Over time, computers start to slow down. In fact, they can often slow down to a crawl. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to optimize your PC performance.
Just like our bodies, we have to run proper maintenance to keep our computers in tip-top shape.
Microsoft Windows has a long history of bloated software and systems that slow down your computer. In fact, David B. Yoffie, a professor at the Harvard Business School, once told New York Times reporters….
"Windows is now so big and onerous because of the size of its code base, the size of its ecosystem and its insistence on compatibility with the legacy hardware and software, that it just slows everything down…"
Often times, your computer is filled with hidden programs, functions, and services that you barely know about. Such a large number of unnecessary background programs can bring your computer to a crawl.
Here's a list of the top 10 things you can do to speed up your computer…
1. Defragment Your Hard Drive
One of the most important things you can do to speed up your PC is defragment the hard drive. Over time, the data on your hard drive gets scattered. Disk fragmentation leads to slower PC performance, PC crashes, and slow startup and shutdown. Defragmenting your hard drive puts your data back into its proper place.
This akes it easier for Windows to access the data it needs to execute programs, thus speeding up your computer.
To start the Disk Defragmenter, Open the Run Dialog Box. In the Run dialog box, type dfrg.msc and click OK.
You can also access the Disk Defragmenter by clicking on the Windows Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter
2. Scan for Viruses
Viruses can cause a royal mess on yor computer, bringing your performance to a grinding halt. Running a regularly scheduled anti-virus program is one of the best ways to avoid problems and keep your computer running at optimum performance.
3. Check for Spyware and Adware.
Spyware is software that allows companies to monitor what websites you visit. Some even allow the creator to access your comptuer. Adware is software that displays advertisements. Both of these use system resources and slow down your computer. Running a regularly scheduled anti-spyware and anti-adware program can help speed up you computer immensely.
4. Apply Windows Updates
Yes, I know it's a hassle, but believe me, it's worth it. If you run Windows and you use the Internet (so, like, almost everyone) you MUST stay up to date with the system patches that come out in response to the security exploits that are discovered on a weekly basis. Failure to update your system is an open invitation to hackers who would like nothing more than to enslave your computer to a slow and cruel death.
Stay informed of the latest Windows Updates at: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
5. Uninstall Unneeded Programs.
If you're like most people, you probably have software and programs on your computer that you simply don't need anymore. You can free up space on your computer and speed up your system's performance by uninstalling these programs. However, you must uninstall these programs correctly to really see improvement. Many people right click on a program, press delete and think they deleted a program, but this simply isn't true.
To properly uninstall a program, you must go to the Control Panel, then Add/Remove Software first to see what programs are installed on your computer. You can then click on the "Remove" button to properly delete the program.
6. Clean up the Windows Registry
The Windows Registry is the control center for your operating system. This is where the computer stores all of the chnages made to your computer, along with the instructions and configurations of every program.
The system registry is one of the most important parts of any Windows-based computers, which also makes it one of the main causes of annoying PC errors. Not to mention, an overloaded registry can severely slow down your computer.
Cleaning your registry on a regular basis will help keep your computer running at optimum performance. Regcure is one of the leading Windows registry repair tools. Click here to run a free scan on your computer.
7. Stop programs from starting on Windows boot.
Some programs that you install will start automatically when you boot your vomputer. However, often times you don't need these programs as soon as you start your computer and therefore they are simply slowing down your PC performance. Not only do these unwanted programs delay your start-up, they also continue to slow down your PC performance as they run in the background.
In most cases, it is unnecessary to have any programs running in the background other than security software like virus scanners or firewalls.
Disable all other startup programs to conserve system resources. The easiest way to disable your startup programs is to use the MSCONFIG utility. Simply click on the Start menu and go to "Start/Run" and type msconfig" to access the utility.
Click on the 'startup' tag to see all of the programs that run each time you start your computer. By examining their filenames and directories, you should be able to determine whether the program is necessary or not.
To be safe, don't disable any program that you're not sure about. Also be aware that several viruses, worms, and malware disguise themselves as legitimate Windows system file names.
Your next step is to go to the Start menu and click on Programs and then on Startup. This is the directory used by Windows XP to launch application shortcuts on boot-up. If you remove the shortcuts from this directory, the programs will not load on startup. Windows does not place critical files in this directory so there is much less chance of erasing an important file.
8. Scan Your Hard Disk
Windows provides a utility called scandisk. This program will fix errors caused by improper shut-downs, viruses, and other problems. Correcting these errors will help improve your system performance.
To run Scandisk, you first need to Open the Run Dialog Box. In the Run dialog box, type sfc /scannow and click OK.
Windows will now scan your hard disk for any problems in your system files.
9. Add RAM to your Computer
Of course, one of the best ways to speed up any comuter is to install additional RAM. This is especially true if your running graphics programs like Photoshop and similar programs that hog the computer's memory resources. In most cases, I would recommend having at least 1 GB of Ram installed on your comptuer.
10. Use the Right Tools
The right tools can greatly help you to speed up your computer. Here are some of my favorites.
CCleaner - Removes useless file from several applications, including temporary files, URL history, cookies, Windows log files, and more.
RegCure - Cleans up your registry to keep your computer running at optimum performance.
SG TCP Optimizer - Speed up your broadband connection.
Ashampoo WinOptimizer - A complete PC maintenance and optimization suite that will keep your computer running at peak performance.
FreeRAM XP Pro - An excellent program for freeing up memory on your computer, resulting in an increase in system performance and productivity.
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