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Speed Up My Computer in 10 Easy Steps

Do you ever get frustrated because your computer runs too slow?  Does it sometimes freeze requiring a system reset, or does it sometimes crash, meaning you lose valuable data?  Don't worry - below are ten easy steps you can take to get your computer working at its peak performance.

1. Hardware - check that all your hardware is connect properly and that the fans are dust free.  You might want to take off the CPU Fan and remove any dust buildup (desktop PC's only).  CPU overheating is one of the main causes of a computer freezing or involuntarily shutting down.  Do this every 3 - 6 months
2. Clean Up Temporary Files - the easiest most thorough way to do this is to use the fantastic free software called CCleaner.  Temporary files if not periodically removed and left to accumulate on your system can clog things up and slow your computer down.  Do this every week
3. Remove any spyware from your computer because spyware / malware can really slow down your PC too.  Currently, the best free software is 'Malwarebytes Anti-Malware' .  The free version doesn't have sceduled scans or real-time protection but it was remove any spyware currently on your PC.  'Spybot Search & Destroy' is totally free software that will remove most spyware too.  Two of the best paid anti-spyware software are 'Stopzilla' and 'Webroot Spy Sweeper'.  Run your anti-spyware every week
4. Remove any viruses from your computer as these will slow it down, cause it to crash or even destroy the file system.  The best free anti-virus is 'Avast Anti-Virus' or 'AVG Anti-Virus':  Run your anti-virus software every week
5. Check your Hard Drive for errors.  In Windows XP, go to My Computer > right click on the C drive > select properties > click on the tools tab > click on the check now button under error checking.  Reset Windows and a check will be done during boot up.  Run this check every 3 months
6. Remove any unwanted / un-used programmes from your computer.  Go to your control panel > click on add or remove programs > select the programmes you want to remove from the list and click on remove.  Run this check every 3 - 6 months, depending on how much new software you install (you may also want to remove non-essential items from your desktop too)
7. Disable any unnecessary background processes from running when you're not using them.  Go to Start > click on the run command > type in msconfig > click on the startup tab > untick any programmes which aren't required (the only process I have running is my anti-virus).  By doing this, you should notice a significant improvement in the time it takes for your computer to boot up.  Run this check every 3 - 6 months
8. Clean your registry - the easiest most thorough way to do this is to use the fantastic free software called CCleaner at www.ccleaner.com .  Do this every 3 months
9. Defragment your Hard Drive - go to My Computer > right click on the C drive > select properties > click on the tools tab > click on defragment now > select the drive you want (if you have more than one hard drive partition) and then click on defragment.  Do this every 3 months
10. Keep at least 25% of your hard drive free - as your hard drive becomes fuller, it takes longer for applications to load because there is more information to sift through.  The ways to keep your hard drive less than 75% full are: using an external hard drive to store non-essential files or; partitioning your hard drive and keeping one half for your operating system and applications and the other partition for files.  A good way of partitioning your hard drive is to use the Norton Partition Magic software.  Check your hard drive periodically to make sure it's not above 75% full.  You can do this by going to My Computer > right click on the C drive > select properties and look at the capacity pie chart.

N.B. you can search for all of the above mentioned software on Google or www.download.cnet.com.

So there you have a solution for a slow computer.  Do all the above and I guarantee your computer will run much faster!

About the Author

Paul Flintoft has over 6 years experience in sales and marketing, both as a successful distributor and team leader for a leading British network marketing company and as a financial adviser. You can contact Paul on his Kleeneze website or on his
Earning & Investing with Money Minds website.