What's a good way to speed up a computer? (besides putting it on wheels and sliding it down the freeway)?

Question

I thought maybe buying additional memory would do it, but is there a better way?

Now mind you, not an EASIER way - because I've seen those websites that declare that they can speed up your computer, and do exactly the opposite.

Any ideas, suggestions, comments (keep em clean, please)?

Answer 1

A clean computer is key to a faster computer. Run the 3 scans below.

Run a virus scan weekly.

Update and run your Anti-Virus program. Don't have one? You can run a free online scan from CA.
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virus...



Run Spybot and Adaware weekly.


Download, update and run Spybot---http://www.safer-networking.org/... . Don't forget to use the Immunize feature.

Download, update and run Adaware---http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaw...



Now to prevent spyware from being installed in the first place....




Download SpywareBlaster---http://majorgeeks.com/download2859.html

SpywareBlaster doesn't scan and clean for spyware - it prevents it from ever being installed.

It's main features include:
- Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted pests.
- Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox.
- Restrict the actions of potentially dangerous sites in Internet Explorer.






Now lets clean up your registry.


Run RegScrubXP weekly. Run Cleanup every time you log off.


Download RegScrubXP--http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?d...

Safely cleans junk out of the Windows 2000/XP system registry. All changes made to the registry are fully restorable to it's original condition. You can make an exclusion list of registry entries that RegScrubXP will not display as problems. You can sift through a list of file extensions, company names, run upon startup programs, Internet Explorer history, and uninstall programs to delete what you think is junk.

Download CleanUp---http://www.stevengould.org/software/clea...

Free disk space, make your computer run better/faster and protect your privacy - all in one easy solution. All for free!





Now lets clean up your disk.



Run a Disk Cleanup 2 times a month. Run Disk Defrag. monthly.


Do a Disk Cleanup and Disk Defrag. You can find both of them by following the path below.
Start>all programs>accessories>system tools>Disk Cleanup. Let it do its thing. You can check every box that has something to delete.
Now follow the same path and do a Disk Defrag. Again just let it do its thing.




Now lets tweak your connection.


If your speed is good I would not mess with it by trying to tweak it. If you do tweak once it is done you should not have to do it every again.


There are many programs out there to do this. I will give you 2 of them.
The first one is TCP Optimizer.

Description: The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run.

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php....

You can get support for the best way to set it up right from their forum http://forums.speedguide.net/

The second one is Cablenut.

Windows XP tested and approved

CableNut is a tool for optimizing your Internet Connection. We have provided a way to tweak any option you may want to in the adjuster. You can load "CableNut Custom Setting" files that are included with the program to tweak your Internet connection.

http://www.cablenut.com/

Again support is available right from their forum.http://www.broadbandnuts.com/index.php?p...




All programs are FREE!




After applying the suggestions above you will have a clean and faster computer. Enjoy.

Answer 2

YOU DON'T NEED MORE MEMORY. MEMORY WILL SLOW DOWN YOUR COMPUTER BECAUSE NOW IT HAS MORE TO READ. I HAVE TRIED THAT.

WHAT YOU CAN DO IS UNDERSTAND YOU ARE WORKING WITH WHAT YOU HAVE AND UNDERSTAND ITS LIMITATIONS AS ONLY A CPU/HARDDRIVE WILL SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER but then you have compatibility issues and I am not that educated.

To speed up your computer, I have an Emachine T3304 and I am happy. It came with Nortons and SpySweeper-This could be your next purchase but.

When you run Adaware, I recommend Remove NOT quarantine

Get Registry Mechanic

Run Disk Defragmenter-Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter-click on the C: and analyze.

Remove cookies and history form Internet Properties, located on your desktop.

Reformatting IS A GOOD OPTION but I would recommend reformatting 2 or three times to get used to the process but two definately.

Answer 3

I've found that a common problem with PCs is the partitioning. Most PCs have partitions, e.g. drive C and D equally partition and even if you have 50gb of space in each partition and you're saving files in drive C or the OS partition you end up with a much slower PC. Even if you still have 20gb free of the 50gb in your C partition your PC slows up considerably.

I have an 80gb HD and what I've done is partition it into two with 20gb for drive C and 60 for drive D. I save all files and install all programs in Drive D and leave drive C free for the system files. I've found that the speed doesn't slow down even after years of use. As long as the OS partition has enough free space and no other programs are in the same partition speed doesn't become a problem.

Answer 4

There are several things you can do to speed up your computer.
Use the defrag and disk clean up regurlarly, and keep your computer Spyware and virus free.
Adding memory will certainly help, as with upgrading the processor
to something like AMD's 64 bit or Intel's Dual core processor if your motherboard will accept them

Answer 5

Close programs that are running in the background or that you are not using. In the lower right of your task bar you can see which applications are running (if you are on windows) Also, ctrl+alt+del will show you which programs are running. Be careful when closing via the task manager. If you do not know what an application is google it and it comes up 99.9 percent of the time with detailed information. Good luck!

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Answer 6

Yes, buying additional memory can help. Also, clean up your hard drive from all temp files, temporary internet files and the like.

Run anti-spyware programs. Spyware can significantly slow down your computer.

Go to www.download.com and download Adaware and Spybot. Install and update them, then run them individually. Delete everything they find, reboot and then see if your PC runs faster.

Answer 7

Using registry cleaner can fix your pc and then make your pc faster,Why?the reason is that there are some regsitry errors in your PC to cause "Computer slow".
Every time you install and uninstall software on your computer and surfing online you create junk in the pc registry.You need to scan and clean your PC with registry cleaner to make it fast.Good Regisry Cleaner will improve your PC and Internet performance dramatically.It even can speed up your PC by 300% or more!
There are some comparisons and reviews of TOP 5 registry cleaners.
http://www.registry-Cleaners.info

You can download and scan your PC for free.

Answer 8

Well, you could always delete excess programs and files.

And some software (i.e. Spybot) actually can speed up your computer if you have a ton of spyware loading it down.

You probably already know about defragmenting and running disk cleanup, right?

If you want it, Spybot can be downloaded at the site below. Trust me, it works... if nothing else, it won't hurt you.

God bless.

Answer 9

U can defragment weekly--that puts ur stuff in an organized location and speeds up ur computer--and run CCleaner --it's free and empty trash --recycle bins--then ur computer does not have to go through all this junk and u might be surprised how fast it becomes. A great difference

Answer 10

Virus scan everyday, use something like Adaware everyday. Also, if you can, clear your desktop of the icons. Turn off programs starting when your computer starts up.

These are the cheap ways that'll build up and help you out. Hope it helps.