Windows PCs typically slow down as applications are installed and used. Whether using word processing, excels, internet, gaming or whatever stuffs, hard drives fill with temporary files that do not always get removed when no longer needed. Read on to learn of ways to help keep a PC running smoothly with little or no money.
STEPS:
1. Stop all unused applications The taskbar is on the bottom edge of the screen. In the right side of it appears a group of small icons, collectively names as 'System Tray'. Each of these icons represent specific program that has been partially or running in the background. It acquires some memory and processing power.
- Winkey+R
- type 'msconfig'
- click on 'startup' tab
- uncheck all the unused or not relevant programs as shown above
2. Turn off unneeded Desktop Features that try to make things look better.
You can get these by right-clicking on 'My computer'->properties and do it as shown above. In the last dialog box, choose 'Adjust for best performance' and do it yourself as 'custom'.
3. Do a shut down/ reboot Some programs do not release memory properly when they close, which is the case for some operating systems. The computer has to be completely shut down and then restarted. Shutting down the system will have the operating system forget which memory locations aren't free, so on the next boot, all memory locations are free to use.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin Simply deleting files from the disk does not really delete them at all, rather they are moved to a temporary holding on drive for restoration.
Once empties, the space on the hard drive that the data occupied is made available for reuse and the restoration of any files empties from the recycle bin becomes extremely difficult. Note that this will only speed up you pc if the hard drive is nearly full.
5. Uninstall all applications that are no longer need When applications and games are installed to a Windows PC, some files are written in the Windows directory. Most of these changes are not readily apparent to the user, so proper removal requires uninstalling the program by clicking on Control Panel-> Add or Remove programs-> Uninstall programs
6. Run 'Error Checking' Right click a drive icon in 'My Computer' and select 'Properties followed by 'Tools'. Choose 'Error Checking' to let the utility scan the drive for damaged files that can contribute to slow drive access speeds. This may take several minutes to complete.
7. Install anti-virus and keep it updated Today, anti-virus is an absolute must. There are many from which to choose at the software store, but there are free Anti-virus available that do a very good job. I would suggest Avast, BitDefender and Eset programs. Install 'Adblock' extension to your browser which prevents malware sites but also reduces temp disk space for the browser by about 30% by not downloading advertising.
8. Find and Delete temporary files Temporary files are used for supporting some applications for a limited period of time and left unused for later. You can delete it by doing this:
- Winkey+R
- type 'temp'
- select all and 'Shift+del' it.
- if it prompts for 'skip', click on skip.
- Winkey+R
- type '%temp%'
- select all and 'Shift+del' it.
- if it prompts for 'skip', click on skip.
9. Set your computer;s energy setings to High Performance This is especially true in Laptops and Netbooks where the processor speed is altered in accordance to energy settings(and if you are running on battery power)
10. Have a High RAM If your RAM is small in memory, Your PC won't support a high-speed performance. Upgrade your RAM for better performance.
