We have all battled with a slow, unresponsive computer at some point. How much time and energy do you actually waste gritting your teeth and drumming your fingers on the keyboard while your PC reboots for the third time in less than an hour?

You don’t need to have specialist IT knowledge to be able to perform the most basic PC maintenance tasks.  The first in this series of postings looks at how to delete unnecessary files from your PC in just a few clicks.  Performed weekly, this will ensure your machine’s memory is freed up by removing  temporary files and emptying your recycle bin.

So here’s what to do:

1. Click on the Start icon.
2. Click on All Programmes.
3. Click on Accessories.
4. Click on System Tools.
5. If you are using Windows Vista you can either select ‘My file only’ ‘Files from all users on this computer’
6. Select with the C drive (for most home computers)
7. Click on Disk Cleanup.
8. In the dialogue box that appears after some minutes (this will vary depending on when your disk was last cleaned up) leave the default options ticked and click OK.
9. Now leave your PC to delete all the unnecessary files from its memory. Again, the time taken will vary depending on when this was last done.

And that’s all there is to it!

Allow me to illustrate. I rang two suppliers this morning. It was a decent time of day – 10:30 am – so not too early for the independent trader who hasn’t quite managed to kick-start their day.

For ease of reference let me address the two suppliers as ‘A’ and ‘B’. Now, bearing in mind that I had attempted to use supplier A’s services on a previous occasion, I still thought that I’d give them the benefit of the doubt (we all have bad days) and make them my first port of call today, given their convenient location. And what do I get?  An answer machine with an outdated message! I try 10 minutes later and still the same message!

So I turn to supplier B. Here’s how the conversation goes:

“Hello”, says female a voice on the other side of the line.

I explain my requirements to which the voice hesitantly responds, “My father runs the business. I have no idea”.

“Is he available or should I call back”, I asked pleasantly.

“Do you have his mobile number?”

At this point I could feel my feathers being ruffled and I patiently explained that only the landline was listed so I had not other contact number.

After a slight pause, the daughter responded in rather dismissive tones, “Call back later.”

You may ask where I’m going with this. Well, it’s not the first time that I’ve attempted to contact suppliers where the phone either rings indefinitely or the line is dead or it’s answered in the most amateur fashion. I am a self-employed Jack of all trades. I can confidently say that if I’m unable to receive calls from my clients, prospective or otherwise, they will always be greeted with a professional message. If you are a small business owner you do not have to employ a receptionist or equivalent take calls in your absence. If you’d like to leave a family member in charge of your calls then at the least insure that they are briefed on how to answer calls. If this is not achievable then let the message go to your answer phone or voicemail service. It actually costs NOTHING to record a professional greeting on your landline handset or mobile. The fundamentals of good business is to provide a means for your clients to contact you.

Needless to say, that supplier A and B have both been removed from my list of contacts!

• If your work or lifestyle dictates that you often move geographical location
• If you are a start-up business working from home
• If you work from home and wish to protect your privacy
• If you are a student in need of a mailing address all year round
• If you wish for job or advert responses to be sent to a different address

Currently, Westway Office Services has clients both in the UK and overseas who have been using our Mail Box Address and Forwarding service.

I wrote an article for the entrepreneurial magazine, Raw Business, which was published in September 2010. You can read the online version here to give you an idea of the kind of work I have done for my clients under the many hats of VA, PA, Secretary, Typist, Photographer and many more!

Although far less than say, ten years ago, there are still many out there who still ask the question, “What is a VA?” So just pop the question if you need to.

So let me put this blog to real use. The question that needs to be answered is what does Westway Office Services do? Follow my next post…