This is a very common question about a very common problem: My computer is slow, what can I do?
Now on to your real question: How to speed up a PC, whether it's slowing down or not.
Here's the steps I follow when trying to give a little extra oomph to a PC that needs it.
Clean up the disk. Uninstall unneeded programs (especially those that run at startup and/or put something in the system tray), run Disk Cleanup, and defragment the drive. This is a good first step that will almost always take a few seconds off boot time and application loads for any computer.
Run a full anti-virus and anti-spyware scan. You never know what's lurking on your machine, and these anti-malware tools can help you get rid of other PC-clogging detritus on your PC, even if it's not harmful.
Clean up the registry. This is controversial, as some experts claim registry cleaners don't really help. I've seen evidence to the contrary, so I recommend doing it if you've got a major slowdown. CCleaner is free and worth running.
Delete old network connections. Your computer may be trying to connect to shared hard drives that no longer exist. In Windows Explorer right-click on any network shares you don't actively use and click Delete. Under Tools, also click "Disconnect Network Drive" to see if there are any others lurking about.
Stomp auto-starting programs. Click Start > Run and type "msconfig" at the prompt. Click the Startup tab and look at all that junk that loads when you launch your PC. Do you really need "Adobe Reader Speed Launch"? Probably not. Turn off anything else that looks useless, but be careful not to disable Windows system components.
Those are the easy and free things you can do. If your computer is still slow you need to move on to the bigger guns.
Upgrade RAM.
Reinstall Windows.
Upgrade your hard drive.
I hope these tips help you. Meanwhile, I of course invite the readers to submit their own performance-boosting advice
DOWNLOAD LINK: for REGISTRY CLEANER to Speed up your PC
1 comment:
Good tips and in the right order. I think fragmentation is the most ignored maintenance issue simply because there is a misconception that NTFS systems dont get affected by it or that todays drives dont feel the performance deterioration. But i think if ignored it builds up to affect speed and stability over time, how soon on each system may vary. Just like a disease affects different bodies differently.
Post a Comment