Speed up your sluggish PC

Anyone who has put in any time on a PC has at some point experienced slow or unreliable performance. Web pages that take forever to load, poor application performance and excruciatingly slow download rates top the list as common problems for typical PC users. One reason for these annoyances, common users sometimes think the installation and use of anti-virus software (Norton, AVG, etc.) should solve these problems. In fact, these products serve as tools to diagnose and improve your system.
Human behavior is why these machines do not perform as we expect. Our behavior allows us to surf the internet for a few hours each night and completely overlook the task of ridding the system of unneeded garbage that results from this web usage. It’s like using your office every day and never emptying the waste basket.
In internet explorer, simply click tools then internet options. Next you will see options to set a home page, clear browsing history, delete browsing cookies and various other pieces of web information. It is these saved web settings that consume resources and can decrease performance. If you enjoy the luxury of your commonly viewed websites automatically filling in your log-in information for you each time you visit then you may want to save the cookies for this web page. However, saving cookie information involving passwords and user names provides an opportunity for your security to be compromised. It is best to delete this information. Temporary internet files and browsing history can also be eliminated without worry. Users can perform these delete actions at the end of each session or, better yet, automate these tasks with task manager.

Performance problems also come from the mere act of using your computer. Registry keys become created during program installation and many times are removed incorrectly, or not at all, when the program is no longer needed and uninstalled. Unused hardware is often disconnected. Many times the user forgets to remove the driver information, which holds dedicated space in the registry. This is yet another example of wasted resources due to registry errors. Finally, many spyware applications will reside within the registry. This can serve as a means to restore the rogue application with each reboot. That long pause during reboot may just be some dirty application forcing its way into virtual existence. These registry issues are just one way a system can suffer from decreased performance and they just scratch the surface.

Start-up applications can cause major issues and consume vast amounts of resources. Many instillations also include their programs within the start-up menu. This is sometimes a decent thing but what about things you would rather start yourself? Many users unknowingly have programs running all the time that they aren’t aware of and don’t use. These unused start-up applications just sit around, twiddling their thumbs, consuming resources like precious RAM. End this nonsense by clicking start then in the run box type msconfig and press enter. The subsequent window is used to configure system settings. The startup tab lists all items in the start-up list and checks the ones that start each time the computer boots up. Most times, many of these are not needed. Recognizable ones can be turned off without fear of harming the program itself, it merely needs manually started. Unfamiliar entries can be identified using google. This is a great way to detect harmful applications that run all the time. Check a few google results of each questionable program and harmful applications, if present, will quickly become apparent. Though unchecked from the start-up list any rogue program still needs to be removed, this is where registry optimization and virus removal tools should take over.
Clean up that hard drive, in more ways than one. Many computers are littered with applications that have been installed, used a few times then forgotten about. Sometimes, these icons even sit on the desktop as a constant reminder to the user that they still exists. Do you really still waste your cash playing partypoker or still use that cool aquarium screensaver? These applications need to go. If you want your computer to perform at the tasks (email, internet, word processing) you request of it then eliminate the unnecessary tasks (Screensavers, toolbars, games). Take a thorough look at add/remove programs and see what your system actually holds. Find applications you remember installing and determine if you still use it, if not, remove it. It is easy to determine questionable applications that you may be scared to delete, just google it. If you are still unsure leave it alone and deal with the things you recognize and have determined unneeded. Some of these questionable applications that you may be unsure of just might become apparent once compared to your search information on those shady start-up applications you researched using msconfig and the start-up tab.
Now we have eliminated logical data on our hard drive but what about the physical aspects? Upgrade is many times an option but it usually comes in exchange with a monetary obligation. An upgrade can, however, significantly increase the performance of a PC in the form of the physical connection type. Many aged systems only support hard drives which are connected by IDE cables, those wide grey cables you may have seen inside a PC. These cables connect the hard drive in what is known as a parallel connection. A more recent hard drive technology allows a hard drive to be connected serially through a considerably thinner cable. This serial connection has increased speed which delivers data to the system and information to the user in a more efficient manner. The thinner cable also promotes better air flow within the system case, which may squeak out a little more performance. If it’s an option and the funds are available, serially connected hard drives can provide significant performance boosts. Users will have to check the manuals for their motherboards or systems to determine if the physical connector is available within their system. Once again, google it!
Logical data storage on the disk may also become cluttered and spread throughout many places. When files are created, saved or changed they are saved on the disk in available space. This space is sometimes spread causing the file data to become separated while stored on the drive. If the space on the disk was optimized and data was moved and stored together the system could retrieve the information faster for the user. There are a few tools available to help out your poor old, disorganized, disk.
Disk clean up is a great tool to remove junk and unused files. Click start then my computer, next right-click on your hard drive and select properties. Finally, click the disk clean up button. This application will scan your drive for temporary installers, junk files, etc. and give you the opportunity to take out the trash.
Now that storage space is freed by removing programs and unneeded junk, it’s a good time to organize the data that is there. Disk defragmenter offers the perfect solution to your mess. Click start then double-click my computer. Right click your hard drive and select the tools tab then analyze. This application will analyze your drive and display valid information like disk consumption, size and estimated size after defragmentation. One click of the defragment button and you will soon see the visual representation of your drive during the defragment process. This could take some time so bring a book or flip on the TV.

These topics touch on a few methods that can be easily implemented to increase PC performance. Many other methods exist such as applications designed to automate these processes for users, expensive security application suites and upgrade parts. It is the users’ responsibility to realize when their PC has outlived its usefulness and has become overwhelmed by the intensity of the simplest web pages. It is at this point that no amount of maintenance and tune-up will ever help. Move on and buy a new PC.