For the last couple of weeks, I’ve talked about disabling services that are set to start up automatically as a way to speed up computer performance. This week, I’ll talk about reclaiming computer performance by reconfiguring programs to skip the auto-start.

Services v. Applications

What’s the difference you ask? A service is part of the operating system. It could include your network, the ability to log into a computer remotely, audio features, etc. These services are functions of the operating system. Programs may use them, or they may support features in applications, but they’re not applications by themselves.

Services do take up some system memory and they can be a little bit of a drain, but that’s not really where you’re going to get the speed boost from when you disable services. The speed increase comes from not having to load the darned thing in the first place, and not having to wait while the service performs its trick or times out.

There are good reasons other than speeding up computer performance for disabling services. Sometimes, services are just unnecessary and it’s good practice to disable those things you don’t need. Services can conflict with other services, so disabling an unneeded service may reduce the possibility that a conflict will occur. Further, some services aren’t very secure, and can be used by hackers to gain access to or control of your computer.

After you’ve disabled the unnecessary services, you can reconfigure applications that start automatically to wait for a manual start instead. Little utility applications, freebies, toolbars and other similar apps are big offenders in the auto-startup category. Shutting these pests down can give you an immediate performance boost.

To examine your startup items, type msconfig into the search bar and select it from the results. This is the System Configuration tool. The Startup Tab will provide a list of all of the applications that are configured to start at boot time. You can select the apps you don’t want to start automatically by unchecking the box to the left of the application’s name. You can also disable all startup items, but this is normally reserved for troubleshooting since there are a bunch of things you’ll want access to!

Once you’ve reconfigured your startup items, restart your computer and see if you’ve improved your situation. You may also get a significant performance boost from using a registry cleaner, like SpeedUpMyPC 2011, which runs in two minutes and can really give your PC a lift.

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One question I get a lot is from people who are trying to decide whether to keep a computer or upgrade. Many people decide to upgrade because they have a slow computer. In many cases, replacement isn’t necessary. There are things you can do to improve your slow computer that don’t involve an all-out replacement.

Sometimes You Need To Get Beyond Maintenance

Even computers that are relatively well-maintained can slow down. If you’ve gone beyond the normal maintenance – removing disk errors, removing old files, cleaning off your desktop – there are still things you can do to breathe life into your old computer.

If you’ve got some money to spend, you can get a lot of return on an investment in some additional memory. More than anything else, additional memory will help speed up your computer. You may also get a performance boost from swapping out your CPU. This is a little more complicated because your new CPU has to be compatible with the motherboard you have. If you don’t know a lot about computers, ask someone who does for advice on this before you spend a lot of cash on a CPU upgrade.

If you’re happy with the hardware you have or you don’t have the cash for a significant CPU upgrade, you can make a smaller investment and still get a big return. SpeedUpMyPC 2011 is a very highly regarded program that’s designed to keep your computer registry optimized.

SpeedUpMyPC 2011 is easy to download and install, and easy to use. It will help keep your computer registry free of abandoned code that slows your computer down and robs it of performance. You’ll be surprised by how well your computer performs after installing and running SpeedUpMyPC 2011.

SpeedUpMyPC 2011 can make a difference in your computer’s performance in just two minutes, and more than one million computer users have downloaded the product. It’s safe, simple and reliable, and can put some extra pep in your old computer’s step.

Computers do tend to accumulate a lot of leftover code, generally from applications that haven’t uninstalled properly, and applications that have been updated, and have left a lot of unnecessary information behind in the registry. You can put up with slow computer performance as long as you like, and eventually, your computer will grind to a halt. You can also use a recognized registry cleaner like SpeedUpMyPC 2011 and make the most of your computer, no matter how long you’ve had it in service.

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When you have a problem with a slow computer, you may be tempted to reach for your anti-virus software and maintenance checklists. The real culprit may not be related to something that has happened to your computer, so much as it is the way you use your computer. You can do certain things that will reduce performance. This week, I feature a couple of good habits that you can get into that may improve your computer performance.

Stop Doing That!

Desktop File Storage If you store files on your desktop, you’re probably going to experience a performance hit. I’m not talking about desktop shortcuts, although I’m not a big fan of those either. I’m talking about saving files directly to the desktop. The desktop is a special part of the file system, and isn’t intended for file storage. It’s ok to save a file there if you’re working on it, but when you’ve finished, put the file away.

