Keeping your Equipment in Check

In-game, it is a pain to keep your gear in check. As it is in-game, the biggest issue with computers is running them smoothly. Sure they may be fine for now, but after a while, there might be some momentary lag that hinders game performance, whether from viruses or files just everywhere. So, here are some tips to help with that.

Oh yeah, before we start, make sure you are on the administration account. Most of these things can only be done through there.

1) Check your Processes and Programs

Most of the time, programs will be running in the background without you knowing. Some of these eat up a lot of resources, which means the computer will run slower. Try to find which processes are not necessary for the game or the system and end those processes. Firefox and Internet Explorer are two major ones that will eat up resources, so try to keep those off as much as you can during game play.

2) Clearing Caches

Not many know about this, but programs like the internet browsers and Windows itself create these temporary files for ease of access and faster loading times both offline and online. However, these files pile up really fast over time and take up a lot of space and resources, as well as cause minor bugs to happen now and then. So, the best way is to clear these caches via Disk Cleanup or download a very small stand-alone program called ATF Cleaner by Atribune. This will ensure that your temporary files, as well as other junk files, are cleaned out. This will also get rid of internet cookies, so please be aware of that. However, this is also good since it gets rid of the annoying tracking cookies, which may sometimes be viruses of some sort.

3) Running Scanners

Most of the time, people are not aware of viruses or ad wares that are coming in while they play. The anti-viral programs might help time to time, but since you are playing at the same time, sometimes they are not caught. So, it is best to run the scanners when not playing, usually when sleeping is a good idea since it should be done by then unless you have a very large database. AVG Anti-Virus by Grisoft is a good one to have, as well as Ad-Aware by Lavasoft. The good thing is that they are both free, so no need to worry about your wallet. Also, it is a good idea to run this in Safe Mode, as there will be much less processes running at the same time (Safe Mode only uses the bare minimum amount of processes needed to perform basic functions. This can be accessed by hitting F5 or F8 during the initial system boot up).

Another good thing to run is the Disk Check/Error-Checking. This can be accessed by right-clicking your local drive, select Properties, and clicking on the Tools tab. This will require a reboot since several folders are locked while Windows is running. It may also take a while depending on your database and your last error check.

4) Defragmenting

Basically reorganizing your computer files for optimal performance, defragging the system may take anywhere from a few hours to even days depending on the severity of the fragmentation (The more red on the screen since the initial scan means the longer the time needed...). This is easily done through Disk Defragmenter in System Tools. Make sure that nothing but the Disk Defragmenter is running, as other writing and reading of the drive while defragging will cause the wait time to extend and cause more fragmentations.

5) Hardware Maintenance

Ever get the feeling that the system is overheating or there is some weird noise coming out of it? Well, you will be surprised with what is inside the system other than wires and chips. It is highly recommended this be done outside, wear clothes you do not mind getting dirty, and have a dust mask ready, especially if this is the first time the system is getting a hardware cleaning!!!

This part is a bit tricky if the system is an older model, but newer ones have it a lot easier. Hardware maintenance usually requires a screwdriver (NON-MAGNETIC!!!), a grounding cable, and a can of compressed air (Most office supply stores have this).

Unplug the system and make sure that you have the grounding cable clipped properly. This is to make sure that there is no static between you and the system. Any static is a very bad thing.

Carefully take off the cover housing the CPU and access the amount of dust in the system. Larger clumps can be taken out easily with the fingers and perhaps tweezers for the smaller ones, but be careful to not scratch the chips or knock any of the plugs on the motherboard

NEVER USE A VACUUM OR ANYTHING ELECTRONIC DURING THE HARDWARE CLEANING PROCESS AS THIS WILL CREATE STATIC BUILD UP AND MAY DAMAGE YOUR HARD DRIVE PERMANANTLY!!!

Take the can of air and carefully spray around the chips and wires to remove any other dust that cannot be taken by hand (the dust mask is very helpful here). One may even go into dismantling their computer bit by bit to get even more dust, but that is reserved for more advanced users.

6) Rebooting, Refreshing, and Getting Back into the Game

Once the maintenance of both hardware and software is complete, hook up the system again and run it with some simple games to test out its speed. Performance should be a lot better than it was before. If not, then go back and try some of the steps for software maintenance, or better yet, turn off some of the programs that begin at startup/logging into Windows. Usually disabling these things will result in a faster loading speed.

If it seems like there may be other things that may be clogging your performance even after taking all the steps somehow, it would be best advised to pick up a program called System Mechanic by Iolo. One of the best maintenance programs, it is bundled with everything needed and covers all the basics mentioned in here (Except hardware cleaning) and some more. It may seem pricy at first, but it is worth the money if you want to save your system.