Computer Tweaks-Tips for Getting Your PC Running Quick Again!
Uninstall unused applications. Click on Start, then Control Panel, and find Add/Remove Programs. I want you to go through this list, and find all of the junk that you never use, or feel you could do without. You'd be amazed at how many programs that you have that you don't care a thing about.
Free up some wasted space. Click on Start, then My Computer, and right click on the icon for your hard disk. Click on Properties, and on the General tab, click disk cleanup. Check every box, unless there is something there you know that you don't want to clear, and click Ok. This should usually clear up quite a bit of space.
Defragment! Over time, your hard drive becomes a mess. Files get completely disorganized, and it takes it more and more time just to find a file. A single file could get spread out throughout the disk, and that has a very adverse reaction on your computer's speed. Fortunately, XP comes with a defragment tool, that will organize your hard drive and make it run much snappier. Click on Start, My Computer, right click on your hard disk, then Properties. Click on the Tools tab, and click Defragment Now. Click on your hard disk, and click Defragment. This process may take several hours to complete, so you may want to do it at night, or before you leave for work.
Disable startup items you don't use. This one is my favorite, because the effect on startup time is so profound. Click Start, Run, type msconfig into the box, and click Ok. Now click on the Startup tab, and review the programs that are listed. The only ones that you really need to keep are: ScanRegistry, TaskMonitor, SystemTray, LoadPowerProfile, and your anti-virus and firewall software. There may be others that you want to keep. My suggestion is Googling the name of any task that you aren't familiar with, as there are websites with databases of virtually every process, and they tell you what it does.
Do you use Outlook Express or another external (non web-based) email client? If so, go through and delete all of your old messages that you don't need. If you are the kind of person that likes keeping every email, it may be time for you to go through, and do some deleting. This should free up some virtual memory.
Zap your spyware and adware! There are a few free ad/spyware cleaners. I would recommend Adaware and Spybot. You can find them on Google or Download.com. You simply run the scan, and delete everything that it finds. This should cause significant improvement.
If you do all of this, then you should definitely notice a visible improvement, and your computer should run much smoother and faster.
Related Tags: spyware, adware, start up, startup, windows xp, slow computer, speed up computer, defragment
Andrew Summits is a PC/tech enthusiast. He has just started a new blog, called The Speedy Computer, where he will be frequently posting PC performance tips. He also recommends this great resource for improving your computer speed.
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