Computers are supposed to speed up our productivity?to help us do more in less time. What do you do when your computer is running so slow that it's keeping you from getting your work done? Before you kick it to the curb, try these easy, do-it-yourself suggestions to help your system run & perform better.
Why do computers get slow in the first place? There are lots of reasons. When you first setup a new system, it's usually fast and responsive. Applications open quickly, websites load instantly and startup and shut down take no time at all. But after a few months of serious use (installing and removing programs, downloading files from the Internet and general wear & tear) it's normal for things to slow down a bit. This is where computer maintenance comes in?your disks and your file system need to be maintained for them to continue operating at peak performance.
According to an article from Microsoft.com (see link at the end of this article), there are 4 things you can do to increase the performance of your PC:
1) Free Up Some Disk Space
You can speed things up by deleting the unneeded files from your hard drive. Most recent versions of Windows include a nice utility called "Disk Cleanup" that does just what the name suggests?it cleans up your disks! It will scan your whole drive and return a list of files you can safely delete, which will free up storage space and also make your system more responsive. Temporary Internet files, temp files from documents, downloaded program files, and even items in your recycle bin can all be found and deleted using this tool. I would also recommend uninstalling any programs you no longer need, and any Windows components you don't use. Once this is done, you can move on to the next step.
2) Speed Up System Access To Your Data
The more you use your hard drive, the more "fragmented" it gets. Simply put, after a while you start getting large gaps on your hard drive. Windows has to work around these gaps, and it does so by putting pieces of your data on various areas of your hard drive. The farther apart the pieces of your data are on the drive, the longer it takes Windows to put them back together again, which results in very slow performance. To fix this problem, you should run the Windows "Disk Defragmenter" regularly. This built-in tool will remove most of the gaps on your hard drive and place all your data in close proximity, which saves the operating system time?and that means a faster computer for you!
3) Find and Repair Any Errors On Your Disks
Sometimes sectors of your hard drive can go bad. There are lots of causes for this issue, but the bottom line is that bad sectors can slow down your hard drive performance and even cause you to lose data. Fortunately, Windows includes a utility to deal with this: it's called "Check Disk". When you run Check Disk, it will scan your whole hard drive and find and fix errors, including bad sectors. Once you run this utility and fix any problems it finds, you're ready for the final step.
4) Deal With Any Spyware Installed On Your Computer
I hate spyware! As a technician, nothing frustrates me more than a system infested with adware, spyware and downloaded Internet junk. Some of this stuff is really hard to remove, and the privacy issues surrounding spyware are also serious concerns. Show me a computer full of spyware and I'll show you a computer that's running way slower than it should be. Microsoft has released a free product called "Microsoft Anti-Spyware", and it works great for not only cleaning up existing spyware, but also for blocking it from getting installed in the first place. If you protect your system from spyware, it will reward you by performing better and lasting longer before requiring expensive repairs.
Once all the spyware is gone and your disks are working optimally, your system should be much faster and more responsive. If you need instructions about how to find and use the various maintenance utilities mentioned here, this article from Microsoft (as mentioned before) will help:
http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/speed.mspx
Donnie Schexnayder is a ministry technology expert. He holds industry certifications from Microsoft and CompTIA and has over 10 years experience in supporting churches and Christian ministries with technology. With a mixture of passion and expertise, Donnie helps ministries advance their mission of bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth by using cutting-edge technology. Donnie lives with his wife and 2 children in Colorado Springs, CO.
Eternitek: Advancing Christian Ministries Through Technology
Alexis limo rentals ..If you are a building a website or a forum,... Read More
If you ask most people what frustrates them most about... Read More
Are you looking for an MP3 player but am not... Read More
Using SQL Server 2000 and above versions you can retrieve... Read More
Your first step in removing dangerous infections from your computer... Read More
The registry is where the computer stores information about the... Read More
If you're a computer expert, you'll probably already know about... Read More
File permissions are one of the strengths that the Unix... Read More
This is the third in a series of articles highlighting... Read More
If you utilize a computer at home or work it... Read More
Spyware is the software that collects information about your online... Read More
Lost & Found for the 21st CenturyIn today's hectic world... Read More
The basic language of the internet is html. If you... Read More
A computer needs a certain amount of information to operate;... Read More
About mail-mergingMail-merging is the process of merging variable data and... Read More
Wouldn't you be shocked to find that your personal sensitive... Read More
1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. To do this, make... Read More
Choose Not To ConformPalm pilots and pdas are constantly growing... Read More
The Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Certification is meant for... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
When I first started studying for my CCNP, some of... Read More
If you've been kicking around the idea of building your... Read More
Are you frustrated with your PC?Is it feeling sluggish or... Read More
car service from Midway Alsip ..Most people download and save so much information on their... Read More
While most small businesses really do need to find a... Read More
Although there are many things that can affect the performance... Read More
Introduction In this article I will clearly spell out the... Read More
Good Morning Mr. Sampson. Please type in you Personal Identification... Read More
You use Ctrl+Alt+Del to see what's running on your PC,... Read More
1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any... Read More
Each of the items in the checklist below is part... Read More
Addressing a D2X Digital SLRCoolpix 8800 search, this article provides... Read More
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol that is part... Read More
Understanding digital camera prices makes finding the best camera value... Read More
Passwords have a strange dual nature. The stronger and safer... Read More
Maintaining your computer is extremely important ? especially if you... Read More
That desk in front of you and everything else around... Read More
No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how... Read More
Music lovers have been carrying around radios and other bulky... Read More
Millions have enjoyed recorded music since 1877 when Thomas Edison... Read More
In this era of Internet, most people are frequent users... Read More
I met an entrepreneur who hole heartedly disagree with an... Read More
HTTP ProtocolThe web is run on port 80. You are... Read More
Get started creating web pages using text files and HTML... Read More
Unless you place your faith in internal search engine software... Read More
As the web has evolved, so have the methods of... Read More
For six years, my Samsung PC 13.8 inch SyncMaster conventional... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Personal Technology |