Better PC Performance

Registry Easy makes your computer faster than ever by taking advantage of every opportunity to tune up your PC. Best of all, it’s a free download.

Computers are great tools but they are not without their faults. Over time and with use a computer will naturally slow down. Learning how to make your computer faster can be done through a range of simple tasks that anyone can do. Most of the time you can find tools that are easily downloaded and that will handle cleaning and other tasks for you to keep your computer from running too slow.

Cleaning up your computer and making it run faster involves many changes. Before you begin doing anything you should back up your files. You should do multiple back ups to ensure every file is protected in case something goes wrong during the cleaning and tweaking process. In Windows XP and Vista you should go to system restore and create a restore point. You should also copy any personal files you need to a CD or flash drive.

Now that you have done that you should give your computer a good external cleaning. You should clean the dust out of the keyboard and out of vents. Sometimes a computer is slow because it is dirty. Once that is done you can then move onto the following tasks to clean your computer.

The following is a list of things you should do to your computer to help keep it running quickly and efficiently. It does not really matter what order you do these things in. Simply go through the list and perform the tasks in whatever order you prefer.

Use Window Tools

1. Run Disk Clean Up. It is found under the start menu- accessories -system tools. Disk clean up will remove temporary internet files, downloaded program files, empty the recycle bin, remove Windows temporary files and remove unused program files. When the disk clean up menu comes up you should make sure you check al the boxes you want to clean.

2. Use Disk Defragmenter. Disk Defragmenter helps to consolidate files to free up space on your computer. Your computer can run faster when files are neatly in order. It is under the same menu as Disk Clean Up. When the program starts click your main drive, usually C:, and click analyze to start the defragmenting process. Once it is analyzed you will see how long the process will take and you can begin decrementing by clicking the defragment button.

3. Use the Error Checking utility tool. This will help minimize data being lost. You begin by clicking start – my computer. Right click on your hard disk and click properties. Click the tools tab and click on check now. A dialog box will pop up and you should select the option for scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. Click start. You should choose the option to fix any found bad sectors.

Download Programs for Cleaning

1. Get your computer to start up faster by using Startup Delayer. This free program will help Windows to boot up faster. Also remove all those unneeded programs that came installed on your computer and any other junk programs by using a tool like PC Decrapifier. Defragment, too, to help with this problem. If the Windows defragmenter program runs too slow you can try an alternative. Defraggler is a free defragmenter program to try.

2. Find a good spy ware program to keep spy ware from slowing down your computer. Some good options are Ad-Adwaare and SUPER AntiSpyware. For stronger help try HijackThis which detects and removes spy ware.

3. Clean up your computers registry, a main area that can cause slowing down of your computer, using CCleaner. This will also help CPU. CPU is important to a fast computer. When there is no free CPU or too much of it is being used your computer will run slowly. To keep CPU usage under control install Process Lasso which will keep programs from overrunning CPU.

4. Use Revo to completely uninstall programs. The Add/Remove Programs option in Windows will not completely remove files and can leave pieces behind that take up space and can lead to slower operation.

Make Changes Within Windows Settings

1. Under System Properties, performance tab, select the option for adjust for best performance. This will help to speed up your computer?s performance. You can also adjust the Virtual Memory. Right click on My Computer. Then click properties- advanced-performance settings- advanced- virtual memory. The MIN and MAX should have the same number, if not then change it.

2. Speed up start up. Go to Run under the start menu. Type in msconfig and hit enter. Go to the Start Up tab. Uncheck any programs that you do not need to run at start up. Also speed up the start menu. Go to Run under the start menu. Type in regedit.exe and hit enter. Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USERControlPanelDesktop. You will want to find MenuShowDelay. If you double click it you can change the value. Lower numbers will make the start menu faster. Be careful when you change things in the registry, though, as it can cause extreme problems within your computer if you do not know what you are doing.

3. Speed up ending of unresponsive programs. If you clicked End Task and nothing seems to happen you can go into the registry and fix the problem. Go to Run under the start menu and type in regedit.exe. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESystemCurrentControlSetControl and change the value to 1000.

4. Change animations and appearance to speed up computer. Do this by going to the Control Panel – system properties – advanced tab- performance. Click on Adjust for best performance.

General Changes

1. Add more RAM. You will have to buy this and if you do not have the skills to add it to your computer you may need to hire a professional to install it for you.

2. Remove any programs that you do not need or do not use. Programs take up space and the reason your computer slows down is that there is not enough available space for it to use to run. You can remove programs through the Add/Remove programs feature under the Control Panel.

3. Avoid having multiple internet browsers. PCs come with Internet Explorer, but some people prefer to use a different internet browser. That is fine, but then there is no need for Explorer. You can uninstall it and instead use an add on in your new browser to access IE websites. For Firefox, for example, there is the IE Tab add on.

4. Reduce instant messaging programs. It seems nobody uses the same IM program anymore and that means you have to download all the different programs so you can stay in touch with everyone. That used to be true, but now you can get Digsby which works with all IM programs and lets you get rid of the multiple programs.

5. Remove Desktop shortcuts. Shortcuts on your Desktop take time to load at start up. To speed up start up go ahead and remove them. This is simple to do by right clicking on the desktop. Go to Arrange Icons by and uncheck Show Desktop Icons.

Handle Spyware and Viruses

If you want to know a big secret to how to make your computer faster then you want to remove all spy ware and viruses. Follow these steps to clear all this junk off your computer.

1. Install a firewall, anti spy ware program and anti virus program. Use these programs regularly to scan your computer. Viruses and spy ware can slow down your computer extremely. You can use Microsoft?s Ant Spyware, Adaware, and Spybot Search and Destroy. All are free. You will also want HijackThis and which are other programs to protect your computer.

