Speed Up Your Computer - Software
Monday, October 13, 2008 | Labels: More Information |
Tips and Tricks to Increase the Speed of Your Computer
A computer being used over time collates many miscellaneous files, registry entries, programs, extra downloaded files. It can become over a long period of use like an unorganized filing cabinet and you will find your computer is much slower than when you first purchased it.
Here are some tips and tricks that can assist in increasing the speed of your computer.
Remove by Uninstalling any programs no longer in use.
Remove those programs, utilities, games and trial software that you may not have used for three months or longer. All those programs are doing is clogging up space that can be used for future items you may wish to use on your computer at a later date.
In Windows XP - Click on the Start Menu, click on Control Panel, click twice on Add Remove programs. Click once on each program and click once on the Uninstall item.
In Windows Vista - Click on the Start Menu Circle, click on Control Panel, click twice on Programs And Features. Click once on each program and click once on the Uninstall item.
Most computer users follow the old 20/80 rule, we tend to use 20% of our programs, 80% of the time.
Remove Unnecessary Start Up Programs
This is a feature inherent in almost all versions of windows, this is designed to as your Windows computer starts to have a facility to automatically start a certain number of programs. Whilst a handy feature, it uses up Ram and usually these programs can be started form your All Programs menu or via a shortcut on the desktop. Most often programs that run are the Sound Bar, CDDVD utilities, Music Players, Instant message programs, and many more.
In both Windows XP and Vista - Click on the Start Menu, click once on Run, type in the white box 'msconfig' (without the quotes) and press enter once on the keyboard. Click once on the Startup tab. You will see a list of Programs, if you are unsure what program to deselect (by clicking once on those items with a green tick), a quick search on Google or Yahoo can assist with identifying the program name. One word of caution here, do not turn off your Anti virus program. If you are unsure what these programs are, leave for now.
When you restart your computer, a message will appear stating "you have made changes to the way Windows Starts'. Click once on 'Do not show this message in future. This message will then not reappear again unless you make further changes within msconfig.
Clear your Registry of clutter
Your registry is where alot of information on how Windows will perform certain tasks when a computer starts and what function to perform when programs are started. Over time some items may not have been fully cleared out (like when installing certain older programs may leave some registry entries). Download ccleaner at ccleaner download. This is a great utility for removing unwanted registry entries that also provides a facility to backup the Registry before cleaning.
Change The Virtual Memory Settings
Virtual memory is used by all Windows computers by placing some temporary information onto the hard drive when the computer runs out of physical ram. This is most noticeable when running high graphic games, creating movies, encoding sound or music and rendering on CAD programs. Most day to day tasks will hardly use Virtual Memory. The basic setting will shrink and grow Virtual Memory when windows needs it.
Click on the Start Menu, click once on Control Panel, click twice on the System icon and click once on the Advanced System Properties tab. Near the top of the dialog box you will see a heading called "Performance', to the right click once on the settings... button. Click once on the advanced tab, click once on the change button next to the Virtual memory heading. In this dialog box, click once on custom size. Type in a number that is 1.5 times your physical Ram. So if your Ram is one Gigabyte (1024 Megabytes), type in the number '1536'. Click the OK button, click the OK button, click the OK button.
If you have 4 Gigabytes of Ram, make the setting 4095, windows will not accept a number above this.
Get rid of the temporary files on the computer
Over time, each time you open some programs (like Microsoft Office), open a photo, use your Internet browser, download a program, play music, temporary files are created and stored for 'quicker' access by windows to provide the illusion that windows will find these files faster. In fact your computer will become slower whilst windows tries to find these files and update them to your new ones. Here is how to clear your temporary files.
Click on the Start Menu, click once on Run, type in the white box 'cleanmgr.exe' ,press enter on he keybpoard, select all files to remove. This will remove all temporary files you select.
Also - backup and remove from your computer any files you don't really use often, these files are usually, emails (archive and delete), photos, music and videos.
Defragment the Hard drive and remove the Indexing Service
Over time windows moves files around on your hard drive as you add or remove files and programs, these files are cut up into 'bits', these bits start next to one another and will, over time, spread apart. The net effect is it will take the computer extra seconds to find all the bits and run the file or program.
From the desktop, click twice on My Computer, right click once, click twice on your C: drive, on the menu that appears, click once on properties, click once on the tools tab, click once on Defrag now. Usually as this process can take several hours, run this process overnight.
Whilst we are here, click once on the General tab, and down the bottom of the box, if there is a green tick in the 'Index this drive for faster searching', deselect it, so there is no tick. This is a a great feature, yet if you are not constantly looking for files nearly everyday, having this feature turned on will slow the computer.
Run Your Anti Virus and AntiSpyware Programs
Run your usual anti virus and antispyware programs, these should be run weekly as a matter of course. This will also help remove any unwanted programs that download without your permission (Spyware) and remove any lurking virus' your computer may have. You may have these items already and may have read elsewhere about these types of programs. If you haven't , at a minimum, obtain these three programs.
Spybot Search And Destroy
Adaware Personal Edition
AVG Personal Anti Virus
The Ultimate Computer Speed Up
Now not for the uninitiated, one of the best ways to provide a dramatic speed boost is too backup all your files, clear the hard drive entirely and re-Install Windows fresh. The downside to this is putting your programs back on one by one, reconnecting your Internet and putting your files you want to use back onto the computer.
