Windows 8 can help you clean up
temporary and system files that applications may leave on your computer.
ReadyBoost can utilize flash
storage to improve the speed of your computer.
Speed is the key to making sure you can be
as efficient and productive as possible. It’s also important if you need to run
the newest software and applications. However, a variety of factors can affect
your computer’s performance and make it more difficult and more time-consuming
to
complete even the simplest tasks. Luckily, there are many ways to either
increase your computer’s speed or remove the barriers that are preventing it
from performing up to its potential. Here are a few tips and tricks that may
help you get back up to speed.
Clean Up Your Hard
Drives
In some cases, a slow computer could be
the result of a full hard drive. Computers not only use onboard memory (RAM) to run software and
applications, they can also use portions of the hard drive, especially when RAM
runs short. If you’re running out of storage, then your computer won’t have
access to these additional
resources and you might notice a decrease in speed. It’s easy to find unneeded
documents and files to delete, but you may also be able to delete entire
programs if you
don’t use them anymore.
Windows has a built-in feature called Disk Cleanup
that will help you find non-essential files to delete.
In Windows 7, go to the Start menu and click All
Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Disk Cleanup. If you run Windows 8,
you can type Disk
Cleanup and select it from
the Search results. It will let you know how much space you can free up. You
also have the option of seeing what it wants to delete, so it won’t accidentally
remove important files. When an otherwise decent computer starts running
slowly, you should also check to see if there are any programs running in the
background. You can see which ones are running by holding down CTRL + ALT +
DELETE and selecting Start Task Manager. Click the Applications tab and you’ll see all of the programs that are currently
running. Some applications start running in the background as soon as you turn
on your computer; preventing unnecessary programs from doing this will also help
increase the speed of your PC.
Scan For Viruses
& Spyware
Some of those programs running in the
background could actually be viruses. Many malicious applications appear to be legitimate programs,
so you may not recognize them at first. Malware, spyware, and other viruses can
slow down your computer in addition to posing a security threat, so it’s a good idea to run an antivirus scan
if your computer is not as efficient as it could be.
Norton 360 from Symantec provides you with
a suite of Norton’s security utilities that you can control from a single interface. You’ll enjoy PC
security that provides real-time protection when you’re emailing, surfing the
Web, and chatting with friends online. A firewall will help block potentially dangerous programs from reaching your system. Identity
protection warns you when visiting unsafe websites and can prevent others from
hacking into your PC. A PC tune-up utility completes the suite by helping you find problems may
be slowing down your PC.
Norton 360 helps you remove
viruses, and it also offers software that can increase the speed of your
computer.
Consider upgrading to Windows 8,
which boots up and loads files very quickly.
Tools To Increase
Speed
If you’ve already tried cleaning your hard
drive and scanning for viruses, but your computer still isn’t as fast as you’d
like, there are a few free tools you can try that may help. One of these tools
is a Microsoft utility called Windows ReadyBoost, which uses additional memory
from flash drives or memory cards to increase the speed of your Windows 7 or
Windows 8 computer. To use ReadyBoost, all you need is a flash drive or memory card with at least
1GB of free space that can be dedicated to ReadyBoost. After you connect it to
your computer and set it up, ReadyBoost will use that extra memory to run
software and applications.
Some memory devices indicate on the
packaging that they will work with ReadyBoost. You can turn
ReadyBoost on at the Autoplay dialog box
that appears when you first plug in the external drive. Click General options
and select Speed Up My System. Then, select the ReadyBoost tab and select
Dedicate This Device To ReadyBoost.
Upgrade Your OS
Something you may not initially think of
when you first notice your computer is slowing down is whether or not your
operating system and application software are up-to-date. Software companies
release regular updates for their products, and many operating systems have
downloadable service packs that can improve performance
and may even help your computer use available resources more efficiently. There
may be some situations where an update won’t help because your operating system is simply outdated. If
you or your company uses the latest and greatest software and you have been
using the same OS for more than four or five years, it indimay be time for an
upgrade. This is a good alternative to replacing entire computer systems, if
you know your hardware is capable of running the newer system software and
applications that you need.
Evaluate Your
Hardware
If you’ve exhausted all other options, then
the reason for your computer’s slow-down may be hardware related. All software
titles show the minimum and recommended system requirements needed to run on your computer. If the desktop PC’s specs don’t
match up, then it may be possible to upgrade components, including extra RAM,
more powerful graphics cards, and newer hard drives or other components in
aging systems. Of course, if your computer is five or more years old, it may not
be compatible with certain components, and new parts may therefore not do enough
to increase performance. (And it isn’t
always easy or possible to upgrade laptops.) In that case, it may be time to
invest in new systems that have the latest hardware, software, and OS
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