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PC Optimization Tips

6 Ways to immediately SPEED-UP your Slow Computer

Take a few minutes to go through this list of suggestions- Id be willing to bet you can increase Computer speed, possibly dramatically, by following these Basic PC Speed best practises.

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Being a computer owner can be tough. Granted, a computer allows for easy web surfing, file downloading, and instant communication via messenger programs and email, but it comes at a price: maintenance time. Owners need to know how to maintain their computers in order to avoid hang-ups, slow computer problems, and other frustrating computer issues.

If you don’t know how to perform basic maintenance for your computer, you won’t be surfing, downloading, or chatting for long, especially if you use your computer constantly. Computers need to be tuned up to keep their speed up, and without proper maintenance, can slow to a snail’s pace. A few simple tasks, performed regularly, can add years to your computer’s lifespan.

Uninstall Old Programs: Simple first step to improve slow computer performance

Some people go through several printers before replacing their computers, and all of those printers have their own software. Unless you uninstall it, it will remain on the computer indefinitely, filling hard drive space and possibly wasting system resources. The same goes for old, unused games and other software. Open up “add/remove programs,” from the control panel in Windows XP. If you have the Vista operating system, open the control panel, and then “all programs.” Uninstall anything you don’t use anymore. If you don’t know whether a particular program is important, research it before making any changes to it.

Need more ideas to improve slow computer performance?

• Laptop Runs Excessively Slow
• Slow Download Times
• Computer Acting Crazy: Spyware and Viruses
• Uninstall Unwanted Programs
• Speeding Up Slow Startup
• Computer Still Slow after Virus
• Speeding up Dialup Access
• Computer is Suddenly Slow

Remove Startup Items: Slow computer performance will improve right away!

Startup items are programs set to run as soon as your computer starts up. Many of them are useless, working more in the interests of software companies than in the interests of your personal computer. To turn off startup items, just open the “run” window, type “msconfig,” and click the “startup” tab in the window that pops up. All of the checked items in the list that appears are set to run on startup.

Research the listed items with a web search and uncheck the ones that you don’t need. Remember, this doesn’t uninstall anything, and most unchecked items can still be run manually from the “all programs” list. You will have to restart the computer in order for the changes to take effect. Check up on the startup items list every month or so.

Run the Disk Cleanup Utility: See what’s causing slow and lagging computer speeds

The Disk Cleanup is always included with both Windows XP and Windows Vista. It’s a tool used to clean up (that is, delete) old, unnecessary files in your computer’s browsing history, error logs, temporary folders, and more. You can access this utility by opening the “start” menu, opening “all programs,” finding “accessories,” then finally, locating “system tools.”

Make sure every box in the Disk Cleanup’s list is checked off except for one, which may or may not appear: “Compress old files.” This option sacrifices speed for a bit of extra hard drive space, and is usually detrimental to a computer’s performance. Use the Disk Cleanup every month.

Run the Disk Defragmenter

The Disk Defragmenter can be found in the same folder as the Disk Cleanup Utility: “system tools.” It’s incredibly easy to run, as all you have to do once the program is open is click the “defragment” button to start defragmenting.  It’s a good idea to do this when you do not expect need the computer for a while, as the process can take several hours. Computer users often choose to run the defragmenter overnight.

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The Disk Defragmenter should be used every month or so. If you are not sure whether your computer needs to be defragmented, the Windows XP version has an “analyze” button which allows you see a diagram of how disorganized and fragmented your hard drive is. Just remember that the more red you see in the diagram, the more important it is to run the Defragmenter. Windows Vista’s defragmenter lacks this function, but many disk defragmenting programs are available with this function. Most can be downloaded for free, safely on the Internet.

Scan for Malware

Antivirus programs are no use to you if you don’t perform regular scans for viruses, adware, and spyware. Scan your whole computer once a week, and scan frequently-used folders (like the ‘downloads’ folder of a file sharing program) even more often than that: every day.

Clear the Desktop

A cleared-off desktop not only helps your profile load a bit faster when you log on to your computer, it will also help you remain organized, allowing you to work faster. Put pictures into your “My Pictures” folder, and move documents into the “My Documents” folder. Delete any installers that you have already used and any shortcuts (the icons with the little arrows in the corners) that you never use. If you don’t know what something is, put it in a folder titled “I don’t know,” and ask your computer-savvy friend about it the next time you chat.

If you want to keep email more time-efficient than an in-person visit, be sure to maintain your computer. It comes with tools, and extra tools are downloadable. You have no excuse not to use them!

Why not run a free registry scan, you may be surprised by the number of critical problems found!

