Learn How To Free Up Hard Drive Space On Your Business Computer

learn how to free up hard drive space on your business computer

It’s an all-too-common problem: your hard drive is out of room and your computer is running slowly. Often it sneaks up on you, and now you have to figure out how to free up enough space to keep working efficiently. There are a couple of solutions to get you back on your feet, as well as stay ahead of the problem in the future. Here are some tips to free up hard drive space.

Free Up Hard Drive Space

Begin by running Disk Cleanup, this application is built-in to all Windows computers. You can easily find this application by searching “disk cleanup” in the Start Menu. Disk Cleanup lists a couple of examples of data that you can delete from your computer with a single click. Maybe you still have the data of an old installation of Windows still on your hard drive. Or, if not done regularly, your Temporary File directory could easily be the culprit. File sizes are conveniently located next to each description so you can see what is hogging the most space. Select what you want to remove and click Delete files. Most likely, this will fix your issue. But how do you keep from running out of hard drive space in the future?

There are many free tools available that help you visualize what types of files are taking up the most hard drive space. For Windows, your best option would be the free WinDirStat application. This app helps you easily visualize what files and folders are taking up the largest space, with a multitude of sorting options and percentages for perspective. For a Mac, your best option is a similar offering known as Disk Inventory X, also free. Checking these applications periodically will help you identify storage issues before they affect your productivity.

Contact us for a more in-depth look at freeing up your hard drive space.

Three Reasons You Should Backup Programs To An External Hard Drive

three reasons you should backup programs to an external hard drive

We have no doubt in our minds that you can backup programs to an external hard drive . You, on the other hand, might need a bit more convincing, so here are three reasons on why this is a good idea.

external hard drive

Backing up files to an external hard drive.

A simple way to back up files is to copy it to an external hard drive. Keep your device away from the computer. Place it in a safe location. This will prevent any damage, fire, or taking a risk of having someone steal the device (let along your computer). You should consider storing the external hard drive in a fireproof safe for safe keeping.

You can manually back up specific files.

The important documents (especially a school or work-related project), you can transfer files to an external hard drive.

  •  Attach the device to your computer system
  •  Click and drag those files towards the external drive

At this point, you can see a copy of the data on the external drive and the computer system.

You can back up documents automatically.

You should backup data on a regular basis because you will never know when you might need to access those files.

If your computer is Windows, then you should use windows backup (also known as file history in Windows 8). Next, you will create a system image to back up all important documents, software applications or maybe the entire hard drive. To talk more about this, or anything else, please Contact Us. Thanks.

 

Tips for Windows 10: Streamline Your Business With These Tips

tips for windows 10 streamline your business with these tips

After switching to Windows 10, you might find the new interface a little intimidating. But there are several tips for Windows 10 you can use that will give you a more intuitive, fluid, and productive experience.

There’s a hidden start menu

Just right-click the start button, and you’ll gain access to a pop-up menu with a wealth of administrative capabilities, such as command prompts and the ability to change network connections. It’s all condensed into one convenient menu. If you want an alternative to right-clicking, just press the windows key + x.

Minimize all windows, leaving the active one open

Shake the title bar of the window you wish to leave open. Once you’ve done this several times, all other windows will minimize, leaving you with only the active window.

Quick Access to Properties Menu

After you’ve navigated to file explorer, hold down the Alt key then double-click the file of your choice to see its properties menu.

Task bar shortcuts

It might seem like an inconsequential thing, but having keyboard shortcuts for items on your task bar makes things quicker and easier when you’re in the flow of things. If you press the Windows key + the number key where the number key reflects the item’s position on the task bar.

Scrolling inactive windows 

The ability to scroll through inactive windows can speed up the work process. While this feature is by default on, you can navigate through the Settings>Devices>Mouse menus, and from there you can activate the feature.

If you’re looking for IT support, please contact us.

Computer Tip of the Day – How Often Should You Shut Down Your Computer?

computer tip of the day how often should you shut down your computer

Whether you work in the office all day or take your laptop with you to work out in the field, it is tempting to avoid shutting your computer off at the end of the day.  Going through the start-up process takes a bit more time than awakening it from sleep mode and sometimes it seems every second counts while on the job. How often should you perform a computer restart?

Shut Down Your Computer

While it certainly is true it does take a bit more time to power up your computer equipment each day, there are good reasons for doing so.  Just one average computer (including a monitor) uses approximately 350 watts or .35kW.  Of course electrical rates fluctuate, but if a utility company charges 11 cents per kWh, just operating one computer 24 hours a day for a month costs over $25.

There are also wear and tear considerations for some of the internal parts of your PC.  Although they do not have to work as hard if your computer is in sleep mode, the cooling fans for your CPU and power supply wear out faster required to constantly monitor your PC to avoid a situation where they could overheat.  In addition, although solid state hard drives are becoming more and more popular, traditional hard drives still spin when not in use.

Lastly, those who rarely turn off their computer increase the likelihood of computer freezes, operating system lags or crashes since their memory systems never get a chance to clear out.  Shutting down your computer every day and restarting the next morning, gives your computer a chance to flush out its memory, stops all processes and allows it to start with a clean slate.

For more information on properly maintaining your computer equipment, please contact us.

To Boost Productivity, Have You Tried Automation Apps For Multitasking?

to boost productivity have you tried automation apps for multitasking

Companies regularly aim to boost productivity among employees. Employees themselves often look for ways to achieve more in a shorter amount of time, free up time for other activities, and avoid getting bogged down in costly errors and inefficiencies. There’s no shortage of articles advising people on how to become more productive.

One strategy is to rely on automation apps for multitasking.

Automation apps help employees handle a variety of work-related tasks by creating automated processes that make each workflow more smooth and rapid. As employees tackle multiple projects, field phone calls and emails, write up reports, attend meetings, and complete other assignments, an automation app will help them improve their efficiency, use their time wisely, and make their workload easier.

The following are a few examples of these kinds of apps:

Zapier: This can create automated processes between a wide variety of apps (you can use Zapier with hundreds of apps). One example of an automated process is whenever people subscribe to your blog, they automatically get added as contacts to your CRM software; you don’t have to remember to do this and waste time manually transferring the relevant information.

IFTTT: One of the best-known automation apps, this one is also easy to use and involves a variety of time-savers. For instance, you can have texts on an Android phone backed up automatically to a Google spreadsheet and immediately save attachments from your Gmail account in Dropbox. IFTTT works with hundreds of different web services.

Launch Center Pro: This app helps you create shortcuts for tasks you frequently perform – such as emailing certain files to a supervisor or checking particular websites important to your work. Launch Center reduces the number of steps you need to take to complete these tasks.

These are only a few examples of automation apps that can streamline your workflows. Don’t hesitate to contact us for further advice about the kinds of apps that could prove most useful to you and your employees.