Remove accrued errors to get your computer back up to speed.
There is no reason why your computer should not be able to run as fast as it did the day you bought it. However, through normal use your computer can become filled with registry errors, unnecessary processes and unused programs that all put undue demand on your processor's resources. Tasks such as opening a program or document can begin to take longer as your computer is forced to juggle the tasks you assign with those unnecessarily running in the background. Often simply running a few maintenance programs and tweaking a few settings can be enough to boost processing speed.
Instructions
1. Install and run a registry cleaning software. Your computer's registry stores information such as the default settings and configurations for the programs you use. Over time, registry entries for programs you have uninstalled or changed can build up, forcing the computer to sort through meaningless or contradictory information. Download.com hosts free downloads of programs that can put your registry back in working order.
2. Defragment your hard drive. Files written on your hard drive can gradually become scattered and disorderly, forcing the computer to take extra time searching for each file. Windows supplies its own defragmenting tool. Click "Computer" in the "Start" menu. Right-click the hard drive you usually use (Local Disk C by default) and select "Properties" from the menu that appears. Click the "Tools" tab and then select "Defragment Now." Click the "Defragment Now" button in the bottom-right corner of the window that appears. Depending on the state of your hard drive, defragmenting can take a long time.
3. Stop unnecessary start-up programs. Many programs that you may use only occasionally are automatically set to start every time you start the computer. This can cause the computer to take a long time to start, and it also slows the computer overall by forcing the processor to take care of programs that you are not using.
Select "Run" from the "Start" menu and then type "msconfig" and press "Enter." Select the "Startup" tab to display a list of all programs that start with your computer. Uncheck the boxes for all programs other than your anti-virus program.
This process does not uninstall or remove programs. You will still be able to start programs normally from the "Programs" menu in the Start menu.
4. Turn off unnecessary visual effects. The Windows default settings force your computer to display many visual effects that can tax the processor. These effects are animations that change the way the computer looks but not how it operates. Right-click on "Computer" in the Start menu and then click "Properties." Click the "Advanced" tab in the window that appears and then "Settings" in the performance box. It is easiest to click the "Best Performance" option, which will turn off all visual effects. You can also select "Custom" if you want to pick and choose the effects that the computer will display. The more you turn off, the more processing power you will save.
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