Ever had one of those times where you finished working with an application and all of a sudden your computer’s hard drive light starts flashing fast and a dull grinding noise can be heard for a few seconds?
Many of us have.

But were you aware that it can slow down your computer?

Many of us without properly configured speed enhanced computer set ups already wait enough as it is without adding more waiting to our computing lives. But did you know that it also be avoided? That grinding noise accompanied by the delay can be greatly reduced, or even removed entirely. One would definitely benefit from that for sure. Here’s how we do it.

It’s all about the Windows swap file.

When Windows decides that it could run out of real memory aka RAM, it starts to use virtual memory, which is actually just a very large single file on your computer’s hard drive.

It places temporary data in there and treats it as extra “pretend” memory. It continually does this until you are finished with what you are doing and then should return back to normal. But not always.

Not only that, but the file size is always being recalculated, depending on what extra virtual memory Windows thinks it might need. This is part of the reason you hear the grinding noise; Windows is calculating how much extra to inflate the file and then does it.

But what if you were to tell it the minimum amount it can use and the maximum amount? That would eliminate it’s need to continually slow you down by calculating it wouldn’t it?

So how do we set that?

Well, it is all in one place and there a few ways of getting to it, depending on your familiarity. If you consider yourself a power user, you can hit the Windows key on your keyboard and tap the Pause key to bring up the System Properties box. For the rest of us, right-click once on “My Computer” on your computer’s desktop background and select properties.

Got it? Excellent!

Now click on the “Advanced” tab across the top, at the right hand side.

Under the “Performance” area, click “Settings”,

then click on the Advanced tab, then down the bottom under “Virtual Memory”, click the change button.

Select the “Custom Size” circle selection, and make the Initial size about 1/3 to ½ of your current RAM amount.

Set Maximum to 2x your RAM amount, or if you have 1GB of RAM or more, set it about 1000MB, though you are free to set it to more if you like.

Now that will work just fine, though if you are really keep to get all the extra speed you can, set both values to the same number, perhaps both at 1000MB, though you certainly don’t need to.

Now click OK, OK and OK again. You may be asked to restart your computer. That’s fine. Do that now.

When it boots back up, you should find it a little snappier. Open up your word processor, run a game or open up a graphics application.

You should notice that when the hard drive would start grinding and the light flickering, it shouldn’t do it for as long, or even at all.

This is a great speed tweak and I hope you got a lot out of it. There are many, many more out there and I hope to write on them later, too. Happy speed tweaking!

I am not able to send e-mails and my computer is moving slow. Help?

Looks like we have two issues: e-mail sending errors and sluggish performance. Fortunately, we can help.

Troubleshooting E-mail Sending Errors - Clogged Folders

One of the most common e-mail sending errors involves clogged folders. If you use Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail, go through your folders and delete, delete, delete. Pay special attention to the Inbox and Sent Items folders as those tend to fill up. Once you have cleaned out your folders, try sending an e-mail message. If the message goes through, then you’ll want to keep your folders from getting bogged down with messages. One way to do this is to create subfolders and place important messages in an appropriate subfolder while deleting the rest.

E-mail Send Error - Antivirus/Antispam Interference

Another common problem involves your antivirus or antispam software scanning your outgoing e-mail messages. For example, if you have Norton’s antispam plugin, this software may be taking too long to perform its scan which causes your e-mail to timeout. Either disable the antispam filter or increase the timeout limit.

E-mail Error 0×800CCC19

Another common e-mail sending error is error 0×800CCC19, which is an e-mail timeout error. This error often occurs when trying to send a large attachment. Since most ISPs restrict attachment sizes, this error is resolved by either deleting the messages (which then allows your other messages to go through) or removing the attachment and replacing it with a much smaller attachment.

These are general e-mail sending errors that may or may not be contributing to your problem. Let us know if you’re getting a specific error code as well as which e-mail client you are using and we will be happy to dig deeper.

Slow PC Performance

Your e-mail and your slow computer may be related. For example, if your computer is bogged down with too many processes running at once, it’s possible that your e-mail is timing out due to lack of resources. Either way, speeding up your PC is desirable. Start by running complete antivirus and antispyware scans. Spyware and viruses take up huge amounts of system resources and usually, if you have one infection, you have hundreds! We recommend any of the products found on our antivirus reviews page. Several are free and many take care of both viruses and spyware in one package.

If you already have a reputable computer security package, update it and run a complete scan. Anything found? If so, expect to see a boost in performance. If not, try a few more troubleshooting steps.