2. Install the Microsoft program and reboot your computer in Safe Mode by pressing F8 when you start your computer. You will see a menu and can choose Safe Mode.

3. Go to the Control Panel and then Add/Remove Programs. Check any programs on the list that you do not know with the Microsoft program. Now go to the temp folder that is usually in your C: drive under documents and settingsusernamelocal settings. Check programs here. Remain in Safe Mode and install the Adaware and Spybot programs. Run all three programs you have installed. Restart your computer normally.

4. Download and install HijackThis now and run a scan. Save the log file from the scan and post it in the Automated Log Analyzer at HiJackThis. This will allow you to see safe and unsafe programs. You can then check what needs fix and fix them. HijackThis will run on your computer and work as an alert system when a possibly harmful program runs on your computer. Download and install BLBeta Expert. This program will remove root kits which are harmful viruses.

How to make your computer run faster is a matter of doing some small tasks routinely. Follow this list and be sure to run checks and scans often. If you go on the internet often then run the spyware and anti virus scans daily. You should also run Disk Clean Up daily. Defragment at least once a month and do other checks when you download a new program. Keeping your computer running fast requires making routine maintenance that will become second nature once you start doing it.

How often do you use your computer every day? Most probably you use your computer to handle a variety of tasks whether it is work, play, or just doing minor tasks online. As you start using your computer, you may notice your computer slowing down a bit unless you are using the latest hardware. Minor slowdowns aren’t really much of a big deal, but the slowdowns can become worse especially if you are doing heavy multitask operations or running large applications or games.

Fortunately, there are many options when you want to know how to speed up your PC ranging from simple methods to serious hardware upgrades. Here are some basic and advanced techniques to boost your computer’s performance to get work done faster.

Software Performance Tricks

If your computer or laptop used to run fast, hold on to your money and don’t buy that hardware upgrade just yet because most likely you can restore or perhaps double your system performance by doing some simple maintenance tricks and other operations with the help of some third-party applications. Before you get started, it is recommended to restart your computer and begin your cleanup process from there.

Scan your Computer for Malware

If you want to know how to speed up your PC, scan for Malware. Malware includes all of the nasty viruses, trojans, and worms that greatly hinder your computer’s performance. They can also interrupt your attempts to restore the performance, so it is important to get rid of these first if you have any. If your computer is infected with lots of viruses or spyware, cleaning them up with a good virus scanner should restore a huge chunk of performance.

Update your Hardware Drivers and Install System Updates

Before doing heavy maintenance operations of any kind, it is important to make sure your Windows operating system and drivers is up-to-date. Even if all of your hardware and system is running without bugs, updates are still posted and may sometimes include performance improvements. Use the “Windows Update” to install all the security and performance updates and visit the websites of your installed hardware to get information on how to upgrade your drivers.

Clear up Some Hard Disk Space

The hard disk is where all of your files are stored and as it gets more cluttered, performance slows down because more time is needed to access the files on request. The access times can be significantly reduced if there the hard disk isn’t so full. Try to keep your at least 15% of your total hard disk space free. 25% of free space or more will often lead to better results.

You can achieve this by running some of the system applications that come with Windows XP or Vista like “Disk Cleanup” or use third party applications for more advanced cleaning operations. You can also move some of the files you don’t need to other storage media to lighten up your hard disk load. Uninstalling programs that you don’t use also helps clean up space.

Obtain the Best System Optimization Software

An ideal program that enhances system performance is a program that can clean up and optimize the
“Windows Registry” which is a crucial component of Windows and control the programs that run when the system starts. Most registry scanners have extra performance tools so it is best to go with those. When choosing a registry scanner, read the reviews from various online sources and get the ones that have positive reception from regular users. Some registry cleaning software cost money, but most of them often free scanning options to determine if you really need a registry cleanup.

If a startup manager is included in the software, use it and unmark any programs that you don’t need or are unfamiliar of. These programs automatically run on startup and most of them stay in memory so if you disable them, your system startup time should be much faster along with your overall performance. After you made the changes, restart your computer to see the difference.

Disable Visual Improvements and Apply Other Tweaks

If you applied the other steps before this, your computer should be much faster than before. If not, you can squeeze in some extra performance if you disable the visual improvements such as the XP visual styles or Vista Aero. Many of these settings can be found in the “System Properties” in the “Control Panel” on the “Advanced” tab. Disabling these settings will give it a boring look, but the performance boost makes it worth it.

Defrag your Computer

Now that you applied all the software enhancements, you can maximize the performance by defragging your computer using the defragging software of your choice. The default Windows Defrag performs rather well, but some commercial programs offer better defragging options. Let it defrag fully and restart your computer and see if you are satisfied with your performance. If not, it may be time for a hardware upgrade.

Hardware Performance Tricks

Make sure you applied the previously mentioned software performance tricks before upgrading especially if you are on a tight budget. Very old systems these days are difficult to upgrade unless you know a place that sells old components. Many times it is better to buy a new system, but if you do have your sources, follow these simple tricks.

Upgrade your RAM

This is by far the most inexpensive and most effective upgrade and it can also  be done on both desktops and laptops. Windows XP users should be fine with 1 GB of RAM while Windows Vista users should go for 2 GB or more. This allows you to run more programs at the same time and let you use your favorite enhancements without slowdowns.

Upgrade your Processor and Video Card

Upgrading these two components will make your gaming experience much better. It will also improve the performance of various multimedia operations. Only perform these upgrades if you frequently do those tasks.

Software performance tricks should always be prioritized first, when it comes to speed up your PC as they are responsible for slowing down even the more powerful computers. These performance improvements are safe and guaranteed to breathe in more life to your system.