and get the most out of it (Google is your friend)
5. Memorise and use keyboard shortcuts as much as possible to increase efficiency
6. Setup a basic backup-system for scheduled and automatic backup even if its Windows or Mac’s built-in backup system
7. Use a paid antivirus software instead of freeware for better online and offline protection
8. Avoid installing crap or software from unknown publishers and always closely check the checkboxes during installation
9. Computers are like cars that need regular maintenance and if you fail to do so, degradation in performance can occur. Schedule Disk Defragmentation and keep your hardware drivers up-to-date for maximum performance.

Simple ways of making your old PC perform better

These tips can help you fine-tune your PC’s performance without the need for an upgrade.

1. Disable unnecessary programmes from the start-up. Many of the programmes you install start when the Windows boots. To stop them from loading automatically either type “msconfig” from run (up to Windows 7) or un-check them from the start-up menu or disable them from the start-up menu in task manager (Windows 8 and up).
2. Use disk clean-up to clean junk and temporary files and regularly de-fragment the hard drive.
3. Re-install a fresh copy of Windows if you have been using it for a long time without properly maintaining it.
4. If you can afford a Solid State Drive, get it because it will be worth it and will make a lot of difference in performance. You can even use it on your new computer when you get one.
5. Increase the amount of RAM as the upgrade is very cheap and improves the performance a lot.
6. If you want to be a little more adventurous and like to take some risks, you can overclock the processor (if supported by the BIOS), but this will make it run hotter, so, make sure you are using a good cooling solution.
7. Depending on the purpose for which you use your PC, a Linux Distribution like Ubuntu or Linuxmint is feature-rich and runs pretty well on old hardware. Linux has also become quite user friendly and people should have no trouble in getting around the new operating system. Although for some it may be a completely different world; for most, the switch should be seamless. Make sure, however, to check if your favourite programmes have a Linux Version or at least you find some alternative to them.
8. If you think your hardware cannot cope with the modern software anymore, dedicate it for some specific purposes like a movie station, games centre for kids, for Internet browsing only, etc. This way you don’t have to install a lot of software on it and it should be able to handle limited functions easily.

If you really feel the hardware is not able to cope at all, try downgrading the windows or disabling Windows feature like Aero Themes etc. Windows Vista and 7 take a lot of graphic and CPU processing just for running the Aero Glass theme, so maybe Windows XP will probably suit it best until you are ready for the next upgrade.

I am aware that personal computer usage and sales are on the decline but the truth especially for those of us who still do complex jobs, tablets and phones aren’t just it yet. So we still need to use computers (maybe not in the current shapes and designs) for some years to come. As always, I look forward to your feedback!

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