As you probably know, Windows computers tend to slow down over time due to junk build-up on the hard drive, malware infections and various other reasons.
Today I’m going to tell you about five powerful free downloads that you can use to keep your PC running just as fast as the day you bought it:
Note: The programs listed are all available in both free and premium versions. I recommend that you download the free version of each.
1 – CCleaner – This is my go-to program for cleaning the junk from all of Windows’ many nooks and crannies. If you use just one PC maintenance utility (besides your anti-virus program of course), this should probably be it. And by the way, you can also run CCleaner on your Mac.
2 – Malwarebytes – You should already be running a full-time antivirus program, and I recommend that you augment that protection by running weekly scans with a good on-demand malware scanner as well. Personally, I use and recommend the free version of Malwarebytes.
3 – Autoruns – Programs that start up automatically and run in the background can be a huge drag on system resources. Allowing only the programs that you actually need to have running all the time to start up along with Windows can really speed things up. Autoruns gives you complete control over the Windows startup process.
4 – AdwCleaner – Like malware, Adware and junkware can make your system run slow and negatively affect your Windows user experience. AdwCleaner will squash pretty much everything that Malwarebytes and your antivirus scans miss.
5 – TDSSKiller – Rootkits are a particularly insidious form of malware that load before Windows itself finishes loading. They often alter key Windows files in ways that are difficult to detect, yet are very dangerous. And on top of that, they can “hide” themselves from your normal anti-virus and anti-malware scans. TDSSKiller will find and remove most rootkit viruses.
Bottom line: Keeping your PC running like new is easy as long as you keep it malware and junk-free. The five free programs mentioned above can help you with that.
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