Ways to Speed up Your Computer

It is true that a computer shows a decline in speed within a few years after its purchase. Cluttered computer memory, loads of application programs, pop-ups, viruses and insufficient RAM are some of the common causes of decline in computer speed.

Following is a list of ways to help in speeding up your computer:

Defragment the Hard Drive: Defragmentation reduces the fragmentation in file systems by organizing the contents on the disk so that all the pieces of a file are arranged on contiguous locations in memory.

The process of defragmentation creates a larger free space by organizing files together. It removes the gaps that have been left when files were deleted or moved.

Scan the Disk: The Windows operating system is equipped with two utilities that provide you with ways to scan and clean the hard drive of their computers.

The ScanDisk utility available in Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows ME and the ChkDsk available in Windows XP, can scan the computer hard drive and repair many kinds of drive errors you may not even be aware of.

Clean up the Windows Registry: The Windows Registry is the core of the Windows operating system. It is one of the most vital components of a Windows-based computer. If the system registry is overloaded, it hampers the speed of your computer. Hence, remember to clean up the Windows registry on a regular basis.

Disable Indexing Services: An indexing service is a program that indexes and updates lists of all the files on your computer in order to optimize search processes. It uses large amounts of memory, thus slowing down the computer. Indexing services can be disabled through the control panel.

Get rid of Harmful Programs and Viruses: If your computer shows symptoms such as low speeds for no apparent reason and difficulties in connecting to the Internet, there are chances that your computer has spyware.

It is important to safeguard your computer from spyware and adware and seek spyware protection. There are certain free spyware removal programs that allow you to detect and delete adware and spyware software from your computer.

Increase RAM: RAM stands for random access memory. It is a kind of computer data storage that comes in the form of integrated circuits. The more RAM your computer has, the faster it works. Increasing your computer RAM is an excellent way to speed it up.

Remove the Unneeded Programs: Uninstalling the unneeded programs is one of the best ways to improve your computer speed.

Removing the programs, which are not in use, frees a lot of space on your computer, thus increasing its operational speed. Certain startup items consume computer memory and processing power of your computer. Use the MSCONFIG utility to turn them off.

Increase Browsing Speeds: Clearing the Internet cache is one of the best ways of speeding up your computer. Deleting the Internet cookies can also help increase your computer speed. Also, make sure you delete the Temp directory on a regular basis, as it tends to slow a computer to a large extent.

By: Mugambi Lloyd Kevin (mugalloyd2@gmail.com)