Speed up your slow PC, 10 things you can do
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Is your PC slower than the day it was born?
A new PC is a joy because it is fast and efficient which makes it fun to use. Over time, that PC gets slower, and slower and can eventually become a chore to operate. There are steps you can take to restore some of that "new PC" performance.
Get Organized
Print these steps for a PC tuneup checklist. Make notes as you go; it'll be easier to get assistance if you need it. Reserve enough time. Review the Related Links for more details on some of these steps. Follow these steps in order, where practical. {Click sequences are shown for Windows XP Professional and are only meant to be a general guide}.
Make Some Backups
You need a fall back position in case bad things happen. Create an XP restore point. Consider saving: Email files and account settings, desktop and favorites, My Documents, other files? You've been meaning to backup anyhow, haven't you?
Add Memory
New programs are larger and tax the memory of an older PC. To effectively operate today you need at least 1 GB of RAM. When I spec a new PC I usually include 2 GB of RAM. Check your RAM size and seriously consider an upgrade; easy to do and could have a big impact. {Start -> Control Panel -> System, to see RAM installed}
Eliminate Malware
Malware includes adware (sometimes, but not often helpful), and spyware (never a good thing). Malware has decreased somewhat as a public nuisance, but is still a likely suspect when your PC slows down or acts strangely. The average malware can be removed by the average user.
Tips: (1) create a restore point; (2) turn off System Restore; (3) run at least two removal programs; (4) run the removal programs while in Safe Mode; (5) turn on System Restore.
I recommend three spyware removal programs: (1) Microsoft Defender; (2) Spybot Search and Destroy; (3) Ad-Aware. Pick one (and only one) to leave running as a safeguard (I usually use Defender).
Is your security suite screwing you up?
Consider disabling or uninstalling security suite software. Some security controls can choke the performance out of a PC, while safeguarding it. Try disabling the features, one at a time to see if your PC performance improves. MacAfee makes it's suite difficult to uninstall! Try uninstalling in Safe Mode.
Consider an alternative approach, such as a good antivirus program and a separate anti-spyware program. I use AVG; they have a free and a Pro version.
De-program
Uninstall unneeded programs. A new PC comes with demo software and freebies that are seldom used. Then we add programs that we end up not using. Sometimes a desired installation slips in other software we don't need/want. Yahoo, Adobe, and others often slip things past the casual installer.
Uninstalling programs will recover space, and as a bonus, may also free up some operating resources and speed things up. {Start -> Control Panel -> Add or remove Programs}
Clean up your browser
Clean out file debris
Scan your hard drive
Windows has a tool to scan hard drives. This can resolve file location errors and other disk management issues. {My Computer -> C Drive Properties -> Tools -> Check Now -> check to "automatically fix..." and to "scan for...", then Start} This test requires you to restart your PC. This can take a while on a large hard drive so it's a good task to run overnight.
De-fragment your hard drive
Over time, the files on your hard drive become fragmented. The files are still there and usable, but they are scattered all over the hard drive and become inefficient for the operating system to access and move around. Think of it as a messy drawer - everything is there; it just takes longer to locate things. Windows has a tool to regroup your file pieces (defrag) and reorganize the hard drive. {My Computer -> C Drive Properties -> Tools -> De-fragment Now -> select the C drive -> De-fragment} This can take a while so it's a good task to run overnight.
Check hard drive capacity (after you do all the cleanup steps)
PC Recommendations
- Recommendations for your PC
This lens looks at computer systems needs and at solutions that stand out from the others.
Stop unnecessary services
Many programs install and run services for their convenience. Sometimes these services are running unnecessarily and can slow things down. Places to check for unnecessary services: System Icon Tray (lower right of Start line where time is shown), the Startup Folder {All Programs, Startup) and run MSCONFIG to see all services and programs started by the operating system for you when you start your PC (you will probably be surprised at the things that are running).
Repeat these steps periodically
Accumulated digital debris caused your PC to slow down in the first place. Don't wait so long before doing a good cleanup on your PC. It will pay off in better performance and you will get to know your PC a little better. Pick a schedule (monthly? quarterly?) that you are comfortable with.
