New Year's resolutions help you clean up your act, but don't forget about the hi-tech part of your life. January is "National Clean Up Your Computer Month."
Icon overload? Plagued by pop-ups? A start-up that never ends?
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It may be time for a tech tidying-up. First, dust off your desktop by consolidating icons into one folder. If you haven't opened them since last year, throw them in the trash.
Time for a tune-up? Run a disk defragmenter to increase speed and performance by condensing files. Ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software loaded -- but only one of each.
Don't forget to physically clean your computer. Dust build-up on vents and hardware can affect performance and clog the power supply. A can of compressed air and baby wipes should do the trick, giving your computer a new look for the New Year.
For more easy steps on computer maintenance and troubleshooting, go to www.microsoft.com.