Five Tips to Speed up Your PC
So your PC is not running as fast as a few months (or maybe a year) ago when you bought it. If you’re like most people when it comes to computers then you’re probably frustrated, but hopefully these five simple tips will help you to optimize its performance and get the most out of it. By following a few tips we spelled out below you can maintain your computer and keep it running smoothly. You can do these tips on your own without the aid of a skilled computer technician and save yourself time and money.
Tip 1
Do a virus scan. There is a good possibility that a virus could be the cause of some of your problems. You might say, hey I got antivirus protection. Well the problem with most antivirus protection programs is that they fail to remove all infected files. Many of these files are located in the DLL folders of the system root. The best option is to do a complete hard drive scan and if you don’t have virus protection you can download AVG Free Virus Scanner from here.
If you’re not a fan of free virus protection software we recommend you purchase one of the following programs listed below: which by the way are on sale for about 30 to 40 percent discount if you purchase now or until 5 November. If you want one of these get over to Amazon now and buy before they go back to the normal price.
Norton Antivirus 2010 1-User/3PC
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010 3-User
McAfee Total Protection 3User 2010
Tip 2
Ctl+Alt+Del on Windows XP, and Ctl+Shift+Esc for Windows Vista and Windows 7. Under the Processes tab in the Task Manager check all the programs that are using large amounts of memory. Many times there will be programs that are running in the background that is maxing out the CPU or RAM that are not needed. Make sure that you check to make sure that the program you are canceling the processes for is not a core Window’s component because closing such a program can cause instability in the OS and even causing it to shut down.
Tip 3
Disk Defragment and Cleanup are your friends. I am surprised to know that most PC users hardly if ever use both these programs. Both programs clean up memory on your computer by either deleting old files and or moving other files based upon importance so that those used more frequently can be accessed quicker than those accessed less frequently. You can read about the seven best disk defragmenters here. You can find a disk clean up utility from this article 30 Recommended Software Downloads for Free, look for Ccleaner and download.
Disk Defragment and Clean up your drive
Tip 4
Install more RAM. This is going to cost a little money but it’s worth it. If your system can take the extra memory it would be a good idea to add some more Random Access Memory to your motherboard. Generally (both PC and notebooks) the modules are not too expensive ($15-$30 USD) and can easily be installed without the need of a tech assistant. You will be surprised how much of a boost you can get from adding more memory.
Get more Memory
Tip 5
Clear up your startup programs. Too many times programs that you use frequently (or not) decide that they must be included in the start up process and continue to run in the background even when not in use. This might be good for the manufacturers but certainly not for you. Get rid of them from the start-up menu, this will not only make your machine boot faster but increase your over all performance.
To fix this problem simply in Windows XP:
1. Click on Start » Run.
2. In the Run window, type msconfig and then click OK
3. The System Configuration Utility window will now appear. Click on the Startup tab.
4. You should now see a window similar to the one below on your screen.
5. Under that Startup tab will be a list of all the programs that start up when Window’s is first booted. Uncheck all the ones that you have no need of.
6. After you have finished click Apply then click OK to make the changes. You will be prompted to restart your computer. Depending on how many programs you chose not to start up you will notice a significant improvement in the systems performance and startup time.
Windows System Configuration Utility
To fix this problem in Windows Vista and Windows 7:
1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key (the Apple key on Macs using Boot Camp) and R at the same time.
2. The Run window will appear, In the Run window, type msconfig and then click OK
3. Click on Continue if a User Account Control window pop up.
4. The System Configuration window will now appear on your screen. Click on the Startup tab.
5. You should now see a window similar to the one displayed below.
6. Under that tab will be a list of all the programs that load during the start-up. Uncheck all the ones that are not needed. Don’t worry about changing this because these are not necessary programs and all changes can always be reversed later.
7. After you have finished click Apply then click OK to make the changes. You will be prompted to restart your computer. Depending on how many programs you selected not to start up you will notice a significant improvement in the systems performance and startup time.
