My Computer is Running Too Slow - How Can I Speed Up My PC?

Most of us have experienced it.  You turn on your computer... and then walk away.  Why?  Because you have to wait for you comuter to completely "boot up" before you can start using it!  If you don't know this..this is not normal.  

But that’s not the end of it.  Then comes the hesitation after we click a command for your computer to execute.  Most people don't do know that there is something you can actually do about this.  It's much easier to just "deal" with it, accept it, and then ultimately just buy a new computer.  But not all of us have this option.  Check out these tips below that may help you speed up your "wait".  And maybe save you money from having to seek out help from a tech or worse yet, forcing you to just buy another computer.

Speed Up Tip #1:  Add more memory

This is tip number one for a reason.  Upgrading your hardware will make your computer run more efficient.  Simply speaking, all the data that is loaded you’re your screen, must first travel through your memory.  The more memory you have, the less your computer has to go back and "refill" your memory before releasing it to your display.  Think of it as filling a pool with a bucket, or filling it with a dump truck.  If you are serious about speeding up your computer, add more memory.  Usually your computer shop will charge you $20 - $50, plus the price of the memory.

Adding a faster hard drive won't help the basic computer user.  And upgrading your video card will only help the video gamers.  Upgrade your memory and you will see a nice immediate change. 
 

Speed Up Tip #2: Defragment your Hard Drive (computer technicians simply say "defrag")

Defragmentation simply means:  a digital way to compress and store your files in your hard drive.  This make it easier for your computer to "access" these files more efficiently in the future. 

Doing this is simple.  Go to your control panel and start the defragmenter. This clean up procedure will take hours to perform.  So it will be wise to let the defragmenter run overnight.  This is a great way to boost the performance of your computer.

Speed Up Tip #3: Close Unnecessary Programs

If you are not using a program, close it.  By have multiple programs open your processor attempts to run all of them.  But it can't.  One processor can only run one program.  If you have two processors, then it can run two.

Processors will switch between running programs thousands of times faster than humans can perceive.  Keeping up with all of the opened programs requires extra computer processing speed.  This processing speed can be directed toward the program you really want to use.  Thus adding the speed boost to the application you want.

So close those applications you are not using.  Then close the programs you are not using in the task bar as well.  This will easily double the speed of an overloaded computer.

Speed Up Tip #4: Turn Off Anti-Virus (Leave On Firewall)

Another good speed boost when you want to play a game or finish an assignment, try turning off your anti-virus software.  This will significantly increase your speed.  But don't turn off your firewall when you disable the anti-virus.  Firewalls won't use much processing power and still will protect you from threats from the internet.  Make sure you turn your anti-virus back on once you don't need the extra speed.

Speed Up Tip #5: Plug In Laptops

The latest laptops now have processors that run slower when using power from your battery.  This prolongs the battery life when on battery power, but then your computer will run slower if it is only running off of the battery.

Once you plug in your laptop, it will then run in normal mode.  Just plug in your laptop and the computer processor will automatically run at full power.  This will give you 100% of the capable power of your laptop.

Speed Up Tip #6: Unplug Any Unused Devices

Since you computer can only focus on one program at a time, due to the one processor, it only can use one external device as well.  Most devices will seem to be in idle until called upon.  (Scanners, printers, Video Cameras, etc.)  For example, a printer may do nothing for most of the day.  But the printer will send a message to the computer about once a second just to tell the computer that it is there and ready.  This tiny little message takes up a small amount of power from your computers processing capability.  And like most external devices, the printer won't give you a noticeable speed boost.  But some devices are faulty (or have faulty data cords) thus causing these devices to send hundreds or thousands of messages to your computer every minute.  This will in turn, take up a lot of your computers processing power.  

Speed up tip #7: Cool CPU

The electricity that powers our computers travels at a fairly constant speed, 60% the speed of light, no matter what.  But when your computer gets too hot, the electricity doesn't travel as far as it does when your computer is cool.  This means that your computer will probably need to send hardware instructions several times before they arrive at their destination.  And if your computer gets too hot, it will automatically shutdown, your computer can't get any slower if this happens. 

Keeping a cool computer is easy.  First, if possible, make sure you keep your computer in a cool room where the temperature doesn't go above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).  Some companies build special "cool rooms" just to "house" their servers.  Second, make sure you clean the dust out of your computer about once a year (twice a year if someone smokes around your computer). Dust will help "trap" the heat around your computer, assisting it to overheat. 

To clean the dust out of your computer, buy a can of compressed air at your local office supply store, carefully open up the case, cover up your eyes and mouth, and spray away every bit of dust that you see.  Pay special attention to the fan just above the CPU and the power supply fan.  (Your power cord will be plugged into this)  An air compressor works well for this task as well.  Just be careful not hold the nozzle too close to the components as to not cause damage due to the high air pressure.    

Speed up tip #8: Over-clock the CPU

Some computer processors can be modified to run faster than the preset factory speed, which is referred to as over-clocking.  Over-clocking will make your computer run faster, but it also increases heat in the sensitive areas of your processor, making in susceptible to burning itself out.  You are better off over-clocking older computers that you can afford to lose.

Over-clocking is best done by a computer technician.  The instructions for over-clocking vary from processor to processor, so we can't include any specific instructions here.  But be warned, don't over-clock your processor unless you are prepared to accept the possibility of your processor going bad.

Speed up tip #9: Reinstall Windows

Many IT administrators got into the habit of reinstalling Windows 95 or 98 every year because they would fill up with unnecessary files and slow down to a crawl.  The latest versions of Windows don't fill up with unwanted files as fast nor slow down as much.  But if your computer is inexplicably running slow and nothing else works, your best solution may be to reinstall Windows.  Just remember to back up all your important files first.  This includes all pictures and videos that you will want to keep.  This is where an external Hard Drive comes in handy, but always double check that the files that you want to back up are indeed in the new hard drive before deleting!

Speed up tip #10: Use A Separate User

If Windows is running slow for you, but you are not prepared to reinstall it yet, a speed boost may be obtained by creating and using a new user account.  Your new user account won't start up many minor programs automatically and won't have any accidental mis-configurations.

You can also create separate user accounts for specific tasks, like gaming.  I myself have two accounts on my computer.  I use one for work and the other one for play.  Here's a BIG tip:  Besides being able to optimize my “play” account, I also find that removing all of the game icons from my work account helps keep me focused during work!
 

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