A computer being used over time collates many miscellaneous files, registry entries, programs, extra downloaded files. It can become over a long period of use like an unorganized filing cabinet and you will find your computer is much slower than when you first purchased it.
Here are some tips and tricks that can assist in increasing the speed of your computer.
Remove by Uninstalling any programs no longer in use.
Remove those programs, utilities, games and trial software that you may not have used for three months or longer. All those programs are doing is clogging up space that can be used for future items you may wish to use on your computer at a later date.
In Windows XP - Click on the Start Menu, click on Control Panel, click twice on Add Remove programs. Click once on each program and click once on the Uninstall item.
In Windows Vista - Click on the Start Menu Circle, click on Control Panel, click twice on Programs And Features. Click once on each program and click once on the Uninstall item.
Most computer users follow the old 20/80 rule, we tend to use 20% of our programs, 80% of the time.
Remove Unnecessary Start Up Programs
This is a feature inherent in almost all versions of windows, this is designed to as your Windows computer starts to have a facility to automatically start a certain number of programs. Whilst a handy feature, it uses up Ram and usually these programs can be started form your All Programs menu or via a shortcut on the desktop. Most often programs that run are the Sound Bar, CDDVD utilities, Music Players, Instant message programs, and many more.
In both Windows XP and Vista - Click on the Start Menu, click once on Run, type in the white box 'msconfig' (without the quotes) and press enter once on the keyboard. Click once on the Startup tab. You will see a list of Programs, if you are unsure what program to deselect (by clicking once on those items with a green tick), a quick search on Google or Yahoo can assist with identifying the program name. One word of caution here, do not turn off your Anti virus program. If you are unsure what these programs are, leave for now.
When you restart your computer, a message will appear stating "you have made changes to the way Windows Starts'. Click once on 'Do not show this message in future. This message will then not reappear again unless you make further changes within msconfig.
Clear your Registry of clutter
Your registry is where alot of information on how Windows will perform certain tasks when a computer starts and what function to perform when programs are started. Over time some items may not have been fully cleared out (like when installing certain older programs may leave some registry entries). Download ccleaner at ccleaner download. This is a great utility for removing unwanted registry entries that also provides a facility to backup the Registry before cleaning.
Change The Virtual Memory Settings
Virtual memory is used by all Windows computers by placing some temporary information onto the hard drive when the computer runs out of physical ram. This is most noticeable when running high graphic games, creating movies, encoding sound or music and rendering on CAD programs. Most day to day tasks will hardly use Virtual Memory. The basic setting will shrink and grow Virtual Memory when windows needs it.
Click on the Start Menu, click once on Control Panel, click twice on the System icon and click once on the Advanced System Properties tab. Near the top of the dialog box you will see a heading called "Performance', to the right click once on the settings... button. Click once on the advanced tab, click once on the change button next to the Virtual memory heading. In this dialog box, click once on custom size. Type in a number that is 1.5 times your physical Ram. So if your Ram is one Gigabyte (1024 Megabytes), type in the number '1536'. Click the OK button, click the OK button, click the OK button.
If you have 4 Gigabytes of Ram, make the setting 4095, windows will not accept a number above this.
Get rid of the temporary files on the computer
Over time, each time you open some programs (like Microsoft Office), open a photo, use your Internet browser, download a program, play music, temporary files are created and stored for 'quicker' access by windows to provide the illusion that windows will find these files faster. In fact your computer will become slower whilst windows tries to find these files and update them to your new ones. Here is how to clear your temporary files.
Click on the Start Menu, click once on Run, type in the white box 'cleanmgr.exe' ,press enter on he keybpoard, select all files to remove. This will remove all temporary files you select.
Also - backup and remove from your computer any files you don't really use often, these files are usually, emails (archive and delete), photos, music and videos.
Defragment the Hard drive and remove the Indexing Service
Over time windows moves files around on your hard drive as you add or remove files and programs, these files are cut up into 'bits', these bits start next to one another and will, over time, spread apart. The net effect is it will take the computer extra seconds to find all the bits and run the file or program.
From the desktop, click twice on My Computer, right click once, click twice on your C: drive, on the menu that appears, click once on properties, click once on the tools tab, click once on Defrag now. Usually as this process can take several hours, run this process overnight.
Whilst we are here, click once on the General tab, and down the bottom of the box, if there is a green tick in the 'Index this drive for faster searching', deselect it, so there is no tick. This is a a great feature, yet if you are not constantly looking for files nearly everyday, having this feature turned on will slow the computer.
Run Your Anti Virus and AntiSpyware Programs
Run your usual anti virus and antispyware programs, these should be run weekly as a matter of course. This will also help remove any unwanted programs that download without your permission (Spyware) and remove any lurking virus' your computer may have. You may have these items already and may have read elsewhere about these types of programs. If you haven't , at a minimum, obtain these three programs.
Spybot Search And Destroy
Adaware Personal Edition
AVG Personal Anti Virus
The Ultimate Computer Speed Up
Now not for the uninitiated, one of the best ways to provide a dramatic speed boost is too backup all your files, clear the hard drive entirely and re-Install Windows fresh. The downside to this is putting your programs back on one by one, reconnecting your Internet and putting your files you want to use back onto the computer.
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