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"Ah, the wonders of technology \u2014 from word processing to Web searching, computers have forever changed how we get things done. Less awe-inspiring: when software takes forever to load and cables and cords put a choke hold on your desk. Read on for simple (no, really!) fixes for these glitches and others 1. Organize Your Desktop Clutter on a computer desktop actually slows down performance  Don&amp;#039;t save unneeded files there. Take a second to put them into a hard-drive folder; a basic My Photos or My Documents label is fine.  2. Speed Up Your Unit Does waiting out that little hourglass seem like it takes, well, hours? Try this:   &amp;quot;Defragment&amp;quot; your hard drive. As you save or modify files on a Windows-based PC, pieces are stored in different locations on the hard drive, so it takes the computer longer to reassemble them when you access the files. To fix, set the Disk Defragmenter (in the System Tools folder) to run once a week. (Note: Macs seldom get slowed down by fragmented files.) Empty your Recycling Bin or Trash. On both PCs and Macs, these are temporary holding areas \u2014 you have to delete their contents in order to free up space on your disk. Exit out of programs you&amp;#039;re not using; don&amp;#039;t just minimize their windows.Otherwise, you may not realize some are running in the background. On a PC, look at the screen&amp;#039;s lower right-hand corner for the small icons. On a Mac, check for any icons in the Dock with a tiny spotlight near them.   3. Boost Web Power Lagging load times may not be caused by a slow connection. Solutions:  Upgrade the browser. Go to whatbrowser.org to see if you&amp;#039;re running the latest version of yours, or try Google Chrome, which GHRI found loaded pages 50% faster than others.  Reduce your Web page history. Your browser stores visited sites automatically. In its preferences, set the history to clear every week.  4. Don&amp;#039;t Lose Anything Thirty percent of people don&amp;#039;t back up files \u2014 and every three seconds, someone&amp;#039;s hard drive fails. You could get an external drive, or rely on the &amp;quot;cloud&amp;quot;: virtual backup on a website that uses multiple servers, so your data is safe in case of crashes. Set up an account on a site like sugarsync.com or dropbox.com for a low fee (from $5 a month). 5. Keep It All Clean The Oxo Good Grips Electronics Cleaning Brush ($5, oxo.com has a retractable tip that gets into tight spaces. Also nab a microfiber cloth for dusting the screen and other surfaces \u2014 Toddy&amp;#039;s cute cloths ($15, toddygear.com; are reversible for different uses. Don&amp;#039;t forget electronics wipes for the mouse.  Contain the Cords A tangle of cables looks messy \u2014 and forget about finding what you need. Try one (or more) of these clever items to keep them corralled: For Hiding Them Away: In six fun colors, CableBox Mini ($30; bluelounge.com) puts unsightly power strips (a four-socket one is included) under cover. For Bundling and Identifying: Cord Straps by Dotz ($8 for seven; dotz shop.com) rein in a wad of wires and have a tab for easy labeling. Want to mark just one cable? Try the Cord Identifiers ($8 for 10, not shown). For Keeping Them Handy: The Good Grips Cord Catch by Oxo ($7; oxo.com) is a resting spot for cords you don&amp;#039;t always have plugged in (like the one for your camera). "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/organizing/tips/a18327/solve-computer-problems/>