Consider a new PC
Try these steps first and you should get back some of the missing speed and performance. It may not be enough. Consider carefully the cost of additional memory, new hard drive and service costs, versus the cost of a new PC system.
Warnings!
-Back up! You should be doing backups anyhow. This is a perfect time to catch up.
-Be sure you know what program you are dealing with before uninstalling any program. Research it if you are not completely sure.
-Be sure you know what service you are disabling in MSCONFIG before disabling any startup operation or service. Research it if you are not completely sure.
-Be sure you know what files you are dealing with before deleting any files. Research it if you are not completely sure.
-Unplug your PC from the electrical outlet before opening the PC case to add memory or clean it out. Be properly grounded. Be careful what and where you touch. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, which might involve reading the manuals.
Tips
-For Windows XP, create a restore point before making any changes to your PC.
-Use this HubPage as a guide. The steps are independent. Skip a step if you don't get it.
-Be organized - have a checklist and take notes at each step. This will give you more control over the process.
-If you need more detailed information on the steps suggested, refer to the External Links.
-Allow enough time - don't rush and you'll make fewer mistakes. Some steps can take an hour or more and will be ok to run overnight.
-Pay attention. The computer jargon and procedure steps can seem confusing
and sometimes intimidating. However, the average user can work through most
of this and get the desired result by staying focused.
Things you'll need
Time - set aside enough time. Some procedures like de-fragmenting can take quite a while. Tinkering with your system should not be rushed.
Lifeline - it's a good idea to have a PC professional on-call or within reach in case you need advice.
Manuals - the original computer manuals and any literature provided with upgrades.
Confidence - many PC users don't do these simple steps because the technology can seem intimidating. These steps are within the average persons reach. Have confidence.
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I'm thinking of switching to a Mac as my home PC has slowed and I have young children. Curious, if Macs maintain performance over PCs for the long haul.
Jack, Congrats on another #1 Hub. It's good information contributed by experts like you that people really like.
Thank you for the contributions.
Best,
Paul Edmondson
Real Helpful, thanks
Excellent nice and clear, good squidoo page too.
(You reminded me I have not de-fraged in a very long time.)
Cheers
Jeff
Thanks to all for the nice feedback. There was a comment reminding me that I had not talked about spyware. Added the 10th step for spyware. The comment is now gone, if I deleted, I apologize!
Hey Jack, it's the first comment and it's still there.
Hah! Thanks to "PC Help" for the spyware suggestion. Thanks to Paul for helping me read my own HubPage! Thanks and Hi to Jeff, Squider supreme.
We have to convert you guys:) Thanks for all the great feedback!
Hi Jack,
Checking our search referrers today and found this from MSN.
http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=how+do+i+spee
You're on the first page. Not bad.
Best,
Paul Edmondson
Sweet! And part of the traffic is from the items I discussed in the promo hub.
It's only a list of wellknown facts for every "non-stupid" user.
Tis true Goga. I'm one of those stupid users and I'm still stumbling across things (well known to others) that are new to me.
Excellent Post. I look forward to reading more advise from you in the future, I have a lot to learn. Any thoughts on "Always on" PCs vs not?
I bought memory and I can't figure out how to install it....when I ordered it, it was supposedly the right one for my computer, should I bite the bullet and just get someone (Best Buy) to install it for me?
Hi Kath, PC on or not is a personal preference. Not a big reliability issue either way.
Hi redflower, you can do it!. Got to Crucial's site (link on this page re memory) and go to their support section. Instructions with pictures. Have courage!
I just forwarded this to a friend who's been complaining his computer has gotten too slow. :-)
As a geriatric rookie with no ready advice available, I need all the help I can get; thank God I have the time and patience to research great sites like this. I stumbled on it looking for the blog of peteryoungren.org--it is ironic to find this just when I need it.
Great article, I perform a lot of these task already.
Great article I perform a lot of these task already.
This is a very helpful hub. I'm printing it out now and will set aside the time to follow these steps through. Thanks. Great hub!
Thank You for the info but you didn't say some good Anti-Viruses.