Disable Startup Items

How many startup programs are launching each time you boot your PC? Each program takes up system resources, so if you aren’t using it, take it out of your Startup lineup. Go to Start > Run and type in: msconfig

From there, click on the Startup Items list and remove unnecessary programs. For example, there’s no need to load Adobe Reader every time your computer starts, so remove it from the list. Use the Internet to research programs that you are unfamiliar with before removing them from the list as some may be necessary system programs.

Check Disk Space

When a hard drive is nearly full, computer performance degrades rapidly. Windows uses a portion of the hard drive for temporary memory. When this space is unavailable, the computer crawls. Check your disk space and free up as much space as possible.

Defrag the Hard Drive

Next, defrag the hard drive. This realigns bits and pieces of your files and improves performance.

We also recommend using a product such as RegCure to clean up the Windows Registry.

Why is my computer running so slowly all of a sudden?

Close Some Open Programs

There are a few possibilities when it comes to determining why your computer is running more slowly than usual. Sometimes computers are slow to process commands if there are a large number of programs running. For starters, to troubleshoot the situation, you should close any open programs that you aren’t using. Programs that upload and download files take a lot of processing power so turning these programs off while you are trying to run other processes might help.

Free Download - Fixes Slow PC in 2 minutes!

Check your Free Hard Drive Space

Your computer might also be running slowly if there is too little free hard drive space for your programs to run normally. It is recommended to keep at least 10% of your hard drive space free for operations. You can check your free space:

•  
  1. Click the Start button, then choose My Computer
  2. Right click on the Local Disk C: in the Hard Drives section
  3. Choose Properties
  4. It will display the amount of used and free space on your hard drive

Choose OK to close

Check Programs Set to Start Automatically

You can also check which and how many programs are set to automatically launch when you boot up your computer. Too many programs opening and running at the same time might be slowing your system. To view and delete any unnecessary programs in Vista:

• Open Control Panel
• Click to choose the Windows Defender icon
• Click the Tools tab at the top of the screen
• Choose Show for All Users
• At the User Account Control prompt click Continue
• Under Category, choose Startup Programs
• Scroll the list to check it
• Select any programs that you want to change and click Remove, Disable or Enable
• Grayed out entries are system programs that should run at Startup and you shouldn’t try to change them

Run a Disk Scan To make sure that there is nothing wrong with the hard drive itself, run scandisk, which tests the drive.

• Click twice on My Computer
• Choose the hard disk drive C: by clicking it
• Right click the highlighted drive and choose Properties
• Choose the Tools tab
• Click Check Now
• If the computer asks to schedule the scan the next time it boots up, click OK and restart the computer to run the scan

Defrag the Hard Drive

The Windows Disk Defragmenter is another good tool to run every once in a while to improve your system’s performance by optimizing the hard drive. To run the tool:

• Open My Computer
• Right click the volume that you want to scan - most likely C
• Under the Tools tab, click Defragment Now
• Choose Defragment

Clean your Registry

Your computer might be running slowly because there are a lot of partial files or bits of code stored on your computer’s registry. It is part of your computer’s normal function to save pieces of code on the registry but over time these fragments can build up and interfere with other operations. Altering the registry has the potential to ruin your computer and destroy your programs and files if done wrong, so only attempt to make manual registry changes if you are familiar with the registry and its functions. There are registry scans available on the market like RegCure by Paretologic.

Run a Complete Malware Scan

Finally, update your PC security software and run a complete system scan. Malware can dramatically affect performance and a slow PC is one of the first symptoms of an infected computer.

My computer has been running slow lately so I disabled the IPv4 and the IPv6 connectivity through the network and sharing center (Windows Vista). Now I cannot see what computers/devices are connected to the network. Help?

Sounds like we have two problems to tackle here. The first is to re-enable IPv4 and IPv6 so that your network runs as it should and the second is to deal with slow PC performance that prompted this change.

Re-enable IPv4 and IPv6 Connectivity

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) version 4, or IPv4, is the default protocol for communicating across networks. IPv6 is the latest version of this protocol, also allowing for communications between internetworked devices. When these protocols are turned off, the network’s connectivity is severely limited.

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Depending on how many changes you made, you may be better off using System Restore to roll your computer back to its earlier settings. However, if the only changes made were disabling IPv4 and IPv6, then you’re just a few mouse clicks away from restoring your network connectivity.

Go to Start and type Network and Sharing into the Search bar. Click the icon for the Network and Sharing Center that appears soon after. Click on Manage Network Connections and right click your connection. Click on Properties. Place a check mark in the box for both Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4) and Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) and then click OK.

