Even with regular defragmenting of your disk drives, there are other variables that can have an impact on your computer's performance. If you find your PC or laptop is freezing up for no apparent reason or running really slow, and you have been defragmenting, there's another thing to try...get rid of extra, unnecessary files. This might be just the trick you need to speed up your computer, and in any event, it always feels good to get rid of waste.

When you have to rummage through your garage past ten tools you never use, just to get to your hammer, then you've got a clutter problem. And what should have been a short trip to your garage for your hammer turned into a too-long, aggravating ordeal. The same can be true for your computer. When you have too many files and too many programs, it can lead to troubles with your PC's or laptop's performance.

You need to rid your computer of the excess waste that you are not using and is just getting in the way. Go into your Documents menu to remove any excess file that don't need to be there - it might be games you don't use or old programs and files or pictures no longer needed. Now, you do need to be careful when doing this. There are likely some programs on your computer that you do not recognize that are important and needed by your computer - don't delete these! If you are ever in doubt, keep it. And if there are files that you do recognize but know you have not used or needed in a long time, you can save them to a flash drive so you at least know you have them somewhere, and you've still cleaned up your hard drive. In the documents folder, you will also see that you have pictures and other files that you are storing. If you don't need them or they can be taken off the hard drive - take them off.

• Defrag regularly. By defragmenting regularly, your hard drive will do what it needs to faster, and that means less work on the battery. Better still, optimize your drive with SMARTPlacement (part of PerfectDisk) because that, along with single-pass defrag, will result in even faster subsequent defrag runs.
• Add RAM. Adding more RAM allows your laptop to use its own real memory, rather than virtual memory, which results in hard drive use and more power.
• Dim the screen. Dim your screen so it's just bright enough for you to read it without straining your eyes! This will result in less power being consumed.
• Reduce background programs. All those programs that can run in the background (Itunes, etc.) add to the CPU load and cut down battery life. If you're not using a program when you're running on battery, shut it down.
• Use your battery. If you leave your charged battery dormant and do not use it, you'll lose battery life. Don't go more than a few weeks without using its battery.

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