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Best Media Computer Practices

Best Media computer practices:

  • Back up your computer –  EVERY DAY
  • Take the time up front to run virus and Malware scans and delete all contamination
  • Clean your Desktop – (WILL DRASTICALLY IMPROVE OVERALL SPEED)
    • In your documents folder, create a DESKTOP ALIAS folder
    • Place a shortcut or alias of that folder on your desktop
    • MOVE EVERYTHING EXCEPT shortcuts/aliases into the DESKTOP ALIAS folder
  • If you can expand the RAM, go to a vendor like Crucial.com.
    • Use their app to determine how much and what type. The app will even recommend the type.
    • 16 GB of RAM at a minimum is your target. 32/64 GB are recommended.
    • Order & upgrade using the linked How-to DIY.
  • Limit active tasks – IOW – let your machine focus on the Media task at hand – Photoshop, Audition, Premiere, etc.
    • Limit the applications open at any one time
    • limit your browser windows open
    • In any Adobe Cloud App.  Top Menu bar  Title of Application  Preferences
      •  Memory – Allocate the majority of RAM to be used by the APP.
        • Recommendation: if running Premiere (for example) and you are only using your browser then allocate all but 4GB of RAM to the Adobe applications
      •  Media and Disk Cache: route these to a folder on your fastest drive – that may be an external drive or your boot drive (The drive that houses your OS)
        • Delete and clean the existing cache
      • Clear your DOWNLOADS folder if possible – at a minimum clean the folder of useless files. Move the files you desire to keep to the Documents folder
      • Remove unnecessary Program Files – UNINSTALL
      • Use an external drive with the fastest transfer buss possible
        • USB-3 – USB-C
        • Firewire 800
        • ESATA
      • Update your software – objective is to assure that the efficiencies of the latest version are being exploited
      • Time investment solution:
        1. Backup your drive
        2. Zero your drive – erase using a hard drive app, replacing all data with 0’s. (this maps the bad sectors on a Mac)
        3. Reinstall your OS and all apps from scratch