How to Speed Up your Computer

Have you been noticing that your computer seems to be running slower than it used to? Or have you found that “When you click your internet or favorite game you get the dreaded hourglass of death” as Computer How-To puts it. If you find yourself sitting in front of your computer muttering “Come on, come on!” quite frequently, you will be relieved to learn that this does not have to be a permanent problem. There are ways to speed up your computer performance and they don’t have to cost a lot or require you to be a technical mastermind.

Why do computers slow down?

Well, to begin with, when you first get your shiny brand new computer, it only has a limited amount of software on it. And in addition, all the software and default settings are optimized for best performance and speed.

After owning your computer for some time, you have no doubt installed additional software, and probably uninstalled some others. The hard drive probably contains many more files and programs now and it takes the computer longer to find and access data. You have added files, changed settings to your personal preferences and added devices and drivers. All of these changes can cause the computer to move further away from its optimum settings and can affect the performance and speed of your computer. (Ask Nerd)

What can I do to speed up performance?

There are a number of things you can do to increase the speed of your computer.

1. The top method recommended by Microsoft is to free up disk space. They note “By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer.” (Microsoft)

In many cases, we tend to accumulate files and software we don’t need any more on our computers. But most of us don’t realize how easy it can be to remove items such as temporary Internet files (which take a lot of space) temporary Windows files and old or unnecessary programs. These can all be removed through the use of Disk Cleanup under System Tools on Windows XP or Vista systems. This tool also empties the Recycle Bin.

2. Another step that can be easily taken to improve speed and performance is to run the Windows Defragmenter also under System Tools. “After a while, the computer is no longer saving information in large blocks. Instead, it stores information in the many little empty nooks and crannies of your hard drive. The result is that one program or file is broken up, or fragmented and stored in many different areas of the hard disk.” (Computer How to) Obviously, this results in slower performance as the computer must search for all pieces of the data. Running the defragmenter can increase speed. Microsoft recommends running this tool monthly or whenever your free disk space is 15% or less. (Microsoft)

3. Cleaning and repairing registry errors can also result in an increase in speed. Registry errors can frequently cause computer slowdown or poor performance. The registry has been compared to the central nervous system of the computer and registry errors tend to accumulate over time. They can be caused by redundant entries, deleted or corrupted data which can creep in when you install or uninstall software or from malware.

Unfortunately, cleaning and repairing registry errors is not something you should attempt yourself. In fact Microsoft warns “It is strongly recommended that you do not edit the registry yourself. Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Modify the register at your own risk.” (Microsoft)

There are literally hundreds of registry cleaners and repair programs available. However, not all of them are reliable or effective. Some have even been known to introduce spyware onto your computer. (Cnet) Some of the best registry cleaners include Ccleaner, Registry Mechancic and Registry Patrol. Registry Patrol received a Consumer Review score of 5/5 and is certified 100% spyware free by Softpedia.(Registry Patrol) “A good registry cleaner will remove redundant entries and optimize others.” (Tech-Pro) Tech-Pro recommends Registry Booster and Registry Mechanic for registry cleaning.

4. Removing spyware and other forms of malicious software such as Trojans, adware and viruses can not only improve performance and speed, but also safeguard your personal information. It is estimated that approximately 90% of computers are infected with spyware and “Spyware dramatically slows down your computer and Internet connection speeds.” (Digg)

Spyware frequently piggybacks on other applications, typically free software, shareware or pop-up free trial ads. Spyware can damage your computer and affect your security. In some cases, spyware has been responsible for identity theft and in 2007 spyware cost US consumers $1.7 billion. (Consumer Reports)

Of course, you should already have a good antivirus and personal firewall program, but spyware can find its way through almost anything. It particularly targets Internet Explorer, as this is the most widely used browser. You need a specific anti-spyware program and it can be difficult to sort out the effective and reliable programs from those which may themselves contain spyware. “Fake anti-spyware is a problem that’s pervasive online. There are spyware programs that masquerade as ant-spyware programs.” (Consumer Search)

According to Consumer Search, two of the most recommended anti-spyware tools are SpySweeper by Webroot and Spyware Doctor by PC Tools. They also recommend Ad Aware by Lavasoft as a helpful add-on.

If you follow these suggestions, you should be able to increase the speed and performance of your computer in a short time.