Well I have 1 it is called avd free or avg antivirus. The avg free you have to update by yourself while the avg anti-virus you have to pay but gets you all the updates instantly.
Thx for the suggestion munroenet. I use AVG free myself and install it for friends and family. I added the link above. BTW the free version does have an automatic update. You have more control with the Pro version, but free is very good!
Thank you, it is just what I was searching for. There is also something about Defragmentation. It would be good if you could give up some advices.
I like your info. Good work! I will use this info for my PC, really slow now.
gr8 help from u....thanks a million..my pc is faster dan b4...kip it up
Great tips! Your article was easy to understand and I will be taking your advice. My computer is ony a couple of years old but I have noticed lately that it is a bit slow. I do perform a lot of these tasks but, I never thought of the Items in the systems tray.
Thanks for the help.
What a great hub! I implemented some of these tactics as soon as I read them (I'm even doing a disk cleanup as we speak). Very informative, and wonderfully useful material. Thanks so much! --Jaclyn
Hi
Just a few tips I hope you don't mind me adding... When you create a "restore points" it will wipe a lot of space from your hard drive, so if you are running low on space I would recommend "removing all the most restore point" which after once done, will get you back a lot of space, especially if you use the "restore" feature a lot! and within at least 24 hours your "system restore points all nice and fresh.... To access go to *start*..*programs*. *accessories* *system tools*, *disc clean up*, then select the "drive" Then click the "more options tab" Then simply clean up.
With regards to backing up data, I use more than just one medium, as just using discs is not enough for me, as I am not sure what shelf life Discs have and also there vulnerabilities like direct sun shine and scratches which happen so I use Discs, and an external hard drive, Important pictures and text based content I have on two memory sticks.. I use many online storage facilities which I keep things I will need when I don't have any hard ware to hand when I'm at buddies and there nice and free:)
To increase the speed of your PC further especially if your doing a lot of "script based" research I always recommend people turning off pictures, animations ,flash, java, etc which will increase the speed tenfold. I have 5 browsers I use and each one is customised to what I am searching for and what images etc i will need to see which can be done with the tools in the browser your using.
The other way I can achieve the speed and efficiency my PC had when I first purchased it, is when I complete a "fresh O.S install" and install all the latest drivers , software etc all brand new and up to date. Its definitely worth the 8 hours it takes to do, say twice a year.
C-S:)
great information and simply explained even i understood i will be saving this hub thank's
Thanks to all for the nice feedback! Regards, Jack
Thanks for the good tips, compu-smart. I agree that back-up media like tape, often can't be trusted. Regards, Jack
That's a really nice concise list, I wish I had read this about 6 months ago when I had to find all this out for myself! I used crucial.com as well, though I jumped from there to ebay and got some very cheap used RAM and an extra hard-drive.. I would add that to your check 'hard-drive capacity' note... ie. it's not that difficult to add another hard drive!
Also I used CCLEANER (free!) to clean up the PC a little.
I will soon be taking a computer networking diploma course and am sure hubs like this will come in very handy as I move along with my training. EXCELLENT !!!!!!
Thanks Jay, glad you liked it. I recommended CleanUp! for cleaning out temp files, etc at http://hubpages.com/hub/Free_software.
Hi sagk_59, good luck with that networking course!
Clean Up is great, but I'd recommend using it in trial mode first to make sure you don't remove any dll files etc. (I had an issue a while back, but in fairness I've not had the same problem since, so it could have been me! ;0)
Thanks for this usefull hub. I must confess I perform many of the steps you recommend. But even so, I seem to be doing a 'new install' quite often.
great article.
Very timely and useful hub. Im a computer nit wit (haha) and it will take time for me to 'analyze' all this but Im very glad to have a list to read through and help me do the right thing. And you can be sure, i will be calling you for HELP if I blunder along the way. :-)
Awesome hub, and these tips are simple enough for even the most green of computer users. :)
Great hub! I would say a bit outdated, though :) I usually recommend to my users at least 1 Gig for XP nowadays, and don't get me started on Vista :D
These basic maintenance tools should be done once a week, but you should include partitioning your hard drive or even convert your hard drive to dynamic disk and create logical volumes (xp pro only) to speed up things. I have 8 logical volumes to keep my system, programs files, document files, website files all seperate and then i can even extend these volumes if space is running out.
