How to Make a Computer Run Better
Use a free software web browser., Clean corrupt windows registry this has a significant impact on computers' speed., Defragment your hard drive every one to two weeks., Some applications install things on your computer that make it run slower., Try...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use a free software web browser.
Not only are they considered more secure because it is open source, therefore anyone can help develop and fix it, it is also more obscure in general than the very popular Internet Explorer.
The less popular it is, the less likely someone thinks about it while writing malware.
Use Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla SeaMonkey, Google Chrome or Opera.
Maxthon browser is also a good option. -
Step 2: Clean corrupt windows registry this has a significant impact on computers' speed.
Other sites sources for different software selection are CNET, Tucows etc , This tool can usually be found by right clicking a hard drive on "My Computer" and clicking on "Properties." Then click the tab "Tools."
Things such as having hundreds of fonts will make it load slower.
Spyware and Ad-Ware will also make your computer run slower so get a good spyware cleaner like Spyware Doctor, AVG etc.
Some anti-virus programs although needed for a Windows computer will slow down your computer (but it is very risky to use internet without security). , This can cause unexpected results.
If you do change them and do not like the results and cannot undo them, execute "System Restore." It is much like a time machine for your computer.
There are three different ways to execute this program:
Open "My Computer" and click "Control Panel." There should be a "System Restore" somewhere.
Click your start button.
Then choose "All Programs." Then go to "Accessories." Lastly, choose "System Tools." There should the be a "System Restore." In case it is not in both places stated above, it is then in this file directory: "C:/WINDOWS/system32/Restore" with the executable named "rstrui." This is only available in Windows XP, as far as I know. , Also, keeping them all loaded in programs such as Winamp may cause your computer to run more slowly. , This helps a bit, but only on Thunderbird, MS Outlook or other E-Mail clients that save stuff to your hard drive; with webmail such as Yahoo Mail it will make no difference. , This makes your computer to work a lot harder to paint this again and again on desktop background.
It's the same as trying to load a large digital picture; it takes forever, at least for slower computers. ,, (Start > Control Panel > Screen and Desktop > Desktop) , Select the hard drive you wish to cleanup (usually C:), and once the scan is complete, choose the types of files you wish to remove. , Click Start > Run..., type "msconfig" in the box, and click OK.
Select the 'Start up' tab, and deselect any programs you don't want to automatically run when you boot up.
If you're not sure what something is, Google the name of it and you can usually find a description.
Don't get rid of anything you're not sure about.
This can have a substantial impact on boot time and overall system performance.Programs can also schedule tasks to launch automatically when windows starts to stop such programs use windows task scheduler.To open Scheduled Tasks, click Start, click All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks. , You can get the chip-set drivers from you motherboard manufacturer's site.
The video card drivers you can get from ATI's or nVidia's website. *** Make sure you make a restore point before installing the drivers.
This is also true for Linux computers usually the proprietary driver will run faster/better then the free community driver but this is not always the case. ,, You can do this with the disks that came with your computer, or a "system recovery" application on your computer.
This will make your computer as fast as the day that you bought it, but will delete all of the files that you have put on your computer.
Do a complete backup first. , With more RAM, you can keep more programs in memory at once, and they will respond more quickly.
For Windows Vista, having at least 2-4 Gigabytes of RAM is recommended for great system performance, for Windows XP usually 1-2 Gigabytes is overkill unless you do a lot of gaming or video editing, Same with Linux unless you're booting from live CD you don't need tons of RAM.
Be careful though, if you put too much RAM in your computer that it doesn't actually need, it can actually have an adverse effect on your computers overall performance as it has to constantly be refreshing that extra RAM. -
Step 3: Defragment your hard drive every one to two weeks.
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Step 4: Some applications install things on your computer that make it run slower.
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Step 5: Try not to change in-depth system preferences.
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Step 6: If you have a lot of videos or music
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Step 7: keep them organized.
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Step 8: Clear your e-mail in box regularly.
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Step 9: Don't use a huge graphic picture as your background wallpaper.
