Having insufficient memory on the hard drive can be very annoying. The possible impact is that the computer often crashes, and you find it difficult to save files and programs due to memory limitations. However, all of that can be solved by cleaning your hard drive of documents, data, and applications that you no longer use. The method is very easy, and of course it can help improve the performance of your computer. After cleaning the hard drive, your computer will run faster too!
Step
Method 1 of 3: Deleting Unused Files and Apps
Step 1. Delete old files
Old, unused files will take up memory space on the hard drive and result in slower computer performance.
- Locate the "Downloads" and "Documents" folders. These folders usually use the most computer memory. Mark unused files from both folders and move them to the recycle bin.
- An easy way to do this is to click on the "Date modified" column and sort the files according to the date they were last opened and starting with oldest to newest. Delete files you haven't used in a long time, or move them to an external hard drive if you really have to.
Step 2. Delete unneeded apps
Like the "Downloads" and "Documents" folders, we usually install lots of applications that we never or rarely use. Apart from consuming memory from the installation itself, the data from these applications also takes up space in the memory thereby affecting the speed of the computer's performance.
- If you're using a "Mac" operating system, find the "Applications" folder from the "Finder" section. Click "Go" > "Applications". After that, just like in the "Documents" and "Downloads" folders, sort applications by modification date or "Date Modified", mark the ones that have never been used, then delete them.
- If you are using a "PC", click the "Start" button > "Control Panel" > "Programs" > "Programs and Features". Select a program that is no longer needed, then click "Uninstall".
Step 3. Delete all the files in the Recycle Bin as they continue to take up memory from the computer
- On a "Mac" computer, emptying the recycle bin will not completely remove your file information but only remove it from the file list. Therefore, click "Finder" > "Secure Empty Trash" to completely delete the file.
- On "Windows" computers, use a special program to delete files from the hard drive after emptying the recycle bin. Commonly used programs are "Eraser", "CCleaner", or "SDelete". These programs are created by "Microsoft" to clean files via the command line (command line prompt).
- Make sure that you have deleted any unused files. Also make sure that you don't delete the files you need, because your computer won't work properly in the future. Therefore, don't delete files that you never created and that you don't know how to use.
Step 4. Shut down and then restart the computer so that the hard drive immediately cleans and updates data
Method 2 of 3: Cleaning Files and Applications in Use
Step 1. Reduce fragmentation (defragment) on the hard drive
On "Windows" computers, reducing hard drive fragmentation can be useful for combining pieces of data and also help your computer run more smoothly.
- Click the "Start" button then in the search field, type "Disk Defragmenter" and click the "Disk Defragmenter" result. Once open, click "Defragment disk" so that the process starts immediately. Wait for it to finish.
- Reducing hard drive fragmentation on a "Mac" computer does not give the same results as on a "Windows". In fact, if you use an SSD hard drive, it can be very dangerous. Better to use "Disk Utility" to run "Repair Disk Permissions". Open "Launch Disk Utilities" from "Applications" > "Utilities" > "Disk Utilities". After selecting the hard drive, click "Erase", then "Erase Free Space". Choose the desired option, but usually "Zero out deleted files" is the most appropriate choice for most people.
Step 2. Check for viruses
Viruses can slow down computer performance and consume memory from your hard drive. One way to free up memory is to clean the virus.
- On a "Windows" computer, use the "Microsoft Security Essentials" program to check and clean your computer, or download a virus cleaning program such as "McAfee".
- Even though "Mac" has stronger protection than "Windows", that doesn't mean "Mac" can't get viruses. To avoid this, make sure you don't download or open programs that may contain malware. Also make sure that your computer's security is always up to date by opening "System Preferences" > "App Store Preference pane" > and ticking the "Automatically check for updates" and "Install system data files and security" boxes.
Step 3. Upload the document to the cloud storage media (cloud drive)
Using a cloud drive can be an alternative to clearing the memory on the hard drive. If hard drive memory is very limited and you still want to keep certain files, use a cloud drive, such as "Google Docs", "Dropbox", "Box", and "iCloud Drive".
Method 3 of 3: Cleaning RAM
Step 1. Clear inactive memory to create more space in RAM
Random Access Memory, or RAM, is where the computer stores information. If the RAM is full, the computer's performance will be disrupted.
- The first step to clearing RAM is to close applications that are not in use. Another way is to limit the number of programs that normally open automatically when the computer starts up.
- On a "Windows" computer, right-click on an application and open "Preferences". In the "Misc." section, there is a box to check whether the application automatically opens when the computer starts up.
- Make sure that the application is not open when the new "Mac" computer is running in "System Preferences" > "Accounts" > "Login Items", then uncheck the box next to the application you want to stop.
Step 2. Use an external hard drive
Clean up memory and RAM by storing files you don't need every day on an external hard drive.
RAM and hard drives both act as memory. However, the difference is that RAM is short term memory while hard drive is long term memory. By using an external hard drive, you can free them both up and help the computer not to overwork
Step 3. Delete unused disk images
Clearing memory can also be done by removing the disk image from any other application or file you downloaded.
- This issue is usually found on "Mac" computers rather than "Windows". When a removable disk is attached to a computer, even when it is not in use, it will still take up space in the RAM, causing the computer's performance to slow down.
- This also happens on external hard drives. When not in use, it is a good idea to just remove the hard drive from the computer.
Step 4. Clear web browsing history and cache
All web browsing will usually save history and use cache. By removing both, you can free up RAM and help your computer run faster.
Step 5. Opening too many tabs at once can also make RAM have to work harder
Therefore, it is better to close tabs that are no longer needed.
Warning
- Never delete a file that you never created or that you don't know its function for. If it turns out that the file is important for the computer's operating system, it could be that a fatal error will appear while the computer is running. Always have a backup before making any major changes.
- Make sure core files are not deleted or modified. If this happens, chances are your computer will fail and then damage the hard drive and the computer itself because these files may be the source of the computer pulling information to execute commands.
