Speed Up Computer

When users are confronted with a slow computer, it’s tempting to think about replacing the computer. After all, new computers are faster, right? New computers don’t initially have the same computer performance problems that older computers may develop, but that doesn’t mean your older computer is slow simply because it’s older.

How To Speed Up A Computer

Computers slow down for a number of reasons, some of which are avoidable or curable without spending a lot of cash. It helps if you know why the computer is slowing down, but there are some good maintenance practices that you can employ to help you keep your old computer working on the lively side.

First, check your computer for viruses and malware. These malicious programs are designed to wreak havoc on your computer. They chew up valuable memory and processor resources, and may even allow your computer to be used surreptitiously by a third-party. Getting rid of malware is important, so make sure your anti-virus definitions are up-to-date and check your computer for malware.

After getting rid of the malware, get rid of the stuff you no longer need. Old files and programs take up a lot of space. If you can’t bear to get rid of these things, try moving these files to an external storage device or write them off to CD. That way, you can keep these files close at hand, but they’re not taking up valuable real estate on the hard disk.

Once you have your old files removed, defragment the hard disk. Use the built-in defragmenting tool found in the System Tools folder. The defragmenter will allow the computer to write files in contiguous spaces on the hard disk and will save time when it comes to searching for, reading and writing files.

After defragmenting the hard disk, run CHKDSK to locate any bad disk sectors and lock them out. Like the defragmentation tool, this is a freebie that comes with Windows. Run this periodically to make sure none of your data gets written to a bad disk sector.

Run a registry cleaner like RegCure to remove any orphans or other leftovers from programs you no longer use or have installed. Cleaning the registry is a valuable exercise and will help keep your computer running smoothly.

After having done these things, your computer should show noticeably better performance. Set up a schedule to perform these tasks regularly – perhaps quarterly – and your computer should perform trouble-free!
Photo Credit: Ensio Aura, via Flickr