Having a slow computer is not something most users fancy, but that is
what most of us end up with after prolonged usage despite having the
latest hardware. Understandably, there are also a few of us who are
trapped with a low-end PC and are forced to get as much out of it as
possible. This article caters to both these type of users as it not
only explains how to make your computer as fast as it was when new but
also how to reduce the footprint of your system to utilize your PC's
current system resources in the best possible way.
First thing first. Make sure your PC isn't infected by a virus, worm
or other malware
Anyone who has used an infected computer will verify how painfully
slow a computer becomes when infected by a virus. More tech savvy
users will counter that an infected computer's speed depends upon the
type of malware. To be honest, it does. However, based on my personal
experience, I can say that while some malware are designed
specifically for making computers slow and unresponsive, most malwares
tend to decrease a computer's performance.
If your computer is infected, the first thing you need to do is deep
scan your entire hard drive to remove all traces of the virus. Also,
scan your secondary storage devices to make sure that they are clean
as well. Additionally, make sure to follow best security practices to
avoid getting infected in the future.
Remove unused and unnecessary programs
Now that we are sure that your computer is not slow because of a
virus, you need to get rid of all the unnecessary programs that you
have installed on your PC. To remove these programs, go to Programs in
the Control Panel and uninstall your unnecessary programs one by one.
If you are like most Windows users (including me) and are having a
tough time figuring out which programs to uninstall as all of them
seem important, follow this rule: If you have not used the program in
the last month, it probably is unnecessary. It is better to uninstall
that program given that you can reinstall it whenever required. It
also is a good idea to remove all the useless software that came
bundled with your computer. If you want, you can remove unused Windows
features as well to further tone down your operating system.
Try faster alternatives to your everyday programs
If you use applications that require too much computing power to
operate, you are better off replacing them with applications that do
the same job as them but faster. Few resource hogging applications
that you can replace are:-
1) Most resource intensive antivirus software can be replaced with the
lightweight Microsoft Security Essentials.
2) Microsoft Office can be replaced with OpenOffice, an open source
alternative that also has loads of amazing additions.
3) Adobe Reader can be replaced with the free Foxit Reader.
4) The newer versions of Internet Explorer are pretty fast. However,
if you have been using an older version, it is time to upgrade IE or
replace it with either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. This will
also give you faster internet speeds.
Remove unnecessary startup programs
Startup programs are the programs which start automatically each time
a user logs on. Not only do they result in a slow startup, but they
also run persistently, until you close them manually, continuously
consuming valuable system resources (CPU and RAM) while they are
running. So, disabling unnecessary startup items results in both a
faster startup and a more responsive computer, as these applications
not running continuously means more RAM and CPU will be available for
the operations you perform on the computer.
To disable unnecessary startup programs, type msconfig in the search
bar in Start menu (in Windows 10,Windows 7 and Windows Vista) and on
the Start screen in Windows 8 and 8.1. On Windows XP, type this in the
Run dialog box. This will start the System Configuration utility.
Click on the Startup tab and disable all the applications that you
think are not essential on your computer's startup. Restart your
computer to see the changes. Keep in mind to not disable your security
products as that will make your computer more susceptible to getting
infected.
Restart your computer often
PC speedThis is assuming that you continuously use your computer for
long periods of time. Each time when you close a running program in
Windows. it frees the memory that the program was occupying. However,
it may so happen that some parts of the memory do not get freed which
results in less system resources available to you to use which
ultimately results in a slower PC. When you restart your computer,
these occupied spaces in the memory get freed. Although, this memory
issue has been somewhat fixed in recent versions of Windows, it still
is a good idea to reboot your computer at least once a day.
Check your hard drive for errors
Over time, as you use your computer, chances are that some errors
might creep in your hard disk which negatively affect your computer's
performance. The best way to solve this issue is by using the inbuilt
Disk Check utility available in all versions of Windows. To use it,
execute chkdsk /r in the Command Prompt. Remember to open the Command
Prompt as an administrator. It might prompt you to restart your
computer. Execute Y to restart your PC. The chkdsk/ r command scans
your computer's hard drive for errors and recovers readable data.
Depending upon the size of your hard disk, this step might take some
time. This step might increase your computer's performance
phenomenally if there are a lot of errors on your hard drive.
