Some people just don’t have the time or patience to sit and read a long article on how to perform a specific operation on their computer. This post condenses some of my previous articles and blog posts. It covers what I believe to be the five most common and pressing problems that average computer users face.

Temporary Files
Temporary files often clog your computer and make it more susceptible to infection. Most Windows users know about Disk Cleanup, but they rarely use it. Disk Cleanup is a tool that makes it easy to remove temporary files from your computer. Just click the Start button, go to All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools. That’s where you’ll find the shortcut for Disk Cleanup. Instead of clicking it, right-click it and choose “Copy”. Then paste it as a shortcut, on your desktop, for quicker access. Run the tool and be sure to check the boxes for Temporary Files and Temporary Internet Files. When you have more time, make sure you read “How To Perform A Major Computer Cleanup“.

Spyware & Viruses
Spyware and viruses are the most common and pressing problems, for the average computer user. The good news is that its fairly easy to keep them at bay. It just requires a little bit of knowledge as to how they infect your computer and a couple of free software programs, to remove the infections you currently have and to protect your computer from future infections. When you have more time, make sure you read “How To Remove Spyware & Viruses“.

AVG Technologies (formerly Grisoft) provides AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition, for home and non-commercial use. It protects your computer from viruses and spyware and it works very well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve removed programs, like Norton Internet Security, and replaced them with AVG Free, and immediately found viruses and spyware.

Spybot Search & Destroy is another program, that removes spyware and adware, even down to the registry level. It’s provided, for free, by Safer Networking. It may not be as user-friendly as some other programs, but it’s extremely effective.

Switch To Gmail
Spam got you down? Tired of not being able to access your email, from any internet-connected computer? Switch to Gmail. If you haven’t created your Gmail account, yet, you’re a little behind the curve. People are switching to Gmail, and other web-based email applications, in droves. Great spam filtering, 7GB of storage, contacts, calendars, chat and more. All for free!

External Hard Drive
Do yourself a big favor – go out and get an external hard drive, so you can have a backup of all your important data. Most external hard drives come with backup software that allow you to backup your data at regular intervals. This way, you won’t be devastated when your computer crashes.

Physical Cleaning
Every so often (about 3-6 months), open your computer case and blow out the dust and dirt with a can of compressed air. Pay special attention to the fans, power supply and the processor’s heat sink fins. Heat is a computer killer. Cleaning the inside of your computer case will help to prevent over-heating.

That’s it! Short, sweet and to-the-point. Please comment, below, to let us know if this helps to solve any of your common computer problems.