How to Speed Up Your Computer

Here’s a scenario most of us are familiar with. We’ve just gone out and bought ourselves a new PC. It’s sleek and fast, and we wonder how we were able to tolerate that old clunker for so long. Our new computer is running so much faster than on our old system – installing, opening, and running applications, downloading music, playing games, etc. – and soon we’re spoiled.

Over a period of months, however, we notice that our expensive, speedy, new computer has become sluggish, and we don’t understand what’s happened. In fact, the mystery is an easy one to solve. Just as our cars need regular, routine maintenance in order to run optimally, so do our computers. These routine tasks are easy to implement, and if we overlook them, the result will be our mounting frustration over a system that had become increasingly slow and bogged down.

Unfortunately, most PC users spend huge amounts of money to take their PC into the repair shop, where the technicians perform the maintenance tasks that the user can easily do him/herself. The computer runs well again for several more months, but without a consistent maintenance schedule, the cycle inevitably repeats itself – often until the PC owner decides, out of frustration, that it’s time to buy a new computer.

The good news is that we’re going to review the steps you can take to get your PC into tip-top shape – and have fun doing it! Let’s get started.

  • Add More RAM : the single most important step you can take to speed up your computer (barring other problems, such as spyware) is to add more memory. While the installed RAM on your computer may have initially been sufficient, you may have since installed graphics software, upgraded your operating system, or added other memory-hungry components. The cost of memory modules has dropped considerably over the last several years, and you’ll gain a significant boost in performance. For more information, see the section on Upgrading Memory in this tutorial.
  • Free Up Disk Space : You can improve the overall performance of your computer by freeing up space on your hard disk. The Disk Cleanup tool can be used to:
    • Remove temporary Internet files
    • Remove Windows temporary files
    • Empty the Recycle Bin
    • Uninstall programs that you are no longer using
    • Remove downloaded program files
    • Remove optional Windows components that you don’t use

To access the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows Vista, go to Start > Computer. Right click on the drive you wish to clean up (typically, drive C: ) and select Properties. Under the General tab, click on the Disk Cleanup button. Choose whether you want to clean up your own files only, or all of the files and programs on the computer. Select the files you wish to delete. Note to access the Disk Cleanup tool in Windows XP, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.

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