Make sure you have enough free space
System speed is not only dependant upon CPU and RAM. If your hard
drive is above 95% full, you will notice that your system hasn't been
running at the fastest speed. This happens because Windows require
empty space for swap files to increase in size and also as space for
temporary files. It is imperative that the more cluttered and filled a
hard drive is, the more difficult it is to read. To solve this issue,
delete unnecessary data or move it to external storage devices.
Repair protected Windows system files
As you use your computer, it is possible that one or more system files
get damaged or get corrupted which might effect your system's
performance in a negative way. Thus, it is important to check that all
your system files are original and behaving as they should. The best
way to check your operating system's files is through the System File
Checker. To run the System File Checker, open Command Prompt as an
Administrator and execute sfc /scannow. This command will check all
your system files and if it finds that some of them are modified or
corrupt, it will replace them with the original. This step can take
anywhere between 5 to 15 minutes but is one that you should perform
especially if your system has ever been infected by a virus.
Disable unnecessary visual effects
Speed up slow computerThe visual effects that make your computer look
beautiful also slow it down considerably. So, if you want to get the
best performance out of your computer, you should disable all these
visual effects. To disable these visual effects:-
1) Press Windows Key+R to launch the Run dialog box.
2) Execute sysdm.cpl.
3) Go to the Advanced tab in the following Window and click on
Settings in the Performance section.
4) Then encircle Adjust for best performance. If you want to use
visual styles and themes, check it (located at the very end of the
list).
5) Click on Apply to apply the changes.
Disabling these visual effects could lead to a considerable
improvement in your system's performance especially if you are on
Windows 7 or Windows Vista and using the Aero interface without a
graphic card.
Do not run multiple antivirus programs
Make sure that no more than one antivirus program is running on your
PC. An antivirus's resident protection takes a lot of resources. So,
having more than one antivirus program would bring about a significant
reduction in your computer's speed.
Disable sound schemes
Whenever you perform an action in Windows, a sound is played to
indicate it. Although it leads to a better user experience, it also
contributes towards slowing your PC down. To make your PC a lean work
machine, you should disable these sounds. To disable these, open
Sounds from the Control Panel or alternately type mmsys.cpl in the Run
dialog box. Go to the Sound tab and select "No Sounds" from the Sounds
scheme dropdown list and click Apply.
Update Windows and make sure that you are using the latest drivers for
your hardware
Having all the updates ensures that your computer is running the best
possible version of your operating system and your hardware is being
utilized by the best possible code. Also, an updated operating system
makes you more secure against future intrusions by performance
reducing malware.
Make computer fast
Use a Registry Cleaner to keep your Registry in good shape
The Windows Registry is a place which keeps information about all
installed programs and active system files on your system. Over time,
as you install and uninstall programs, the Registry can get filled
with useless entries which might increase its size making it difficult
to read. This happens because most uninstallers don't remove the
program's Registry entries during an uninstall. Also, the larger the
Registry is on your computer, the more time Windows will take to
start.
To solve this issue, use any free Registry cleaner to remove useless
entries. Depending upon the number of entries in your Registry and its
size, you might see a significant increase in your computer's
performance.
Delete Temporary Files
Temporary files are stored in your computer as Windows operates. They
are files that contain your recently accessed files list, log files,
your internet history, form history, cookies and temporary internet
files. Over time, the number of these files increases and cleaning
them becomes important. You can use CCleaner (mentioned above) to
clean them or the inbuilt Windows Disk Cleanup utility by executing
cleanmgr.exe in the Run dialog box. You can also schedule a disk
cleanup to ensure that it happens automatically.
Disable Windows Search Indexing Service
Fast computerThe Windows search indexing service scans all the files
and folders on your system and stores information about them in a
database to make searches faster. Naturally, this results in
consumption of resources. If you don't use Windows Search often or are
willing to trade faster searches for a faster computer (as you
should), disable the indexing service. To disable it, execute
services.msc in the Run dialog box. In the work area on the right
side, locate Windows Search service and double click on it. In the
following Properties dialog box, select Disabled from the Startup type
dropdown and click OK. Restart your computer. Your searches will be
slow but your computer will be faster than ever.
Check Device Manager to look for hardware conflicts
Open Device Manager to see that all the connected hardware are
functioning properly.
