13 February, 2010
So you’ve bought a new printer, scanner, camera or some sort of computer peripheral and you have raced home to connect it to your PC but half an hour later after the installation your PC is running noticeably slower – why? Well it has more to do with marketing than anything else. Hardware vendors not only want to package their item in a glossy box but they also want to show that they include heaps of software with it. Some will be trial versions and some will be a full version but buyer beware.
The more software (programs) that you install on your PC the slower it will work and the longer it will take to boot. Some hardware – especially cameras come with up to 8 different software packages that rob your PC of its performance and in many cases you didn’t even need to run the disk and install anything. Microsoft already has many wizards already built into its Windows operating systems such as the “Camera and Scanner Wizard” which will simply and efficiently move photos from your camera to a folder on your PC that you specify.
One of the biggest misconceptions about a slow PC is that it has too many files or photos or emails – no this will not slow it down unless the hard drive is completely full. It is too many programs that slow a PC down. In fact if you install too many programs your PC can get to the point of no return whereby even if you uninstall them it’s operating system is too corrupt and it will always run slow without a full reformat and reinstall (hours of work only for the really technically minded). Think of software programs as like a load on a truck – the more load the slower the truck will go until you get to the point of putting too much on and having a complete breakdown!
Never have more than one virus scanner, one photo editor, one music program and always uninstall old printers that get replaced & if you have to run an installation CD then select “custom install” and deselect all of the extra software except for the essential components. Kerr Solutions is at 128 Musgrave Street & is contactable on 49 222 400.
