Programs like idefrag for mac#
Programs like idefrag mac os x#
Programs like idefrag software#
Programs like idefrag Pc#
Programs like idefrag tv#

One of the more recent features in Mac OS X is the Dashboard-a layer of handy widgets that you can call up by clicking the Dashboard icon in the Dock. See a program you simply never use anymore? Consider tossing it in the trash-although again, never throw away an application without knowing what it does first. Mac users can look in the Applications folder, which you can open in the Mac OS X Finder by clicking the Window menu and clicking Applications. For Windows, click the Start menu, open the Control Panel, and select Add/Remove Programs (or 'Uninstall a program' in Windows 7). Most USB 2.0 external drives are plug-and-play, meaning you just plug them into your PC's USB 2.0 port and you're ready to start dragging and dropping.Īnother options: online storage sites, such as Dropbox and Carbonite.īecky also recommends dumping any old programs that you no longer use. You can find 500GB external hard drives online for as little as $50, while plenty of 1TB drives (or 1,000 gigabytes) sell for south of $100.

Programs like idefrag tv#

One easy (and relatively cheap) solution, says Becky, is to buy an external hard drive for your music, photos, and videos, which can hog a surprisingly large amount of disk space (particularly when it comes to HD-quality TV shows and movies). The more junk you have cluttering up your hard drive, the longer it takes for your system to access the data it needs-and that's a great reason to regularly scan your folders and toss out files and programs you don't need, or move them somewhere else to make more room.

Programs like idefrag for mac#

Just visit Microsoft's Security Essentials website, download and install the software, and follow the instructions.Īnti-virus packages from the likes of Norton and McAfee are also available for Mac users, but there's an ongoing debate about whether virus protection on the Mac is more trouble than it's worth, given that malicious hackers are far more focused on Windows than they are on Mac OS X systems.

Programs like idefrag software#

Plenty of commercial antivirus applications are available for Windows PCs, but Becky recommends trying Microsoft's free Security Essentials suite, which will sweep your system for any unwanted, nefarious software and provide ongoing protection via regular updates. Nothing will slow your system down like a virus, a Trojan horse, or other types of malware. If you've got programs like BitTorrent and Skype running all day, every day in the background, Becky suggests shutting them down until you really need them.

Programs like idefrag Pc#

Programs like BitTorrent and Skype work their magic with 'peer-to-peer' technology, meaning they leverage the combined computing power and bandwidth of every PC or Mac running their software for such uses as massive file transfers (in the case of BitTorrent) or high-quality, Net-based voice and video chat (for Skype).īut while sharing the P2P burden qualifies you a good Netizen, it can also put a significant dent in your system's performance. If you find, for example, that programs like Skype and iTunes are whirring away even when you're not using them, right-click and select 'Close'-or, better yet, open the program and uncheck any 'launch at startup' settings in the Preferences or Options menu. Got a Windows-based PC? See that little row of tiny icons in the bottom-right corner of the screen? Over the course of weeks, months, or years, the number of icons sitting in the Windows task bar has probably grown larger and larger-and many of those icons represent programs that are running in the background and consuming your PC's limited resources.Įxpand the task bar by clicking the little arrow on the side, then right-click each icon in succession. Check for running apps in the Windows task bar (Disabling the iTunesHelper app, for example, will prevent iTunes from opening automatically when you connect an iPhone or iPod.)Ģ. You may find a variety of arcane programs and helper apps lurking inside (such as the mysterious iTunesHelper), but again-search before you zap an unknown program.

(Don't worry you're not deleting the programs themselves.) Note: if you see a program sitting in the Startup folder and you don't know what it's for, search on the Web to see what it does before hitting the 'delete' button.įor Mac: Open System Preferences under the Apple menu, click the Accounts icon, and then click the Login Items tab. For Windows: Click the Start menu, then select Programs (or All Programs in Windows 7), open the Startup folder, and then-as Becky suggest-delete mercilessly.