Pharmacy Technician

The 4 Best Ways to Improve the Speed of Your Computer

Let’s face it; anyone who owns a computer ends up becoming annoyed and frustrated at times, especially when the computer slows down to a snail’s pace. While this can sometimes be painfully obvious whenever you try to load a program, it can also mean that your computer takes forever to boot up.

Even though there are several reasons for a computer slowing down, a slow computer is something that millions of people around the world are faced with almost daily. The good news is however, even though there is no magical quick-fix solution, there are certain things you can do, which in many cases will help to speed up your machine.

#1. Reboot your computer

You’d be amazed at just how many people never bother rebooting their computers, considering that this in itself is one of the biggest culprits in terms of slowing down a computer. After all, so many people now use 24 hour Internet access, with their computers being a part of their daily life, but what they don’t realize is, all computers need to be rebooted frequently in order for them to function as they should.

Some computer programs do not really quit running even when you close them, some of your software probably has memory leakage or seepage, and over time, these memory-thieves will take their toll on your computers available memory. When your computer is using up a lot of its available memory, your computer is not nearly as efficient as it should be, and likely, its downright sluggish. A fresh reboot from time to time will help you to reset your memory to an optimal state, and chances are, your computer will speed up considerably from this small act alone.

#2. Memory upgrade

One could almost say that a computer’s memory is like its muscles, in that if it doesn’t have sufficient available memory, it becomes weak and slow. In fact, insufficient memory is perhaps the biggest course for personal computers becoming slow and sluggish. Nowadays, you simply cannot get by without at least 512 megabytes of RAM, and that only if you’re running one of the older Windows operating systems such as XP for example. Those who are using the Windows Vista platform will require at least 1.5 GB of memory, while those using the new Windows 7 system will require at least 1GB. Irrespective of which operating system you’re using, you should ideally have at least 2 GB of memory if you have a 64-bit system, or if you frequently play games and run many programs simultaneously.

#3. Defragment your computer

As you may well already know, if your hard drive is fragmented it results in your machine becoming inefficient. You can bet your bottom dollar that if you’ve not been using the built in defragment tool, you’ll be forfeiting a substantial amount of your computer’s potential with regards to accessing files and etc.

Windows PCs have a built-in defragmentation tool for a reason — you should use it at least once a month to ensure that your files are not heavily fragmented, and you will likely see a nice speed boost once you run a defragmenter, especially after not using it for a while, or ever, for that matter.

#4. Using a registry cleaner

The windows registry inevitably becomes full of clutter and this is why it is necessary to run a registry cleaner from time to time. In simple terms, the registry is virtually like the brains of a computer, and whenever you choose to install or uninstall a program, data is either added or removed respectively. Unfortunately however, very few programs uninstall as they should, and as a result pockets of data remain left behind. Because this data then has no use, it simply occupies available space, not to mention the fact that it can cause serious conflicts between different programs and different drivers. In fact, a cluttered registry can cause your computer to slow down to a snail’s pace. As a result, it is highly recommended that you use a registry cleaner frequently if you want your computer to continue operating at its best.

In many cases, even using a couple of these tips will help you to improve your computers speed significantly. While just about everybody experiences a PC slowdown on occasion, its not a fun experience, especially when you think the only options are to format your PC or send your computer to the repair shop. By using the tips above, you will help to ensure that you can enjoy a speedier PC today, and hopefully, for many years to come.