Troubleshooting the PC’s Performance

Now that the computers can see each other again, let’s tackle the computer’s sluggish performance. Since you were tweaking the networking protocols, I assume that you are concerned about connection issues as well as general poor computer performance. The first thing that I recommend is running a complete system scan for malware. As you may be aware, the Conficker worm is one of the current crops of malware affecting computers right now. This particular worm turns a computer into a robot, allowing hackers to commandeer your computer’s Internet connection for malicious purposes such as sending out large amounts of spam. One of the symptoms that your computer has become part of the Conficker botnet is a slow connection speed.

Once you’ve ruled out malware, the next step is to check your startup items. The more programs that load each time Vista loads, the less available resources you have for the programs that you are actually using. Go to the Start button and type msconfig in the Search bar. Click the msconfig icon and go to the Startup Items tab. What programs are loading with Windows? Do you need these programs running at all times? Remove the checkmark next to non-essential programs such as Microsoft Works or Adobe Reader. Doing so prevents these programs from loading automatically when you turn on your computer.

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Vista Performance Information and Tools

Since you have Windows Vista, head over to the Control Panel and click on Performance Information and Tools. This center has a variety of tasks specifically designed to help you improve your computer’s performance including: manage startup programs, adjust visual effects, adjust indexing options, adjust power settings, open Disk Cleanup, and advanced tools. Go through each task and tweak your computer’s settings for optimal performance.

Registry Cleaners

If your computer is still running slow after completing the malware scan and pc performance improvements, consider investing in a registry cleaning utility such as RegCure. These products clean up obsolete and unnecessary entries in the registry. By clearing out the clutter, the computer no longer has to struggle to carry out its basic functions.

Multiple error messages appear when I start my computer. Programs freeze. Can I fix this? Are there any secrets for fixing it?

I’d love to say that I have a few secrets up my sleeve for fixing computers, but I don’t. However, I can show you how to use several excellent techniques, utilities, and tools, many of which may already be on your computer.

Troubleshooting Basics

Since your computer can barely function, let’s start with the basics. Are these errors new? Or have they been compounding over time? Have you recently updated your operating system? Added new hardware? Installed new software? Think back in time to the last time your computer ran as it should. If it was fairly recent, use System Restore to roll your computer back to that time.

Rule Out Malware Infections

Malware infections, such as viruses and spyware, are notorious for the symptoms that you’ve described. I want you to restart your computer in “Safe Mode with Networking.” This will load only the most essential system files and drivers while still allowing you to go online. Now, you should be able to right click the icon to your antivirus/anti-spyware program and view a submenu. Select the Update Now (or similar) option and update these crucial computer security programs. Once updated, launch the software and run a complete (not quick) system scan.

If you do not have antivirus and antispyware installed, I can guarantee you that your computer is infected. Take a look at our anti-virus reviews and protect your PC (some are even free).

Manage Startup Programs

Another good way to crash your computer system is to expect too much of it. Is your computer set to load a variety of programs each time it boots up? Each program requires resources such as processor power and memory. If you have a bunch of programs gobbling up these resources, you will soon see out of memory and low resources error messages and other programs will freeze when you try to launch them.

Go into the Start button and click Run. Type in “msconfig” and press OK. Now, find the Startup items tab in the next screen and click it. Remove recognized programs such as Google Desktop, Adobe Reader, and Quicktime from this auto start list. Removing programs from the list only prevents them from automatically loading; you can still use these programs on demand.

While in this tab, you will likely see several unrecognizable programs, too. You’ll need to research those before removal as they could be critical system processes. They could also be useless programs or spyware, so it pays to do your research. BleepingComputer.com has an excellent Startup items database for this purpose.

Clean and Defrag the Hard Disc

When the hard drive becomes nearly full, computer performance comes to a screeching halt. Use the Disc-Cleanup utility to free up disc space. Once you’ve recovered disc space, run the Disc Defragmenter to reorganize the disc’s contents and improve PC performance.

Clean the Windows Registry

While most of these troubleshooting steps have been free, this next one requires a small investment. The Windows registry is a large index that instructs the operating system in how to interact with your hardware, software, settings, and so on. When it’s manageable, the computer performs as it should; when it becomes bogged down with junk, file corruption, partially installed programs, and obsolete information, it sends Windows on a wild goose chase and performance suffers. Cleaning the registry of this junk solves the problems.

Registry cleaning utilities are excellent at solving computer startup errors and program freezes. RegCure offers a limited use evaluation version that lets you check your computer’s registry for errors. The full featured version is amazingly easy and effective.