FUTURE-PROOFING: DO’S & DON’TS
DO
Move Windows to an SSD
While future-proofing your PC and making it run faster aren’t necessarily the same thing, the speed boost an SSD can provide to an older system will definitely have a rejuvenating effect. Your PC will start faster, programs feel snappier, files open quicker and you’ll be far less frustrated with it. And therefore far less likely to resort to buying a new one. SSDS are also much more reliable than traditional hard drives because they have no moving parts, so installing one should mean your PC will last longer.
There’s a newer type of SSD, called M.2, that can offer an even bigger speed boost than traditional 2.5-inch SSDS (up to four times faster) by plugging directly into your computer’s motherboard. M.2 drives aren’t too expensive, either. A 500GB WD M.2 drive currently costs around £133 online ( www.snipca. com/25147, pictured below). The trouble is that if your PC is more than a couple of years old, it’s unlikely to have the required M.2 socket on the motherboard, so check the manual and specifications for your PC before you buy.
If your PC doesn’t have the most modern motherboard you can console yourself with the knowledge that even the older type of SSD is faster and more reliable than a traditional hard drive. Crucial’s MX300 275GB drive, for example (pictured below), offers blistering data speeds for £90 ( www.snipca.com/ 25148) and will boost performance, even when installed on an older PC.
To maximise the impact of your SSD (whichever type you choose), you’ll need to transfer your current Windows installation to it. Some SSDS are supplied with a SATA- TO-USB cable and cloning software that will let you do this. Cheaper models tend to skimp on extras like these, but you can buy a cable from Amazon for about £6 ( www.snipca.com/25149) and use a free program, such as Macrium Reflect Free ( www.snipca.com/25150) instead.
Once you’ve installed the SSD, open Macrium Reflect, select your existing system drive (the one with Windows on it, usually the C: drive) as the source, click ‘Clone this disk’ (see screenshot above), then select your new SSD as the Destination.
Switch to Windows apps
Windows apps, which you install from the Windows Store, aren’t necessarily the most popular aspect of Windows 10. They take a bit of getting used to and tend to have less features than their equivalent desktop programs. For instance, media player VLC’S app doesn’t play DVDS, unlike the desktop program.
But there’s definitely some tangible benefits to using them over traditional programs, if you want your PC stay to stay healthier for longer. The trouble with old-style PC software is that, unless you’re using a portable tool, programs tend to embed themselves deeply into your operating system when you install them, liberally scattering program files around your hard drive, adding background processes and so on. Not only does this slow your PC down, but it can also pose a security risk – particularly if the program has come fromom an unofficial source or develops a vulnerability because it’s not being kept up to date.
Windows Store apps, on the other hand, are all vetted by Microsoft so, in theory, they’re safe. On top of that, Windows 10 apps don’t need as many permissions and aren’t allowed to access system folders. They are effectively sandboxed, meaning their ability to do harm or impact your PC’S performance is minimal.
A growing number of popular programs – such as VLC, Kodi, Adblock Plus and Netflix – have apps in the Windows Store. Click the Start button, type store, then press Enter (the search bar is at the top right). To see just the apps that are free, scroll down to the ‘Top free apps’ section, then click ‘Show all’ (see screenshot above).
Back up your PC regularly
It’s not the longevity of your physical PC that really matters – it’s the irreplaceable files stored on it that you want to preserve. And the easiest way to do this is to back them up. That way, if your PC does ever bite the dust, at least your photos, documents and music won’t die with it.
There are numerous ways to back up but we’d recommend a two-pronged attack, using a file-and-folder syncing tool for specific files, and a system image backup program to make occasional backups of your entire hard drive.
For the former, you could try Google’s new Backup and Sync tool ( www.snipca.