How can I make my computer faster?

Question

I have already defragged it. Is there anything else I can do?

Answer 1

download ccleaner



download adaware



download spybot search and destroy



run these programs to remove junk files, spyware and adware from your computer



run window's disk clean up

Answer 2

Everyone knows that Windows computers can sometimes slow down over time. While not an exhaustive list of solutions to problems, this collection presents some ways to speed up a computer.



1. De-Fragmenting

Over time, the data on your hard drive gets scattered. Defragmenting your hard drive puts your data back into sequential order, making it easier for Windows to access it. As a result, the performance of your computer will improve.

a) Right click of C Disk.

b) Click properties.

c) Click tools tab.

d) Click "Defragment now".

e) Click Defragment.



2. Uninstall Unneeded Programs

Removing programs that you no longer use can free up space on your computer and speed up your system's performance. However, you need to uninstall the programs properly to see much improvement; deleting them is not enough.



3. Stop Programs from starting on Windows boot

One way you can speed up your computer is to prevent programs from launching themselves at start-up. Not only do the unwanted programs delay the start of Windows, they also continue to slow down your computer since they use system resources.

a) Open your Start menu.

b) Click Run

c) In the command screen type "msconfig.exe"

d) In the "system configuration utility", click either "service" or "startup" tab

e) Uncheck all programs that you are no longer using.

f) Click "OK"



4. Check for Spyware and Adware

Spyware is software that allows companies to monitor what websites you visit or even access your computer. Adware is software that displays advertisements. Both use system resources and slow your computer down. Detecting and removing the programs will improve system performance.

Get the best one from: <--http://toptenantispyware.com to scan your pc



5. Clean your Registry

Microsoft Registry Problems = Slow Computer!

Use the tool: http://tpdownload.com/themosteffectiveregistrycleaner.htm

Learn more information "why is my computer running so slow": http://tpdownload.com/WhyIsMyComputerSlow.htm

Answer 3

You can do the following:



- Remove temporary Internet files.

- Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).

- Empty the Recycle Bin

- Remove Windows temporary files.

- Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.

- Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

- Clear your Internet Explorer cache.

- Consider using a lower resolution, or a lower color depth for

your monitor

- Delete cookies

- check for registry errors ( try desktop Maestro free trail but must buy to fix errors)

- Disable hibernation Go to Start->Control Panel->Power Options. Click on the Hibernate tab.

Click on the box that says "Enable hibernation" to check it.

- Prefecth folder : Simply browse to the windows folder (Ex: C:\Windows) and under there you should see the prefetch folder. Go into the prefetch folder and delete all the files (Careful! It should look like this c:\windows\prefetch). These will be generated back each time you open any program but only do this twice a month.



Another method is disabling startup services

Open your msconfig (you type “msconfig” in your Run from your start menu)

- Switch to “Startup or services tab”

- Uncheck (small box on left) the services or startup programs to stop it from running on windows startup



To know more about the program you are disabling services place your cursor in between command and location to expand the command portion to see what is. Be care when disabling startup services because these may be programs you need to startup i.e. any security software or windows services

but disabling programs like quicktime, nero, winzip and so forth are ok.



Lastly you can invest in more ram which always helps and try limit the amount of programs installed on your computer because your computer does use portions of your hard as memory. Any run an antispyware utility to remove any spyware you may have, i.e. spyhunter, webroot spysweeper (recommended), Ad-aware se these you must buy but worth it.



Cheers!

Answer 4

There's a few things I did to my computer that made it run a bit smoother. You can FREE UP DISK SPACE by removing temporary Internet files, removing downloaded program files (like Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets), empty the Recycle Bin, removing Windows temporary files, removing optional components that you don't use, removing installed programs that you no longer use. Usually temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later. Check if you have any spyware. You can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced. If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.



Hope that helps!

Answer 5

Here are a few simple tips for maintaining the performance of your PC.



Run the Regristryclean up scan



See http://toptenantispyware.com/Tune_Up_Center.htm automatically checks your hard disk for any unnecessary files and gives you the option to delete them. You can run the clean up scan if you're only interested in performing a disk cleanup—or you can run the comprehensive full service scan to check for other PC issues as well.



