As a PC owner, from time to time, you get fed up and frustrated with the slowness of your computer. Maybe a certain program takes a long time to load, your PC boot-up time is ridiculously slow, or it takes forever just to do a simple task, like getting the start menu to open up.
Even though there are several reasons for a computer slowing down, a slow computer is something that millions of people around the world are faced with almost daily. The good news is however, even though there is no magical quick-fix solution, there are certain things you can do, which in many cases will help to speed up your machine.
#1. Computers need to be rebooted
You’d be amazed at just how many people never bother rebooting their computers, considering that this in itself is one of the biggest culprits in terms of slowing down a computer. After all, so many people now use 24 hour Internet access, with their computers being a part of their daily life, but what they don’t realize is, all computers need to be rebooted frequently in order for them to function as they should.
You need to bear in mind that there are several programs which don’t shut down completely even when you close them. Furthermore, many software programs tend to have memory leakage, and over a period of time this can have an adverse effect on your computer’s available memory. Obviously, when your computer is short on available memory it inevitably begins slowing down until it reaches a snail’s pace. By rebooting your computer you’ll be allowing it to reset its memory and you’d be surprised how this alone can result in your computer speeding up.
#2. Upgrade your memory
One could almost say that a computer’s memory is like its muscles, in that if it doesn’t have sufficient available memory, it becomes weak and slow. In fact, insufficient memory is perhaps the biggest course for personal computers becoming slow and sluggish. Nowadays, you simply cannot get by without at least 512 megabytes of RAM, and that only if you’re running one of the older Windows operating systems such as XP for example. Those who are using the Windows Vista platform will require at least 1.5 GB of memory, while those using the new Windows 7 system will require at least 1GB. Irrespective of which operating system you’re using, you should ideally have at least 2 GB of memory if you have a 64-bit system, or if you frequently play games and run many programs simultaneously.
#3. Defragment your computer
As you may well already know, if your hard drive is fragmented it results in your machine becoming inefficient. You can bet your bottom dollar that if you’ve not been using the built in defragment tool, you’ll be forfeiting a substantial amount of your computer’s potential with regards to accessing files and etc.
Bear in mind that Microsoft has included a defragmenting tool with all the operating systems for a very good reason, in that it should be used at least once every 30 days in order to ensure that your hard drive does not become overly fragmented. If you have not used in the tool for an extended period of time, you’ll notice to a substantial difference in speed once you do.
#4. Registry cleaners
Just as a defragmenting tool helps to organize your hard drive, a registry cleaner helps to remove unnecessary clutter from the windows registry, bearing in mind that the registry can be compared to being a computer’s brain. Whenever you choose to install new programs, or remove old programs or drivers, a significant amount of data is either added or removed from your computer’s registry. Unfortunately however, the vast majority of programs fail to uninstall properly, and this often results in a certain amount of data remaining in the registry which should’ve in fact been removed. Of course, these pockets of data do nothing other than clutter up your registry and cause conflicts between programs and drivers. This in turn results in your system becoming increasingly slow, not to mention the fact that you’ll also begin experiencing frequent error messages. By running an effective registry cleaning utility regularly, you’ll be doing much in terms of improving the overall speed of your computer.
For many people, just using the tips which have been mentioned above, has proven to make a noticeable difference in terms of speed. However, you should also bear in mind that practically all computer users will experience a gradual slowdown over a period of time. Of course, this is not something anyone enjoys encountering, especially if it reaches a stage where you need to reformat your computer or take it in for repairs. By applying the tips provided in this article you’ll at least be safe in the knowledge that you’re doing all you can in order to maintain the efficiency of your computer.