How to speed up your computer

There are a few things one should know in order to keep his computer running smoothly. This article will cover a few simple guidelines that one can apply only if you are running Microsoft windows XP, Vista or Windows 7.

Free up disk space

By default when window is installed on your computer, a system tool called Disk Cleanup is installed. This tool can be used to remove temporary internet files, Empty the Recycle Bin, Remove temporary files such as error reports, remove optional windows components that you do not use, remove programs that you no longer use, remove downloaded program files and also to remove unused restore points and shadow copies form the System Restore

Defragmenting.

Disk fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer; therefore by performing disk defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your drives can work more efficiently. Removable devices such as USB flash disks can also be fragmented.

Disk defragmenter might take from several minutes to a few hours to finish, depending on the size and degree of fragmentation of your hard disk.

Remember it is not possible to defragmenter drives that are not formatted using a file system other than NTFS, FAT or FAT32 or even drives on a network.

Scan for viruses, Spyware and Adware.

The most important thing before scanning your computer for any viruses, spyware or even Adware is to make sure you have an antivirus installed on you system and it is up to date if not please update before performing the scan.

Uninstall unused programs.

If you have been using your computer for some time now, probable you might have installed programs that you no longer use, when a program is installed it creates connections between program and the operating system that means even if you do not use the programs they will in one way or another slow down your system, therefore if you have the programs on a CD then I advice to uninstall the unused programs.


Use ReadyBoost

If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7, your can increase the speed of your computer by using ReadyBoost to speed up your system, this is a new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory like a USB flash disk or a memory card to improve performance without having to add additional memory.


Reinstall the operating system and programs

If all the above steps would not work then you might consider doing a reinstallation of your operating system and your programs too, but remember to BACKUP your data before performing a reinstallation.