How can i speed up my slow computer?

Question

My computer is very slow, im almost positive it has no viruses in it, i have AVG Free Edition, and it works pretty good but this computer is so slow, especially on the internet, when the internet is unplugged, the computer is pretty fast itself, does anyone have any programs i could use(free ones, im broke) and im about to pull my hair out with this slow piece-a-crap. Any answers would be appreciated, thank you.

Answer 1

I'm assuming you have Windows XP.

From time to time threads appear in the forums about PC's slowing down over time for no apparent reason, or about a problem with the PC locking up when certain applications are running. Hopefully, this FAQ will give you a starting point and possibly a solution.


Controlling what starts up with Windows:

One of the most useful built-in utilities that WinXP has is msconfig. It shows you all the programs and drivers that are launched at startup. When you follow the steps below, be sure to search on the net first for any items or terms that sound unfamiliar.

Note: If you have a lot on the startup tab that isn't self-explanatory or seems cryptic,
then you might be heavily infected with spyware. For that, skip to the Spyware section below and
come back to the rest of this FAQ later...

1) Go to Start -> Run
2) Type msconfig and hit OK
3) Go to the startup tab to prevent items from loading at bootup

The startup tab is going to be your main concern, though other tabs (such as the INI tabs) might contain some problematic entries as well. On the startup tab, you'll probably recognize a lot of what's listed. For the ones you don't recognize, search on Google or Yahoo for a description. Be sure to try disabling from within the application's preferences before unchecking it here in msconfig. Otherwise, some applications will think this is unintentional and replace the startup entry.

If you're familiar with the registry, then you'll know that the main point of reference to many of these startup entries will be found under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
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Deleting temporary files:

1) Go to Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup
2) After the scan completes, select all the categories and click OK

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Turning off or limiting transitional effects

This is strictly optional and certainly not needed on higher-end PC's:

1) On your desktop, right-click My Computer and go to Properties.
2) Go to the Advanced tab, and click Settings under the Performance category.
3) Select Adjust for best performance

Note: You can also further limit this by choosing "Custom" instead and only checking
the options you want (or uncheck them all).

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Upgrading hardware:

Check the specs of your PC (Start -> Run, dxdiag and hit OK). If you have less than 512MB of RAM, slower than 1GHz CPU, or have an outdated video card (if you're a gamer), then you have much to gain by upgrading your PC.

Increasing RAM to 512MB can help significantly. There's another slight jump going from 512MB to 1GB. Going any higher may only help in a handful of situations and is often not necessary. The CPU speed usually has the biggest overall impact than any other single component upgrade. Post in the hardware forum (forum602) for more info.

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Defragging and speeding up hard drive performance:

1) Go to Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter

This is not something you should have to perform too often, depending on how you use your PC. When Windows is first setup, it is usually best to have the hard drive split into smaller sections (known as partitions). The Windows system partition (C:) is best kept at a minimal size (20-30GB for example) for Windows' system files and critical apps that you will keep long term. Long term is key here, because it means seldomly uninstalling or change in file structure which decreases the amount of fragmentation.

Also on a smaller partition, a defrag doesn't take forever and can be done often. Use the rest of your drive space for apps, games, utilities, etc., that you plan on keeping short term, splitting it into as many "logical" partitions as you like. If your drive wasn't setup this way to begin with, you can use a 3rd-party app like Partition Magic to resize existing partitions and create new ones.

Something I won't get into here but might also be helpful to know is that adding a second hard drive can improve performance in several ways. You can move the swap file to the secondary drive. Or going one step further, you can even set up a RAID array configuration to boost redundancy and/or read/write performance (though to do both requires 3 drives or more).


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Removing Spyware/Adware:

There are a lot of ways to accomplish this. The fact is that the more ways you take to approach this, the more efficient it will be.

1) Download and install Spybot. Search for and apply all updates.
2) Do a scan and remove all that it finds. Reboot.
3) Do another scan and reboot again.
4) Install Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. Search for and apply all updates.
5) Repeat steps 2 and 3.

If you believe you still have an infection at this point, visit the Virus/Spyware discussion forum (forum760) and look in the FAQ section. You can install Hi-Jack This! and post your log in a new thread for help. Also, there's a $30 app you can buy called ETrust Pestpatrol. This tool is by far one of the best overall scanner/removal tools available. Realize however, that heavy infections are hard to supress and clean up. I've used all of the top spyware applications in many situations where only a format and "clean" install brought things back to normal.

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Scanning and fixing the registry:

Not one of the most popular options, but quite a bit of junk can accumulate in the registry much like the garage of your house. I've used Registry Mechanic, and there are several other apps available out there that can help with a little spring cleaning. The older a Windows installation is, the more this option can help. As applications are uninstalled, they often leave remnants behind.

Answer 2

1. Defrag -- Microsoft is slow, and I prefer Diskeeper, though Perfect Disk is pretty good too.
2. start -->run--> msconfig (assuming XP) Remove any startup program you do not want to start on startup. The less you have pre-cached the better.
3. Try to keep at least 10% free space on hard drive
4. Disable system restore or at least move the slider down to 5% of free space.
5. Move recycle bin to 5% or less or delete permanently under properties after right-click.
6. Uninstall any unneccesary program.
7. Change your Internet file settings to a low value (I use 10MB or less).

These may help you out.

Answer 3

I have AVG too.
Simply go to start> help and support> then restore it to a past date before all that crap attacked your computer. I do it almost everytime it slows on me. Remember , you will lose anything new you put on there in the way of programs from the start date you desire till today.. Try, maybe going back 2 weeks only.

Answer 4

PC SpeedBoost is awesome. I would recommend this to others. The price is very affordable and does the job. I had my computer scanned for errors. Once the list of errors were generated I proceeded to have them fixed. I am so glad I did. Now I no longer have a problem with my speed or error messages popping up. Now only did it help me with my computer’s speed but it also helped with my computer’s performance. Everyone in my family is happy now as they can actually do something on the computer without having to wait an eternity for a web page to load. - See more at: http://www.windows8downloads.com/win8-pc-speedboost-mmjcezpd/reviews.html#sthash.KM0wVmfO.dpuf

Answer 5

If you want to speed up your computer by yourself, you can use inbuilt tools in the Windows operating system, as installing too much programs on your computer can slow down you pc. The inbuilt tools are safe and free. Here is the step by step guide, very easy.

Answer 6

maybe ur intenet connection is slow, but that doesn't explain why ur computer would slow down.

unless you have so many firewalls running on ur computer, that might cause a problem. Another problem is once u go online, other programs automatically connect online. Or u may have some kind or trojan or virus. I sugggest u go to the following website and scan ur computer:
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

goodluck.

Answer 7

u can try deleting some old files on the internet.

directions:

1.click on "tools" on the top tool bar on internet explorer (or w/e u hav)

2. click the tab "internet options"

3. then, click on the following:

delete files

delete cookies

clear history

4. X out once its done.

ur internet should b a bit faster. hope this helps :)

Answer 8

Ehm..
If you want to clean your pc and make it faster and more secure use Ccleaner. It's free and ot works like a charm. Download it from here http://j.mp/UrAC7s
It's a very simple and nice software.
Have a nice day

Answer 9

Step by Step to speed up slow Computer
http://pct00ls.com/#SpeedUpSlowPC

Answer 10

here are some of the tips to boost the performance of the pc..
P.S: go to the below link. i am not copy pasting the information as you can find lot more than what you are looking for.