Quick Links to Maintenance Programs

Here are some quick links to some programs that I have or have not mentioned that I highly recommend to keep your classroom systems operating smoothly.

CCleaner - I use almost every feature of this program. It can remove junk temporary files and free up a little space, wipe your empty hard disk so that data can be written and retrieved faster, remove old registry entries, and even control what programs your computer runs on startup.  I try to make sure I use CCleaner about once every two weeks or so. There is also a fantastic version for Mac.

Defraggler - This is another program from Piriform that works much like your standard Windows Disk Defragmenter. You can even opt to replace the Windows Disk Defragmenter with Defraggler. I know that many of our systems occasionally have errors which cause the defragmentation process not to reach completion. Whatever those errors may be, Defraggler doesn't care. It gets the job done.

Google Chrome - This one may be a no-brainer, but research consistently shows that Chrome simply outperforms the other browsers out there in terms of speed, ease of use, and security. If you or your students are still trying to work with other browsers, you could be wasting valuable seconds or even minutes of meaningful instruction while you wait for those dated apps to cooperate. Sure, Chrome has a few cons, but in terms of practical classroom use, Google Chrome should be the standard.