Make Your Old Computer Run Faster!

OK, your $1200 machine is 7 months old now. The technology in it is obsolete (but unfortunately it already was by the time it left the factory), it takes 5 minutes to boot-up, your software is running about as fast as the computer that's been sitting in the closet for 7 months, and you don't know why. Why doesn't it run like it did the first day you brought it home? The answer isn't always simple; there could be 1000 different things wrong with it. Fortunately for you, there are some things we can do to help:

Before we start doing things inside Windows, open up your computer. You will probably find it to be VERY dusty...and if this is the case pick up a can of air duster at your local computer store. The can is just compressed air, which will blow away all the dust on your components. Make sure the case fans (if any) are clear of dust to, good airflow is important.

1. Wait the long 5 minutes for your computer to boot. Once you're on the desktop, go to the start menu. Select "run..." Type "msconfig" (no quotes) into the box. The Microsoft system configuration utility should pop up (if you're on Windows XP, Windows 2K users visit: www.techadvice.com/win2000/m/msconfig_w2k.htm

Once this handy tool pops up go to the "Startup" tab...
You will see a list of every process that runs on system startup. Some of these should look familiar; if you know what a program on this list is and you know you don't want it loading on system startup, uncheck it. There will probably be items on the list that you don't recognize. Any of the things on this list can be googled; you'll find a page which explains what a process is, and if it's vital to the system or not. Anything non-essential or unwanted should just be unchecked. Without having to load all that additional garbage your aging computer should boot up much faster (depending on how many processes you disabled). When you exit the msconfig utility you'll see a message about restarting now or later; you are not required to restart right after you do this.

2. Go back to the run command in the start menu. Type "%temp%" (again without the quotes). Your temp folder will pop up. Just hit ctrl + A to select everything in here, and then delete it (make sure to empty the recycle bin as well).

3. Open the control panel (found in the start menu). Go to add/remove programs. Uninstall all programs you don't need or use. This step is fairly obvious, but important nonetheless. If you don't know what something on the software list is you should probably find out (search engines!) before you remove it.

4. Run chkdisk. To do this right click on the drive where windows is installed (usually C:) in "My Computer" and go to Properties, then go to the tools tab. You should see "error checking". Click check now...and once that's done check both of the scan options, then click start. It will tell you that this cannot be completed while Windows is running, and gives you an option to schedule the check to happen on the next restart. Click yes. Once you're back in Windows after the check, defragment your drive (this option is right under error-checking in the tools tab). Reducing the amount of fragmentation in your file system can help your operating system run faster and can prolong the life of your hard disk. When in the Disk Defragmenter click "analyze"; if it says you do not need to defragment this volume than don't bother.

5. Visit www.ccleaner.com/ for a great software tool; read the description below to find out more:

"CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)"

6. With the 5 steps above you should already be seeing improvement. But you need to be sure your computer is malware (malicious software) free. Any kind of adware or virus could slow your system down a lot. For FREE virus scanning I recommend Bit Defender free edition. If your computer is on an Internet connection that is always connected, you HAVE to be behind a firewall; PC's on broadband connections are vulnerable to attacker intrusions all the time. For FREE firewall protection, I recommend Zone Alarm basic.

If you're still not getting the kind of preformance you want, go to "system" in the control panel. In the Advanced tab, click on the settings for Performance. Then select the "Adjust for best preformance" option. Windows will apply less visual effects as you're using your machine; resulting in another boost in speed.

One of the most cost effective upgrades you can preform on your current system is a RAM upgrade. Before you buy anything, you need to find what memory your motherboard is compatible with (for example PC3200 DDR), and how much RAM your system already has. To see the amount you currently have, type "dxdiag" in the run prompt and look at the Memory. Adding an additional 512 MB or 1 GB of system RAM will result in a significant performance gain; and installing your new RAM isn't hard to do yourself (unlike Circuit City or Best Buy would have you believe; they will charge you $30 even for something this simple).

Good luck and happy computing!