It's back to school time for high school and college students across South Florida, and you know what that means - massive laptop use.

What this also means is the potential for problems increases.

In order to avoid unnecessary trips to Fort Lauderdale computer repair center, all are advised to perform easy, routine maintenance on their machines.

With that in mind, below are a few simple, quick tips Broward County computer service experts recommend for students and their parents to reduce clutter on their computers.

• Clear your desktop icons. You don't need shortcuts to for most tasks - things you can access through the start menu.
• Clean out your inbox. You don't think about it on a day-to-day-basis, but all of those emails take up space on your computer. Some email programs won't automatically empty your trash, so instead of just deleting email, make sure you also nix trash occasionally too.
• Uninstall programs you don't use. Another thing you don't consider often but often results in problems down the line, Fort Lauderdale computer repair professionals say. Programs are so easy to install, you forget how much slower they might make your computer. If you right click on an icon you should be able to wax the corresponding program easily. It's worthwhile to go through and eliminate what you aren't planning on using.
• Save photos to a disc. These take up a ton of room - and besides, you don't want to lose them! Upload them to flickr, shutterfly or other photo sites that save pictures if you don't have (or want to use) a disc.