Speed Up Computer

When you want to speed up computer performance, taking care of your computer’s memory will help you get the job done. Memory plays an essential role in computer performance; the more memory you have available, the better your computer will perform. (Up to a point, that is.) For the most part, you’ll run out of memory before you reach the CPU’s processing capacity. As long as you have room to add more memory, you should consider this approach for resolving long-term speed or performance issues.

Small Things Can Add Up

That having been said, there are a lot of things you can do to conserve the memory you have. In some cases, simply conserving memory can make a big difference in computer performance. In my last post, I talked about basic maintenance. If you’ve done the basic maintenance on your computer (getting rid of viruses, throwing away old files, defragmenting your hard disk) and you’re still not getting the performance you expect, it’s time to look under the hood.

Looking under the hood means taking a look at what’s running. Applications, toolbars, utility programs, screensavers, and desktop themes can all contribute to slow computer performance. Paring down the system, getting rid of applications that are not needed, shutting down the auto-starting applications and returning to desktop themes that conserve –rather than waste – memory can all make a difference in terms of computer performance.

To find out what’s running on your computer at the moment, use the Task Manager, which you can start by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del. Once you bring up the Task Manager, you can look at what processes and application are running. You can also look at the System Configuration to find out what programs are configured to run each time you boot the computer. If you find programs you don’t use regularly among the startup programs, reconfigure the computer to bypass these programs on startup. You can still run the program when you actually need to, but if you don’t need these programs at your fingertips all the time, don’t configure them to load automatically at startup.

While you’re in the decision-making mood, look at the icons that take up residence in the task bar at the bottom of the window. This is another good way to spot the programs that load automatically. If you don’t need these programs in the task bar, move them aside. Also consider uninstalling toolbars that you may have loaded, or that may have loaded automatically when you downloaded a new application. That, by the way, is a good indicator of spyware or adware. Getting rid of these toolbars may restore more than you think! Use the Add/Remove Programs tool to get rid of the programs, toolbars and applications you don’t want, and become a bit more selective about what you load onto your computer in the future.

Photo Credit: David Olsen, via Flickr