3. Turn off P2P applications

关掉所有使用P2P(点对点下载)的应用程序

Programs like BitTorrent and Skype work their magic with "peer-to-peer" technology, meaning they leverage the combined computing power and bandwidth of every PC or Mac running their software for such uses as massive file transfers (in the case of BitTorrent) or high-quality, Net-based voice and video chat (for Skype).

类似于“BT(点对点下载)”或“Skype”的程序,在运行它们神奇的“点对点”功能的同时,正影响着所有电脑(PC和MAC)的网络带宽平衡,这些软件在启动后,将使用例如“多文件转换”(BT下载的做法)或“高质量依靠带宽的视频聊天”(如Skype)来抢占网速。

But while sharing the P2P burden qualifies you a good Netizen, it can also put a significant dent in your system's performance. If you've got programs like BitTorrent and Skype running all day, every day in the background, Becky suggests shutting them down until you really need them.

但当你共享P2P源时(这说明你够格做一名称职的网民),它还算为你系统的“劣迹”做了些有意义的削减。但如果你有类似“BT”或“Skype”的程序并整天运行时,整天在后台运行,贝奇建议还是关掉它们吧,等你需要时再打开。

4. Root out viruses and malware

清除根目录中的病毒和恶意软件

Nothing will slow your system down like a virus, a Trojan horse, or other types of malware. Plenty of commercial antivirus applications are available for Windows PCs, but Becky recommends trying Microsoft's free Security Essentials suite, which will sweep your system for any unwanted, nefarious software and provide ongoing protection via regular updates. Just visit Microsoft's Security Essentials website, download and install the software, and follow the instructions.

没有任何东西比病毒,特洛伊木马或者其他恶意软件更能减慢你系统速度的了。现在市面上有各式各样的Windows杀毒软件,但是贝奇推荐你试一试微软的免费安全套装,它将扫除你系统中所有不想要的东西和不法软件,并通过提供定期更新来保护系统。只需要访问微软安全网站(译者注:已链接到中文版地址),按照指示下载并安装该软件即可。

Anti-virus packages from the likes of Norton and McAfee are also available for Mac users, but there's an ongoing debate about whether virus protection on the Mac is more trouble than it's worth, given that malicious hackers are far more focused on Windows than they are on Mac OS X systems.

包括“诺顿”和“迈克菲”(译者注:已链接到中文版地址)在内的杀毒软件对于苹果机也很有用,但是有一个正在进行中的关于是否真的值得在苹果机上安装杀毒软件的讨论,因为那些制造恶意程序的黑客们更多集中于Windows系统而不是苹果机使用的Mac系统。