How do I make my computer run fater without forking out money?

Question

My computer is rather slow...any ideas how to make it run faster (besides the obvious buying more RAM).

Answer 1

Remove programs that are rarely used, those who you don't really need. That's the best I could think of.

Answer 2

I am going to list the solutions for a slow computer in order of cost with the lowest cost first.
1. Memory utilization is the biggest cause of computer operation slow down. Remove any programs that you do not need. You can do this in Control Panel under Add-Remove programs.
You can also do Ctl-Alt-Del and look at the active processes on your computer. Stop any processes that are not needed. You can find out if they are not needed by typing the name of the program into Google and reading the results.
2. When you browse the internet you pick up adwear. These are tracking programs that report your browsing habits to companies on the internet. To remove them download a free program like Ad-Aware from www.lavasoftusa.com. Run this program and check your speed.
3. Assuming you have an antivirus program running the next step would be a registry cleaner. There are lots of them but you can try www.softwareonline.com if you want.
4. If you have less than 512 mb of memory in your computer I recommend you add as much memory as you can but certainly you should have a minimum of 512 mb. This keeps your active programs from being paged to disk.
5. After this comes a new motherboard or a new computer.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

If you are using Windows XP, the quickest and easiest way to make your computer run faster is to "tune it". ie. use technical know-how to turn on and off certain features, which may or may not slow down or speed up your machine.

However, for the non-technical amongst us there is a great little program called "Tweak XP", you can download it here:

http://tinyurl.com/quok7

Its free and its pretty easy to use. Open the help file that comes with it and it will explain what all of the options that you can turn on or off are. It also tells you whether its likely that it will help.

Before you use the program though, there are a couple of other simple things you can do to help speed up your computer...

1. Empty your recycle bin regularly.
2. Clear unused programs off your hard drive
3. Regularly defragment your hard drive (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter)
4. Regularly run a virus checker to make sure there aren't any unwanted nasties on your machine.

When you've done all that, download Tweak XP and run it through...I've found in the past that it usually speeds up an average computer by about 50%...some even faster.

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

Assuming you're a Windows PC user, there are several things you can do to make your PC faster without spending a penny. Windows XP is a fantastic operating system, but like everything in life, it needs a little maintenance to keep it in top condition.

The first step you should take is to download the latest software updates for Windows XP from Microsoft Windows Update, as these often contain vital security and performance fixes. Once you've done this, you should remove any unnecessary software. We're all guilty of hoarding applications we don't ever use, and these can put a strain on the speed at which your PC starts or operates.

Use the Add/Remove Applications wizard in the Windows Control Panel to get rid of superfluous programs, then defragment your hard drive, as this can increase the speed at which your PC locates and opens files, and reduces those annoying crunchy hard drive seek noises. To do this, just open My Computer, right click the C: drive, click 'Properties', and hit 'Disk Cleanup'.

Next, you should get rid of any malware (spyware, adware and viruses) that may have accumulated without your knowledge. Grisoft AVG Free Edition is a fantastic virus remover, and it's completely free from our CNET.co.uk Downloads channel. Spyware can be removed by using a tool such as Spyware Interrogator Tech Edition, which is also available from the CNET.co.uk Downloads channel.

Another important consideration is the state of your Windows Registry. This part of XP records information and settings for all the hardware, software and user preferences of your PC. Over time, the registry can gather invalid entries that cause system complications and speed reductions. One way of speeding things up is to clean the registry with an application such as RemoveIT Pro XT - SE, again available from our Downloads channel.

If you can make a cup of tea in the time it takes to boot your PC, you should trim the fat off your Windows startup procedure. Programs that start automatically when you boot your PC are usually a hog on system resources, but they aren't always critical. We suggest you stop them from starting at the same time as your PC. To do this, click the Start button in Windows, followed by Run, then type 'MSCONFIG' into the dialogue box and hit 'OK'.

This will launch the System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab to see which programs start at boot time, and uncheck the boxes of applications that aren't essential to you. We recommend you do this in small batches and test your PC to see if any problems are encountered, rather than removing everything in one huge batch. If you're not sure what's what, feel free to disable them anyway -- when you reboot and find something doesn't work as expected, you can always re-enable the offending item.

You can also disable Windows Services from the Services tab of MSCONFIG. Identifying their importance is a lot more difficult than choosing Startup applications, but fewer processes usually means faster performance. Again, ensure you disable services in small batches and test your PC as you go along.

If you've followed our guide and still want more speed, you could consider overclocking your PC. In most cases you'll need to be very confident with a PC to attempt something like this. If you have the expertise, or know someone who has, the results can be worthwhile, but do note that in some cases this voids the warranty of your PC.

Answer 5

Run a defrag if you haven't done so in a while (or ever). Diskkeeper is good, and you can get it on a trial. It'll take a good few hours to do if you haven't done one - so leave it overnight. Windows has it's own defrag utility which is a pared down version of Diskkeeper.

Ccleaner will remove rubbish cluttering up your system - it's free.

Go to Start/run type msconfig then go to the startup tab and remove anything you don't need running as soon as you turn on PC.

As to the memory...it's dirt cheap at the moment...

Answer 6

After you perform all the great things that have already been told to do by these great people, go to www.majorgeeks.com and download from memory or use your search engine to find "FreeRAM XP" V 1.52 -- If you have any available RAM left it will auto free or you can free yourself.

Right click on the icon in the tray. Says "auto free now". This will increase your RAM. (You can use the manual at any given time or wait for the auto to kick in).

This is state of the art free software. Has no spyware or trojans embedded.

Answer 7

I usually disable start up items to free up ram. You can do so in the "startup" tab of [run>msconfic] or by program. A recommended one is Startup control panel (see link).
The downside of this is that you should know which ones you can disable.
Spybot SD Search&destoy is more detailed and contains reccomandations of which ones are neccery, which arn't, and which may be harmfull.
Alternatevly there are programs that free ram. for example I have "freeRAM" but I haven't noticed that it makes a drammatic differance in my PC's preformance (see link).

Answer 8

You can get a little green ball for 25 quid a year which boosts your dial up, If you are on the internet, as I am sure you must be, it is a bloody computer.....ASK IT. and IT WILL ANSWER.(assuming you are using dial up) other than that, try TalkTalk broadband inc, free phone to 28 countries, and free broadband at 2.23mbs later to be 8. depending on where you live, but in real terms it is 9.99 quid for yer phone bill, and the total comes to 20.99 u.k. pounds for the whole cabudle.

Answer 9

Close the applications you are not working on in the desktop.
Throwaway the Fonts you don't use.
Remove the Pictures and Music you don't use.
Run your Disc Ultility.

Sell and buy a Mac if you are still unhappy.
Good luck.

Answer 10

You could try downloading a programme called winoptimiser which is free this will guide you through some of the tweeks you can do to speed up your comp slightly, also check your explorer cookies folder you may find this is full empty it anyway this will help.

Answer 11

Probably need to "Defrag" the system. If you've never done it, it will take awhile. Clean out your temp cashe on your internet, when you visit websites, it records it and holds it in case you want to use it again. Clean out the "history" on your internet too.
Go thru all your files to see if anything can be trashed. It's like cleaning house on a regular basis.