Speed Up A Computer

The following tasks are going to be the highest impact tasks that you can try to speed up a computer. Hopefully your PC will be brought back up to a normal speed after finishing this guide. Also, there are many more computer tips in our guides and tips section that can help to further speed up your PC.

1) Defragment To Boost Hard Drive Speed (Recommended)

This will help your hard drive run much more efficiently. If you haven't defragmented in awhile, we would recommend running the windows defrag multiple times. To Defragment your hard drive, open up "My Computer", Right Click on C:, Click properties, Click the "Tools" Tab, Click "Defragment Now", Click Defragment, click OK. Read More About Defragmenting or Check out Microsoft's article about Defragmenting

2) Scan For and Remove Viruses

One of the most common reasons for a slow desktop or laptop is a virus. You will want to scan for and remove any viruses that may be infecting your system. This may be a difficult task if you already have a virus. However, many virus's can be removed by your virus protection software. Read More About Removing Viruses

3) Remove Spyware

Another common reason for a slowness is spyware or malware. You will want to run a spyware check and remove any spyware that the spyware program finds. Read More About Removing Spyware

NOTE: We have reviewed many virus/spyware removal applications. You can check out our recommendations on our Recommended Software page.

4) Free Up Disk Space (Recommended)

If your PC is low on disk space, freeing up disk space can help speed up a PC. Freeing up disk space will also help out with step 3, defragging. Read More About Freeing Up Disk Space

5) Disable Windows Indexing Service

The Windows Indexing Service is always running in the backround on your PC and can slow your PC down a bit. Disabling this can give a small speed boost. Read More About Disabling Windows Indexing Service

6) Optimizing Windows Startup Programs

When Windows starts up it automatically loads a number of programs, many of which you may not need all the time and can be started when needed. One thing that will help speed will be cutting down on the number of programs that startup automatically. Read More About Optimizing Windows Startup Programs

7) Disable Unnecessary Services

Services are programs that are continuously running in the background of Windows and are doing different tasks that Windows needs done. There are a lot of these services and they can use a lot of resources. The good news is that a lot of these services are expendable and can be turned off without any problems. This is an ADVANCED TASK. Read More About Disabling Unnecessary Services

8) Clean your Case

The inside of a desktop tower can get dusty over time. This dust will cause the fans will cause the cooling equipment to not work as well as when you first bought the computer. This excess heat can cause slowness and other problems. By cleaning out the inside of your case, you may be able to regain some speed. Read More About Cleaning your Computer

9) Upgrade Your Memory

A memory upgrade is the only upgrade we recommend for the novice to intermediate user. It is inexpensive and can make a HUGE difference if your system is low on memory. The reason we put this at #11 is because it requires you to buy and install hardware. All other speed tips can be done instantly. Read More About Upgrading Memory

This is the top list of ways to speed up your computer. If you still need more help, there are a few similar and different tips here that may also help.

PC Optimizing Software

If the steps above worry you or if you are not comfortable performing them, we recommend checking out a PC optimizing software as they are perfect for the novice user. We have reviewed pc matic, SpeedUpMyPC, and Auslogics Boostspeed and found them to be excellent. We have also reviewed tuneup utilities and it is pretty good as well.

ComputerTooSlow Home

If you enjoyed this post, please Tweet or

-By Dominic

Web site and all contents © Copyright ComputerTooSlow.com 2012, All rights reserved.