how do know which programs you need to close on computer in order to speed up computer?

Answer 1

usually hon I close which ever ones I'm not currently using.............. duh.... I do not mean that bad i'm a puter nerd (dumb) but i've found that works !good luck

Answer 2

First, you must decide if you want games, goodies, and graphics -- or -- speed and serious work.

If you choose speed - run through these simple remedies. It may look formidable, but after you run these a couple of times, you will see they take less and less time and are worth it.

1. Set wallpaper and screensavers to blank or none — they run continuously in the background and use memory.
-----right-click on the desktop, select Properties
-----click the screensaver tab, on the left where it says "screensaver," select none.
-----click the desktop tab, for background, select none
2. Review your start menu – remove anything you don’t need on a daily basis — load games, etc. on an as-needed basis.
-----click Start, Settings, Taskbar and Start Menu
-----click the Start Menu tab
-----select a program you do not want to load at Startup, then click remove.
-----Caution -- do not touch anything you are not sure of or you will mess up your computer royally.
3. From Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options: delete cookies, delete files (offline), and clear history. (You can also set days to store history to 0.)
----- These actions will clear your computer’s cache. (http://help.yahoo.com/l/ph/yahoo/mail/access/access-27210.html )
4. Run Disk Cleanup, Scandisk, Defrag at least every two weeks (the more frequently they are run, the less time they take). These can be found in Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools.
5. Periodically, click Start, Programs, Run — then type ipconfig renew
(that’s ipconfig space renew).
6. Optional: Speed vs Goodies — in the Control Panel, System, Advanced, Performance, Settings — you can have visual effects or let Windows select the best options. I am using “Best Performance.” Your choice.
These things should increase speed and free up memory as much as possible.
****************

Fast Windows Fixes
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,139784-page,1/article.html

Top 10 Causes of a Slow or Freezing PC
Source: http://pctuneuptips.com/tips/slow_pc/

5 Ways to Speed up Your Computer
http://www.microsoft.com/AtWork/getstarted/speed.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/optimize.mspx

Answer 3

Nothing more to add to the above, some great tips. If you are looking for ready made software utility to help you out, might be interested to try http://www.liutilities.com/products/speedupmypc/

Answer 4

YOU NEED TO CLOSE ALL PROGRAMS THAT YOU DO NOT NEED ANY MORE OTHERWISE YOU ARE JUST MAKING IT HARDER ON YR RAM MEMORY OR MAX YR MEMORY BUT EVEN THAT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH IF YOU RUN MEMORY HOG PROGRAM(S) - ANY AUDIO/VIDEO PROGRAM IS MEMORY HOG SO EASIEST WAY IS TO JUST CLOSE ANY PROGRAM YOU DON'T NEED ANY MORE
ALSO DEFRAGMENT YR HARD DRIVE FROM TIME TO TIME - THAT WAY MOST USED PROGRAMS WILL BE LOADED ON TOP OF IT SO IT WILL SPEND LESS TIME LOOKING FOR THEM
ALSO CLOSE ALL TABS IN YR BROWSER THAT YOU DO NOT NEED ANY MORE - THEY'RE JUST SITTING THERE MAKING IT HARDER ON YR RAM TO OPERATE