I have had LlinuxXMint 17.1 since 4-2015. A couple of times recently it wouldn't take my password, but most of the time it does. I notice it's taking more time to download pages on the Internet.

Any tips on how to keep it at optimum will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Ran across this interesting article, ​Best Linux desktop of 2014: Linux Mint 17.1 | ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com/article/best-linux-desktop-of-2014-linux-mint-17-1/), and would ask if you have been following your upgrade protocals and maintanance schedules regularly?


And Mint is going to stay on Ubuntu 14.04 for the next two years. According to Mint's developers, "Until 2016, the development team won't start working on a new base, and will be fully focused on this one." Furthermore, Mint 17.10 is a long-term support (LTS) version. It will receive security updates until 2019.
In short, if you want a Linux desktop that you can deploy in your business and be certain of stability for five years, Mint has just become an excellent choice.
That's not to say that Linux Mint will go stale. Besides offering continual security updates for years, Mint gives you the ability to upgrade not just programs, but even the power to update to new Linux kernels. The new Linux kernel selection screen is redesigned to let you quickly review new features, known security fixes, and regressions.

Per PM

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AutoWeeklyUpdateHowTo

Desktop method - defaultIf you have installed the full desktop version of Ubuntu, everything you need is already installed and running. Package updates can be scheduled from the desktop.
You can change how and when the system updates itself. Click System, Administration, Software Sources. You will be prompted for your password. Once you've entered that, click Updates. You'll see various categories of updates, and underneath Automatic Updates, you'll seeCheck for updates: and a schedule. You can select daily, weekly, manually etc. You can also select whether you wish the system to:


[*=left]Install security updates without confirmation (ie. download and install)

[*=left]Download all updates in the background (ie. download but wait for you to manually install them)
[*=left]Only notify about available updates (ie. nag you to manually download updates and to manually install them)