Speed Up Your Computer For Free

A slow PC that freezes and crashes often is a major cause of concern and frustration for all computer users. Usually, when our computer slows down we start cursing it, without finding out the cause of the slowdown.

Do you know that most of the computer slowdown problems can be resolved by performing a few simple PC maintenance tasks?

This article will introduce you to some of the common reasons for slow computer problems and what you can do to avoid them and speed up your computer.

Computers usually slow down due to:

• Large, fragmented, corrupt and slow registry.
• Too many startup programs unnecessarily feeding on your system resources and CPU.
• Virus or spyware infections.
• Cluttered, filled up, and fragmented hard disk.

Registry problems usually occur due to the accumulation of a large amount of unwanted, invalid, and obsolete data within it. This data causes the registry to grow to a very large size, which, in turn, corrupts and fragments its files. A large, bloated and corrupt registry slows down, and as a result slows down your computer. To combat this problem, you may use a reliable registry cleaner tool to regularly scan the registry and remove unwanted data from it. Using a registry tool, you can also defrag the registry which enables you to compress and reindex its files to speed up registry data access time.

Excessive usage of CPU and other system resources by unwanted startup programs is also a major cause of slow PC performance. To decrease CPU usage and speed up your computer, you need to disable unwanted programs to launch at startup. To do this, perform the following steps:

• Run the msconfig command to display the System Configuration Utility dialog box. On the Services and Startup tab, clear the check boxes of all programs and services you do not want to load at startup. While doing so, you must be careful to not disable programs and services that are essential for your Windows system.
• Delete unnecessary program shortcuts from the Startup folder in Start menu.
• Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to open Task Manager. Here, on the Processes tab, close all programs that are running unnecessarily on your computer. (This is a temporary operation that helps you free up the CPU and other system resources while your PC is operational.)

To prevent computer slowdowns due to virus and spyware infections, it is important to take measures to prevent these malicious programs from infiltrating your system in the first place. You can do this easily with the help of reliable antivirus and antispyware tools. You must always keep these tools updated with the latest definitions. It is a good idea to opt for tool that comprises the automatic or live update feature. It is even better, if your antivirus and antispyware tools have the real-time protection feature. Enabling this feature will provide you with real-time protection against virus and spyware attacks.

Finally, you must use the Disk Cleanup tool regularly to remove unwanted files and data from your computer. You can use this tool to get rid of unwanted Internet Explorer and Program setup files, clean the Recycle Bin, uninstall no longer required programs, and delete old system restore points. After cleaning up, you can use the Disk Defragmenter tools to restore the contiguity of the hard disk data and optimize it for high-speed performance.

See also Regain system performance by following our PC Speed Up checklist