Likewise, don’t choose the desktop as the default download location. Normally, Windows defaults to the Downloads folder. If you change your default download location, make sure the location you choose is properly part of the file system.
The operating system is designed to store and index files inside the file tree. The desktop isn’t meant for permanent file storage, so asking the computer to go out and retrieve files from the desktop takes additional time and causes a performance hit. Put your files where they’re supposed to go and keep your desktop clean!

Applications Left Running Overnight Some people prefer to leave their computers on at night, or when they’ll be gone for long periods of time. That’s ok; computers can manage that, though you’ll save electricity if you turn off your computer when you’re done for the day. Applications are less able to tolerate being left open for long periods. You may notice a big performance hit when you return to an open application. For better results, save your documents and close your applications, when you walk away from your computer for a long period of time. Also, make it a point to restart the computer periodically. You’ll clear out the cobwebs and give your system a fresh start.

If these don’t help improve computer performance, consider running a registry cleaner to clear out non-essential registry entries that may be impacting computer performance. SpeedUpMy PC 2011 is a great tool to have on hand for just this purpose.

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A new survey conducted by Crucial.com of more than 3,000 computer users in the US, UK and France shows that the chief complaint among computer users is a slow computer. About half of all respondents say their current computer is “too slow” to keep up with them while they work. About 30% of users described their PCs as “old desktops.”

Simple Steps Don’t Always Solve The Problem

When asked what users do to resolve slow performance, 60% of respondents said that they run their anti-virus checkers; 56% said they compress their files; and 54% said they reboot the computer. The survey also showed that users tend to replace their computers about every four years.

The survey results show that many people don’t know how to deal effectively with a slow computer, primarily because they don’t understand the causes of slow computer performance. Viruses and disk space issues can cause slow performance, and even though these remedies are the ones most users turn to first, they’re not necessarily most likely to solve the user’s problems.

Instead, slow computer performance can be caused by a number of things that A/V software, reallocating file space and rebooting simply won’t solve. One of the best things you can consider from a hardware perspective is adding more memory to your computer. If your computer doesn’t have a full complement of physical memory, upping the available RAM will work wonders for performance issues. A close second is improving your graphics handling. This is especially true if you play a lot of graphics-intensive games on your computer, or use your computer to do a lot of high-end drawings or layouts.

On the software side, if you’ve got ample disk storage space – and in this case “ample” is more than 20%-25% total free disk space available – and you’ve defragmented your hard disk and cleaned up your disk errors – the best thing to consider is a registry cleaner.

The registry gets easily filled with a lot of useless entries. These entries are essentially abandoned by old hardware, removable hardware, old software, temporary files and updated software. These leftover bits of code clog up the registry, but your computer has to spend time analyzing these entries to determine whether or not they’re relevant. By reducing the size of the registry, your computer can operate more efficiently, which translates into faster computer performance.

SpeedUpMyPC 2011 is built for today’s computers. It makes registry maintenance a snap, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how efficient your PC – even an old desktop – can be.

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If you’re the kind of computer user who doesn’t download and apply patches and updates right away, you could be robbing yourself of improved computer performance. Some users operate under the assumption that if they don’t change anything, nothing will happen to their computer. Unfortunately, that’s not the way things work. If this is your approach, you could easily end up with a slow computer.

Updating Can Have Positive Effects

There are updates, and then there are updates. Which updates should you apply? You should at least consider any update that comes your way. Whether you install it or not will depend upon what’s being updated. You may not need to install updates for functions you don’t use, but even that strategy can come back to haunt you later.

For security updates, consider applying these immediately. These important updates can help keep your computer safe. Microsoft typically releases updates on the second Tuesday of each month (“Patch Tuesday”) but there is a second “Patch Tuesday that may happen on the fourth Tuesday of each month.

OS updates are generally mixed in with security updates. You may or may not be able to separate these from the security patches. OS updates are usually offered as a way to fix functions that don’t work, correct errors in the programming of the OS, or extend new features.

Once you apply security and OS updates, you may find that some of your device drivers don’t operate correctly. They may not operate at all or they may operate slowly or at least more slowly than they did before. At this point, check for driver updates. If you find a driver update that applies to your hardware, install it to see if it corrects the problem.

Don’t forget to apply any patches or updates to your applications, particularly if the manufacturer of the application indicates that a patch or update corrects security issues. Unlike OS updates, there are no rules of thumb for driver and application updates. You’ll either have to check manually for updates, or set your computer to inform you of new updates as they become available.

Finally, after you’ve done all of this patching, run a registry cleaner like Speed Up My PC to clear out any old bits of code in the registry that no longer operate or aren’t needed anymore. You’ll be surprised by what a difference updating and cleaning out your registry can make in terms of computer speed.

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