Introduction
The most common complaint people have when using PC's is "My computer is running so slow!" Slow computers cost companies and individuals fortunes in wasted time and cause unbelievable levels of frustration for all involved. Many places across the web say they can help you speed up a slow computer, but many are written using complicated language with terms that boggle the mind or offer "free software" to do it for you. As a PC Technician with many years of experience, I've picked up the best ways to speed up a PC and keep it running fast. Using the following techniques, broken down into easy to follow steps, anyone can take back control over their PC.
For this guide, we'll assume your running Windows XP, Vista or 7. If you're not sure which you're using, Right Click on "My Computer", and click "Properties". The windows that appears contains some information on your computer, including what version of windows you're using.
Start Here
There are a few things that can cause the slowdown of a PC, and the best way to sort it out, is to work out exactly what is causing it. The most common issue stems from having too many programs (or "processes") running in the background of your machine. These Processes not only use some of the precious RAM of your system, but also use some Processing time to run and access the Hard Drive of your computer (the slowest part by a long way). To help you figure out why your computer is slowing down you should read through the Understanding Task Manager Article. This will help you get to grips with what's going on on your computer.
Removing Programs that Start with Windows
If you think that removing processes could help your machine run faster you should read the MSConfig: Startup Program and Service Control Article. This will show you how to turn of programs that are running on your machine that just don't need to be.
RAM Upgrade
If after doing this your computer is still using too much RAM, It could be time to consider adding some more. For a modern computer 2GB+ is considered plenty (except for Vista which ideally needs 4GB). If you have 1GB or less you definately need to consider a RAM upgrade. To see how much RAM you have, or work out which kind of RAM you need, have a look at the, Using & Understanding CPU-Z Article. Alternatively if you bought your PC from a larger company you can have a look at the Crucial Memory Finder
Get a Better Antivirus Product
Many of the Big Package Antivirus Products like MCafee or Norton, Use alot of your systems resources whilest not actually providing very good protection. Antivirus Products nowadays scan every file that is moved anywhere on the computer at any time, so it is expected that they use some of your computers power, but some products are better than others.
Switching to a well designed free product like Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG 2011 can often give a computer a new lease of life. Alternatively there's the increasingly popular ESET Smart Security which has won multiple awards for its low impact on system performance.
Malware
No Antivirus is perfect however and if you're experiencing slowdown it could be down to some "Malware" running on your computer. Malware is an umbrella term for any software which is installed without the permission of the user and performs actions that the user doesn't want. A good way to check for Malware is to run a Quick Scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (link in sidebar) this is a great package used by thousands of technicians to remove the nastiest infections. See our Using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware article for more info.
Hard Drive Issues
There are a few different problems that can arrise from hard drives that can cripple a computers performance. The Hard Drive is a set of magnetic disks which are spun at high speed (7200 RPM normally) and store your files. They are mechanical, so massively slower than any other electrical part of your system.
A failing hard drive can cripple the performance of Windows. Eventually a system will be left unable to start, but in the run up to this you will normally see reduced performance. You can check your hard drive for errors with the Seatools Package included on Hiren's Boot CD (link in sidebar). See the Using Hiren's Boot CD Article for more help.
On the other hand you may be an issue with Hard Drive Fragmentation. Fragmentation means that all the files on your Hard Drive are split up and spread out on the drive so it take the machine longer to load them. Have a look at our Using JKDefrag Article for a straightforward solution to this.
One other issue that can cause slowdown is a full Hard Drive (although this is not as common). You can check this by right clicking on the "Local Disk C:" in "My Computer" and selecting "Properties". Ideally you should have at least 10% of the total space free. If you are running out of space and don't know why, have a look at the WinDirStat application (link in sidebar). This will produce a picture you can click on which shows you where big files are on your hard drive. For help using this, see our Using & Understanding WinDirStat Article.
Finally, Old hard drives are generally very slow. The best solution can sometimes be to get a newer, bigger, faster hard drive. Newer, Bigger Hard drives are faster because the data stored is packed into a smaller area. This means when the computer tries to read data it gets more in one go, hence faster. It is normally best to consider a whole system upgrade if this is the case but if you only want to do the hard drive, have a look at the Hard Drive Upgrade Article.
Consider an Upgrade
Many people view computers like a washing machine. It should just work reliably for 10+ years and never have issues. Computers simply aren't like this. Software is forever getting more complicated, iTunes for example is constantly being updated and every new version is a bigger, more complicated piece of software for your computer to run. There reaches a point where a computer simply can't keep up with the latest software. This usually occurs around the 3-5 year period, if you buy value machines. At this point it is worth shopping around for a new system, which will be faster, more secure, use less power, and have the latest operating system on it.
For a smooth experience, always try to spend at least £450 on a new computer (laptop or desktop with screen etc). Cheaping out here may cost you more in the long run (as you get what you pay for) and a cheaper system will succumb to slowness much more quickly. To help with finding a new system, have a look at the "Buying a New System" Article.
Registry Issues
Many companies out there like to tell you that the reason your computer is slow is down to "Registry Issues" and offer you "Scanners" to resolve your issues. In my experience this is rubbish. 99% of all issues I've seen with a slow machine are down to the issues above and the only times registry issues can occur is on very old installs where the user likes installing and uninstalling lots and lots of software. If your Install of Windows is more than 3-5 years old it time to consider an upgrade as above or at least consider a reinstall of windows. This gives you a shiny clean Windows just like it was the day you got the machine. To see how, check out the Reinstalling Windows Guide.
If you need any help, feel free to comment, ask a question in the bar on the left