Remove unused programs



Just because you aren't using a program doesn't mean it isn't consuming resources and affecting your PC's performance. Removing unused programs from your hard disk is an easy way to maintain your system and maximize your available hard disk space.

To remove programs you don't need anymore:

1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.

2. In Category View, click Add or Remove Programs, then click Remove a program.

3. Scroll through the list and examine each program. Windows XP lists how often you use a program and what day you last started it.

Note: Don't remove anything labeled "Update" or "Hotfix." These things improve the security of your computer.

4. Click a program you no longer need, click Change/Remove, and then follow the prompts to uninstall it. (In some cases, a program may be removed without prompting you further.)

You may have to restart your computer after removing a program. After your computer restarts, repeat this procedure to remove more programs.

Note: You must be in order to complete these steps.



Remove optional Windows components



You can remove optional Windows components from your PC to free up space. Many components come standard with Windows, but you may not use them frequently. You can reinstall these components from your Windows CD if you need them later.

To add or remove a Windows component:

1. Click Start, then click Control Panel.

2. In Category View, click Add or Remove Programs, then click Add a program.

3. On the left side of the menu, click Add/Remove Windows Components.

4. Follow the instructions in the Windows Components Wizard.

Note: You must be in order to complete these steps.



Modify System Restore data



Windows XP provides the option to restore your PC to a previous state by automatically saving restore information. System Restore continuously monitors your PC for changes, such as file changes, application changes, or installations. System Restore takes a "snapshot" of your PC at a given point in time and then stores each of these snapshots so that you can roll back any changes to a period before you experienced problems.

As you can imagine, these snapshots of your whole system take up memory space. You can delete older snapshots that you're sure you won't need in order to clean up your hard disk.

To delete System Restore snapshots except for the most recent one:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.

2. Wait while Disk Cleanup calculates free disk space.

3. Click the More Options tab, and then, in the System Restore area, click Clean up….



Scan and Clean Up your Registry



Lots of things get saved on your PC that you don't need. Some are benign. Some slow you down. And some let prying eyes track what you do on your PC.

install Registry cleaner and run daily

Use the tool: http://toptenantispywareviews.com/Clean_Up_Center.htm [if you do not have one]



Scan/Remove spyware



Your computer may be infected with Spyware, Adware, worms or Hidden Trojans!

install Antispyware and run daily

http://toptenantispyware.com [if you do not have one]



Learn More…



http://toptenantispywareviews.com/RegComputerSlow_why.htm

Answer 6

i agrre with icecube, even though he is a cold hearted dude...



From my notes

Also while your computer is in good nick you should download and install Superantispyware and Spybot –Search and Destroy, Ccleaner because when malware gets going you will not be able to access the net.





Clean Up Computer

CCleaner (about 10 minutes to install and run)

=========

google ccleaner and install it. While it installs just untick the boxes as some you dont want.



run the cleaner in windows/applications but dont tick the bottom 11 boxes in the Windows Tab.

run the registry cleaner as well, when it asks to back up the registry , allow it to do it, then clean the registry.



Also ccleaner will remove the program entry that you may have difficulty with in add/remove, or the uninstall doesn't work.

Just ensure you tick the one program and not the whole computer to delete, if you use this feature.



Superantispyware (1 hour)

===============

http://www.superantispyware.com

Has a stop homepage from being altered which is good

Can reset windows defaults in various parts



Download and run superantispyware. I was put onto this program because of an annoying popup (XP or Vista plus all OS preceding)



Install it and set the preferences to monitor your home page.

Set up tick boxes that you want in the other tabs as you require.

You don’t need to run it at startup unless you want the antispyware protection 24/7.



Note Superantispyware has powerful reset tools that will set stuff back to windows defaults.

To use these tools click preferences >repairs. This may be handy to reset IE URLS if you have annoying pop ups.

Superantispyware is a good program and remember to update it before scanning. A scan may take 45mins.Just run a scan for the first attack.



Spybot – Search and Destroy (1 hour)

=====================

Download spybot search and destroy. Through its immunize page and link to javacools spyblaster, spybot can manage activex problems which is extremely difficult for antispyware programs to find. Also just run the scan for first attack.

http://www.spybot.info/en/download/index.html

.