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Step 10: Change the computer theme to "Windows-Standard" (Start > Control Panel > Screen and desktop > Themes)
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Step 11: Change the computers desktop to none
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Step 12: and change the color to black or some other basic color.
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Step 13: Run Disk Cleanup (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup).
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Step 14: Get rid of unwanted start up programs.
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Step 15: Download and install the latest drivers for your motherboard's chip-set and the video card.
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Step 16: Download updates for Windows from Windows Updates.
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Step 17: In extreme cases
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Step 18: you may have to "reformat" your computer and reinstall Windows.
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Step 19: Increase the amount of RAM on your computer.
Detailed Guide
Not only are they considered more secure because it is open source, therefore anyone can help develop and fix it, it is also more obscure in general than the very popular Internet Explorer.
The less popular it is, the less likely someone thinks about it while writing malware.
Use Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla SeaMonkey, Google Chrome or Opera.
Maxthon browser is also a good option.
Other sites sources for different software selection are CNET, Tucows etc , This tool can usually be found by right clicking a hard drive on "My Computer" and clicking on "Properties." Then click the tab "Tools."
Things such as having hundreds of fonts will make it load slower.
Spyware and Ad-Ware will also make your computer run slower so get a good spyware cleaner like Spyware Doctor, AVG etc.
Some anti-virus programs although needed for a Windows computer will slow down your computer (but it is very risky to use internet without security). , This can cause unexpected results.
If you do change them and do not like the results and cannot undo them, execute "System Restore." It is much like a time machine for your computer.
There are three different ways to execute this program:
Open "My Computer" and click "Control Panel." There should be a "System Restore" somewhere.
Click your start button.
Then choose "All Programs." Then go to "Accessories." Lastly, choose "System Tools." There should the be a "System Restore." In case it is not in both places stated above, it is then in this file directory: "C:/WINDOWS/system32/Restore" with the executable named "rstrui." This is only available in Windows XP, as far as I know. , Also, keeping them all loaded in programs such as Winamp may cause your computer to run more slowly. , This helps a bit, but only on Thunderbird, MS Outlook or other E-Mail clients that save stuff to your hard drive; with webmail such as Yahoo Mail it will make no difference. , This makes your computer to work a lot harder to paint this again and again on desktop background.
It's the same as trying to load a large digital picture; it takes forever, at least for slower computers. ,, (Start > Control Panel > Screen and Desktop > Desktop) , Select the hard drive you wish to cleanup (usually C:), and once the scan is complete, choose the types of files you wish to remove. , Click Start > Run..., type "msconfig" in the box, and click OK.
Select the 'Start up' tab, and deselect any programs you don't want to automatically run when you boot up.
If you're not sure what something is, Google the name of it and you can usually find a description.
Don't get rid of anything you're not sure about.
This can have a substantial impact on boot time and overall system performance.Programs can also schedule tasks to launch automatically when windows starts to stop such programs use windows task scheduler.To open Scheduled Tasks, click Start, click All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Scheduled Tasks. , You can get the chip-set drivers from you motherboard manufacturer's site.
The video card drivers you can get from ATI's or nVidia's website. *** Make sure you make a restore point before installing the drivers.
This is also true for Linux computers usually the proprietary driver will run faster/better then the free community driver but this is not always the case. ,, You can do this with the disks that came with your computer, or a "system recovery" application on your computer.
This will make your computer as fast as the day that you bought it, but will delete all of the files that you have put on your computer.
Do a complete backup first. , With more RAM, you can keep more programs in memory at once, and they will respond more quickly.
For Windows Vista, having at least 2-4 Gigabytes of RAM is recommended for great system performance, for Windows XP usually 1-2 Gigabytes is overkill unless you do a lot of gaming or video editing, Same with Linux unless you're booting from live CD you don't need tons of RAM.
Be careful though, if you put too much RAM in your computer that it doesn't actually need, it can actually have an adverse effect on your computers overall performance as it has to constantly be refreshing that extra RAM.
About the Author
Diane Ferguson
Brings years of experience writing about creative arts and related subjects.
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