Technology Tips – Published June 2024 in the Guide and Digest
By Don Trauger – Kennett
Some of the concerns from average computer users is changing system settings. The concern arises from the fact they don’t understand the terminology and the result it may bring if they change something. Besides, the computer seems to be working fine. Sub-par operation is preset for you as soon as you take it out of the box and start it up. Why do the manufacturers Dell, HP and others do this? Basically, it’s a manufacturing standard that sets the conditions prior to shipment. Many factors are taken into consideration such as battery charge life, cooling, and stability for a laptop. Don’t worry about the following changes. They will not break your computer or cause new problems. They are not that aggressive. I don’t have room to explain what each change is, but try Googling them if you are interested.
- On a Windows 11 machine, open Settings, click the 3 horizontal bars at top left, select System, and then scroll down to Power & Battery. On this page, scroll down for Power Mode and set it to Best Performance. Exit out.
- Hold down the Windows key and press the “R” key. Then type in the Run field: exe Click “Adjust for best performance.” This will clear all previously checked items. Then choose only the following: Enable Peek, Show thumbnails, instead of icons, Smooth edges of screen fonts, Smooth scroll list boxes, Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop. Click OK to save the selections. The above settings are a small compromise to performance but also offer useful visual effects.
- Next, is a big point of issue with me. It’s the automatic startup of programs that you may not even know about, let alone ever clicked. Unused programs can increase startup times and gobble up needed memory. But there’s a way to control them. Here’s how: go to Settings, click the 3 horizontal bars at top left, click Apps, then click From this menu, you can uncheck every app you don’t want automatically starting every time Windows boots up. It doesn’t uninstall anything. Keep your security (anti-virus) programs On. You can check a listed program by checking to see if it appears in the main program menu. Click the Windows icon (lower left corner) then click All apps in the pop-up window. If the program appears you can set it to Off in the Startup list.
- Check the vent slots on the bottom and edge of your laptop. Make sure they are not clogged with lint. Brush away or vacuum any collected lint. Any laptop will automatically slow down to compensate for any build-up of heat due to clogged vents.
That’s it for this month’s Tech Tips. Hopefully, you will see some increased performance in your PC. My recommendation to do monthly maintenance on your PC can also help performance. Check out my previous article from March 2022 on maintenance on our website: hersheysmill.org. In the Search field type Wise Disk Cleaner and press the Enter key. Wise Registry Cleaner can also be downloaded from the links in the article.