Graeme. I.T Diploma Student. :)
What a great hub page, that's what this site is all about. It's simple to use the info, but like Misha I'd say 1GB is a minimum now for XP! Peace - Dave
Thanks for the great feedback guys and gals! Misha and Trojan Eliminator are right - 1 GB is a better minimum today, and I've updated the HubPage accordingly. Thanks!
Great stuff you got here! Where do you get all your content, do you write it all?
cheers
Thanks spiche. Content comes from experience and research. Writing is mine, for better or worse...
WoW,,,i have to say thank you very much for this helpful info, i am doing the defragmentation process right now, so i hope it ends up running good (fingers crossed) and i have also performed the disk cleanup i think it is, i have windows xp with 256 Ram, yeah its kinda old so do you think that could be a reason for it running slow aswell?
thank you :)
This looks like something I'll have to try, if I can do it without destroying everything!
Ricky, 256 ram is barely adequate to function with XP; you need more memory.
W.F., many thousands have stood where you stand. They bravely followed the plan and smiled afterwards.
Dam thats some bad news, but to be honest it has actually started to run smoothly, but i know that i need more memory anyway, how much does it usually cost and how much memory would i be recommended to go for.
( i no nothing about pc's) haha
Ricky,
Go to http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/index.aspx it will scan your system and recommend memory upgrades for your system. :)
My windows defragmenter just doesn't do the job it is supposed to. I happened across a a program called Security Tango...I love it. I didn't need a few of the free things offered but downloaded them just in case and ran them as well. The Auslogics Disk Defragmenter is OUTSTANDING! Here's the link to the Tango...
http://securitytango.com/tango.php
Great write up! Keep it up!
Hi Cynthia, thanks for the feedback. The link to Crucial's memory checker is at the top of this page, under the heading - Check your PC memory,,,
cool tips
Fabulous tips! Our IT administrators have gone on strike and I couldnt get any work donw! I'm following your steps to a T and I'll de-frag later tonight.
Fantastic points on deleting the unnecessary applications ; and the start-up services, only thing is - is there any link of a list of things I should disable ? I assume I should keep all the microsoft services?
System configuration utility has services and start-up and alot of things I am SO wanna get delete-happy ... Please do advice if there's any lists, thanks in advance! :)
So specific and helpful! Thanks a bunch.
Thanks Melanie. There are so many services that no list can be complete. Here is a good link - http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/pr .
Also, Google is your friend here. Just search on the name of the service and you'll likely find background, When in doubt, don't delete!
Thanks Rudra and Sunshine Chen for your nice words.
jstankevicz -
Can you recommend a anti-virus program? I'm using Kaspersky now, and it's vey slow.
THANKyOU. very helpful hub
peoplesearch - I use AVG; they also have a free version that works well.
bloggerjb - glad the Hub is useful.
good stuff. thank you.
Excellent info!! AVG is a great program... Kaspersky isn't bad either (although there is a license fee).
~ Peter :-)
This has been sent to me as a sample for a good hub page.. then where is the ebay and amazon links.. not required?
I appreciate that somebody thought it was a good Hub-Page! You don't have to use every module. Including all the money modules doesn't always make money, and may well not enhance the Hub's readability or usefulness.
I've managed to really clean old programs and old files on disk and I've got loads of free GB on my hard disk. I also added another 1GB of RAM and now everything is flying...
Thanks!
p.s.
Microsoft Windows is a really bad operating system, because it makes computer so slow with time, that it is almost useless.
94 and standing on the springboard. Looks like the check list I need, so will dive in and keep my fingers x'ed. Thanks.
Organization is really the key, then it's easy to get folders and files onto disks and have everything on command. My pc is one big clutter. Great lens to remind people to move the mouse a couple of times and getting to know where everything is at :)
working
PC Help says:
2 years ago
Great list. I do a lot of family and friends support and I'll be sure to pass this list along to them. You may want to add how to check for spyware. This is usually the culprit from my experience.