Tips to Make Your PC Fast – For the Layman

A computer has become a basic necessity in today’s world, not just for the techie or the gadget geek, but for each and every one of us. We’re slowly moving to a paperless society, with email and instant messaging taking over from where letters and postcards left off. But even though most people have a computer or even two, they’re at a loss when it comes to fine tuning it and making it perform the way they want it to; it’s like knowing how to drive a car but not knowing how to tinker with the engine so that your mileage and speed improve. There’s no need to be a whiz at hardware settings and technical terms to be able to make your computer faster – here are a few simple things that ordinary people like you and me can do to that effect:

1) Get your RAM upgraded. It’s simple enough if you can get someone to install the extra chip on your mother board – all you need to do is decide on the capacity you want and if your system will support it.


2) Keep one program open at a time, and even if you’re multitasking, minimize the windows you’re not using at the moment to save system resources.


3) Use a blank wallpaper as opposed to one that’s loaded with graphics to reduce startup time.


4) Don’t clutter your desktops with too many icons, especially shortcuts to various folders and files on your system. They increase your boot time.


5) Make sure your device drivers are updated at all times; newer versions, especially those that control graphic devices, are bound to increase your speed.


6) Reduce the resolution of your display to reach a compromise between speed and clarity.


7) Ensure that your system is protected with a reliable anti-virus software package that keeps out malware. Viruses, Trojans and worms can eat up system resources and slow down your computer considerably.


8) Run the Disk Cleanup and Disk Fragmenter tools (Start - All Programs – Accessories – System Tools) on a regular basis. These tools clean out the junk from your memory and help free space for your data and programs.


9) Empty your recycle bin from time to time.


10) If you browse the Web on a regular basis, remove temporary Internet files from the cache.


11) Uninstall programs that you no longer use. You must use the Control Panel to uninstall them instead of just deleting the files associated with the application.


12) Use just one browser to surf the Internet and uninstall all the rest after you’ve tried them out.


13) Disable unused or unneeded applications that load automatically on start up. Do this only if you’re sure you know what the program does.


14)Delete all the restoration points except the last one.You can simply do this by going to Accessories-->System Tools-->Disk CleanUp.Click "More Options" and there under "System Restore",click 'Clean Up' to delete all restoration points except the last one.


This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of cell phone deals. She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick24[at]gmail[dot]com

This is an updating list.Last Updated: 27/01/2009


2 comments:

  1. Yeach.. but for laptop build in, I can't upgrade the RAM :(

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Brillie,

    I think its possible to increase the RAM and storage capacity of a laptop up to a certain extent.

    ReplyDelete

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