Eight Ways to Speed Up your Computer

8 Ways to Speed-Up Your Computer
There are a million reasons why a computer can begin to run slow. In this article I will give you the eight easiest and most successful tools you can use to speed up your slowing computer.
Disclaimer: Please be aware that even these basic steps could cause unknown results. I make no warranty that performing these steps will not cause your system to crash.
I may use the following abbreviations to make this article a little less wordy:
•    IE – Internet Explorer
#8 Disable toolbars
Many programs now package search toolbars with software. (Google, Yahoo, MSN, Viewpoint, and Comcast are just a view examples of the most popular) These toolbars can cause IE to take much longer to load. To disable these toolbars, complete the following:
1.       Open IE
2.       Click Tools
3.       Click Manage Add-Ons
4.       Click the toolbar you would like to disable
5.       Click the disable radio button
 
#7 Cleanup temporary files
Every web page you visit can download small files to your computer containing text, pictures, or other information. These files are stored in various folders on your computer. The easiest way to remove a large percentage of these files is to use the feature built into IE version 7.
1.       Open IE
2.       Click Tools
3.       Click Internet Options
4.       Under browsing history click the delete button (This will also delete your browsing history)

#6 Adjust Internet Security
We are not recommending limiting or cutting back on security coverage but disabling unused features on comprehensive programs can help with memory utilization. Disabling parental or privacy controls if they are not being utilized can assist in maximizing efficiency.
 
 #5 Hard Disk defrag and check disk
Using the defragment feature and checking the file system can help with disk issues creating a system slowdown. I will warn you that these processes can take several hours based on the size of your hard disk. To run a defrag on the hard drive:
1.       Open My Computer
2.       Right-click on the local disk usually C:
3.       Click Properites
4.       On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now
5.       Click Defragment
The check disk utility will check the file system for problems and also check the hard disk for bad sectors which can lead to a hard drive failure. To run a check disk on the hard drive:
1.       Open My Computer
2.       Right-click on the local disk usually C:
3.       Click Properties
4.       On the Tools Tab, Under Error-checking
5.       Click Check now
1.    Use one of the following procedures:
a.    To run Chkdsk in read-only mode, click Start.
b.    To repair errors without scanning the volume for bad sectors, select the Automatically fix file system errors check box, and then click Start.
c.    To repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover readable information, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
Note If one or more of the files on the hard disk are open, you will receive the following message:
The disk check could not be performed because the disk check utility needs exclusive access to some Windows files on the disk. These files can be accessed by restarting Windows. Do you want to schedule the disk check to occur the next time you restart the computer?
Click Yes to schedule the disk check, and then restart your computer to start the disk check.
 
 
#4 Uninstall Unused Programs
It may seem like common sense but usually ignored or postponed by most people. If you are no longer using a program remove it from your computer. You can do this by opening the control panel and clicking then add and remove programs option.
 
#3 Disabling Startup Programs
Please be advised that disabling certain programs can create undesired effects by can usually be fixed by re-enabling. There are certain programs that start whenever your computer boots. These programs then run as long as the computer is running. Many of these programs are automatically added to this list when installed. Programs such as messaging programs, photo programs, and media players are commonly added to this list. Changing this list does take some knowledge on what each program does. You can edit this list by:
1.       Click Start
2.       Click Run
3.       Type msconfig
4.       Click Ok
5.       Click the Startup Tab
6.       All the programs that are checked will start when your computer starts, unchecking them disables the autostart.
7.       After editing the list, click apply
8.       Click Ok
9.       You will be prompted to restart the computer and you should do so.
 
#2 Check your computer for spyware and malware
Spyware and malware are programs that can drastically reduce the speed of your computer and can sneak passed some anti-virus programs. You can use tools like spybot search and destroy found here:
http://www.safer-networking.org
Also you can use malware bytes, which can be found here:
http://www.malwarebytes.org
Downloading and running these free tools can help remove spyware and malware from your system.
 
#1 Install more RAM
If you are not satisfied after following these steps, the best way to improve performance is to increase the RAM. The RAM (Random Access Memory) is a piece of hardware that controls the virtual memory of the system. Do not confuse RAM with hard drive space. RAM controls how many programs you can run at once. I recommend a minimum of 512MB of RAM for Windows XP and 1GB for Windows Vista. RAM is becoming very affordable and easily upgraded.
 
If you have any questions feel free to contact me:
Marc Umstead
Comp-U-Ship
301 N Lewis Rd
Royersford, PA 19468
Phone: 610-792-5660
mumstead@compushiponline.com