There are some fairly basic things you can do to speed up your computer and make it generally faster. Everybody should be doing these things routinely, not just when their computer or laptop is running slowly. They will help keep it in great condition. A few of the tips are a bit more advanced or might not be for you. If you aren’t sure how to perform any of the actions listed a quick Google will help, or ask me!
- Keep it clean – don’t let that dust build up, particularly on the fans.
- Remove start-up programs – If you don’t need it at startup, disable it
- Defrag regularly – A fragmented hard drive will slow you down.
- Disable services – if you don’t need a service, disable it.
- Don’t let you hard drive get too full – remove unused programs.
- Make sure your virtual memory is the right size.
- Check device manager for any errors.
- Boot order – don’t check the floppy drive first.
- Keep you O/S up-to-date – for security reasons as well as speed.
- Disable indexing service – slower searches, faster everything else.
- Disk Clean-up – this will clear down lots of stuff you don’t need.
- Remove your desktop picture – fairly minor but every little helps.
- Patience – wait for your computer to finish booting to load programs.
- Remove desktop shortcuts if they aren’t needed.
- Disable loading at start-up when you install new programs.
- Empty your recycle bin – a disk clean-up will do this too.
- ReadyBoost – using Vista or Windows 7? Learn about ReadyBoost
- Disable Aero if using Vista or later – this uses CPU and memory.
- Remove the sidebar if using Vista or Windows 7 – it eats memory.
- Quick start – put your computer to sleep rather than shutdown.
- Disable browser plugins - they really slow you down.
There may be some tips you don’t want to use as you like something the way it is. The main thing is that your computer does what you want it to do. If you like fast searching or love you background picture don’t use those tips! If you have any questions or want to leave your own tips, leave a comment below.