how to speed up your computer in five (5) easy steps

Speeding up your computer performance is not as difficult as you might think. Just follow these simple tips and you will find your computer run at its top performance. Once more, don’t trust any articles that claim a registry cleaner alone can make a radical improvement.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Windows OS
• anti virus (free version)
• registry cleaner (free version)

1. 
   
   
   Windows System Configuration Utility Console

   Shut off Unneeded Services and Control Windows Startup Programs.
   In order to get rid of the resource-wasting programs, you must open "System Configuration Utility" by typing and entering "msconfig" in the "Run" command that lies on your Windows start menu. Under "Startup" tab, choose which application that you don't need.

2. 
   
   
   Windows Disk Defragmenter

   Defrag your hard drive. When you write, create, or copy a new file, Windows will allocate space needed for that file. It will automatically write the new file in the next available empty space. The problem is that most often the available space is limited by other file resides right next to that space. If the available space is not enough, Windows will split the new file and allocate the other part to another area of your hard drive. With more and more data are written this way, your file becomes fragmented because all the file’s parts are not in one location. This way, your computer needs to work harder to find all the pieces. As a result, performance slows over time. Defragmenting your hard drive will rearrange these files, reuniting the separated parts to make your files more quickly accessible. It should noticeably speed up the launch of programs and startup process. To run defragmenter using the built-in module in Windows XP and Vista, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools then Disk Defragmenter.

3. 
   
   

   Run anti virus and anti spyware scan. If you run Windows, frequently surf online, visit various websites, and download files often, you have high risk to be infected by malicious software (malware). Malware is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to a slow-running Windows. That’s why you need to run a full system scan at least once a week. Running antivirus scan can clear out resource-hogging infections. You don’t need those expensive antivirus services. Use AVG Anti-Virus free version (scroll down to get the download link). Keep also your virus definitions up to date and maintain good browsing habits to minimize the odds of getting infected.

4. Step 4
   
   Windows Disk Cleanup

   Remove Junk Files. Clean your system by doing some basic housekeeping regularly to preserve it from all the junk that tend to pile up in no time like your browser's cache and temporary files. You can use internal Windows Disk Cleanup. Open your Windows Explorer, choose the folder you want to clean and then right click it, choose Properties, and last choose Disk Cleanup. Similarly, you should consider uninstalling any applications you haven't used in over six months.

5. Step 5
   
   CCleaner-The Free Registry Cleaner

   Scan, Clean, and Fix Your Registry Problems. Windows Registry holds thousands of information of all those settings on your computer. With so many activities we do like installing and uninstalling programs, changing and modifying setting for every application, or updating new drivers, it is very possible there are missing or invalid registry entries and left-out registry keys from previous software installation. The problem is Windows isn’t good enough at optimizing and cleaning its own registry. For a while, this won't be a problem, but after some time the problem will be accumulated and soon become potential to cause various irritating computer problems. Thus, you need a registry cleaner that can fix this entire problem. No need to pay, just use the free registry cleaner like CCleaner (scroll down to get the download link). It is absolutely free to use. If you concern about the scanning capability of a free registry cleaner, you can use TuneUp Utilities 2009 trial version. Its registry cleaner module allows you to scan, clean, and repair your registry for 30 days.

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