Windows Live Onecare (2-3 hours)

===================

Onecare safety scan fixes registry and finds temp files that nothing else seems to find.

Choose the Beta Edition link for vista users.

It does registry, spyware , virus , disk clean up and defrag



XP Users http://onecare.live.com/site/en-ca/defau...

Vista Users

http://onecare.live.com/site/en-ca/center/whatsnew.htm



Run the full safety scanner, it takes a few seconds to install the scanning files but when you start the scan, it takes 2 hours or more. Let it load the scanning tools, then start the Safety Scan. So once it starts to load the safety scans' x file of x , you can leave the computer and go to bed etc.



Then at the end of the scan it asks you to set it running full time.



Think twice about setting it to run in the background as it could be another thing to slow you down. However, it may be worth while if you have no other security programs running.



Consider the following options:

I personally run Norton 360 which is full internet security and run superantispyware when I want to.



So if you don’t have a decent internet security program then perhaps run the superantispyware with your antivirus in the background.



If you sick of antivirus programs that don’t work perhaps run onecare full time and run superantispyware whenever.



Now you should be flying and Onecare has even set up a new system restore point for you.

Note onecare does other stuff as well. Click on the menus on the LHS column., but all of this is done if you click Safety Scan.

add onecare to your favourites



IE7 (2 minutes)

=======

Over time IE7 seems to set its own (or programs do) tick boxes in the advance tab.

In IE7 Tools >Internet Options >Advance Tab

Click Restore advance settings defaults button.

Then scroll the listings down to near the bottom and:

Tick empty temp files when browser closes (this empties the cache, which if not empty, will stop you from going online).

Bullet disable phishing filter (optional. Leave it on if you want that type of protection, usually for financial data like internet banking)

Delete Browser History, cookies, add ons, the whole lot regularly.

Close the browser to set the settings.

.



Phishing Filter

When first released, phishing filter slowed IE7. Apparently, Microsoft has fixed this through the windows updates. If you like you could try to run it - bullet the enable.

Only run one phishing filter program, and only run one firewall program.

.

Fixing Your Computer

Run the scans of the three programs above. If your computer is still faulty then you have to go deeper with the features mentioned.



Compliments Chezzrob





Also to speed up your puter. get rid odf unused programs out of add/remove programs, specially toolbars.



Get rid of files out of your desktop, only have shortcuts.

the desktop con stantly refreshes and this takes resources.

Reduce the size of the menu tree in favourites or bookmarks in your browser will make each tab or webpage load faster.

Answer 7

disk cleanup, stop some of the background programs you don't really need from running while the computer is on (check down in the system tray on the bottom right if using windows) or just upgrade your processor on the computer. Go to newegg.com to check prices you might have to get alittle more RAM to

Answer 8

Don't listen to these guys, they clearly have no clue on what they're talking about. I am a developer at Microsoft so I know a thing or two about computers. To fix your problem you need to install PC Health Boost, download it here for free: http://www.pcboostcleaner.com



It's very light and it's the only antivirus/cleaner with a 99.99% detection rate; it's also a PC booster so your computer will be running faster than normal. Install it, hit run and problem solved. It shouldn't take you more than 5 minutes.

Answer 9

tweakxp.com if you have XP... There's plenty to do...



Some tweaks have better results than others, while others may not actually yield better results at all. Use good judgement, but most of the stuff on there is good.

Answer 10

the posters above me *points up* forgot to say avast! anti-virus scan you get it here http://www.avast.com/ spybot S&D is here http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html I don't know where to get ccleaner. sorry. Also for security purposes run this http://www.cyberscrub.com/download/?clicksource=topnav& to have total file security when getting rid of unwanted file's.

Answer 11

removing unnecessary programs and upgrade your memory and hard drive if possible!!

Answer 12

Add him a RAM

Answer 13

i came across these articles that i find useful to make your pc faster:

http://www.eboostr.com/press/ten-ways-to-speed-up-windows-xp/

http://www.askvg.com/master-tutorial-to-make-your-windows-xp-super-fast/

http://www.askvg.com/master-tutorial-to-make-your-windows-vista-super-fast/