Each of us made the decision to buy a computer because we wanted to do cool things, faster. It's that simple. So, it's particularly frustrating when your computer starts moving more slowly, taking longer to get things done, and even freezing up on occasion.
Right out of the box, 99% of computers are pretty speedy. However, over time, they can start to slow down in terms of their performance. There are three main causes of computer performance degradation:
Reason #1 - software bloat: over time, most computer owners accept offers for free downloads of various software programs. Most of these are never used by the owner and yet they just sit and clog up the system. Especially troublesome are those that start up automatically upon computer launch.
Reason #2 - tiny errors and inefficiencies that build up over time: your computer self-manages many of its own internal processes, such as how and where to save files on the hard drive. Over time, the process gets less and less efficient and needs a re-org.
Reason #3 - low-spec hardware: if you bought a computer system with too-low memory (RAM), processor or hard drive specs, over time your performance will almost certainly begin to degrade.
Here are 6 ways to speed up your computer:
1. De-fragment your disk drive:
In your computer's utilities or control panel area, do a search for "defragment" and you will find a feature you can run to defragment your hard drive. In essence, it works like this: imagine a bookshelf with lots of untidy gaps between each of the books. This is how a fragmented hard drive looks. Defragmenting it will result in all of the books (read: files) lining up neatly with fewer or no gaps in between. The result is a more efficient hard drive and faster performance.
2. Get more memory:
Many computers ship with 1 GB or 2 GB of memory. While this was plenty a few years ago, now with many computers running code-heavy operating systems like MS Vista and Mac OSX, and while running memory-consuming, graphics-rich gaming applications, this is painfully too little memory. You need at least 4 GB to improve performance. Memory is fairly cheap and this is an inexpensive way to ramp things up.
3. Get a bigger and better hard drive:
Hard drives vary in performance based upon the speed (measured in RMP), memory/size, cache size, and whether it is Serial ATA or UltraATA. You can ask your favorite tech geek which configuration is right for you. But, bottom line is, if you bought a low-cost computer, it's likely that a hard drive upgrade will speed up your computer's performance significantly.
4. Remove spyware:
Spyware is nasty software that runs in the background of your computer, monitoring your actions and sending info about you to disreputable people. Not only is this a security risk, it also slows down your performance. Many standard firewall and anti-virus applications include anti-spyware technology. But, to remove any particularly nasty ones, you may need a specialty anti-spyware application.
5. Remove any unnecessary background applications that launch at startup:
In your control panel, do a search for "remove programs." You will see a list of applications that are installed on your computer, many of which run at launch automatically. Having too many applications running in the background can really bog down your processor and memory capacity. Remove any suspicious or unneeded ones immediately. note: it's important not to remove any applications that you are completely unsure about. Check with a tech geek friend if you are not sure about the purpose of any of them.
6. Clean up your registry:
Your computer's system registry helps manage certain processes in your operating system. It basically is like a behavior guide for your computer. Trouble is, tiny errors and viruses can creep into your registry, seriously messing with your computer's operations and slowing down performance. The only way to detect problems in your registry is to run a registry scan. Once you do, be sure to tell the scanning software to remove all threats and fix problems.
Slow computer performance can seriously crimp your style. Luckily, there are a lot of easy, inexpensive ways to tune up your computer rather than having to buy a new one.
About the Author
For a FREE scan of your computer's registry you can run right now that checks for errors and viruses, check out: http://www.protected-now.com/ .
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