Tips on PC Speed

We’ve all been there. The computer is not running at its maximum performance, your data entries and other documents are always crashing. It’s tough when you’re in that situation.

I’ve been there and it’s a pain in the buttocks. For the past year or so, I’ve learned many easy tricks and tips on how to speed up your PC – enough for you to consider it your friend again, at least.

NOTE: I’ll be referencing these tips for Windows 7. If you have a different operating system, please do your research respectively.

Disk Defragmentation

I’m sure you’ve heard of this countless times from a computer technician. It could get annoying, but it works!

The idea of Disk Defragmentation is simple. Your HDD takes in program files, documents and other things. At some point, this becomes unorganized. When this happens, it’s harder for your computer to find things that it needs. So, what do you do? You defrag your PC.

Your HDD gets fragmented files everyday (depends on how you use it as well). The best solution to this: defrag it in a scheduled manner. The Disk Defragmentation application that’s installed in Windows 7 computers are good. From my personal experience, it allows you to create a schedule. I manually do it once a week, which works well for me.

EDIT (16-10-2013): If you have a Solid State Drive (SSD), you shouldn’t be defragging it. Only defrag your Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

Disk Cleanup

This is another tool that is already installed in Windows 7 computers. What it does is simple: delete temporary files, internet cookies and other unused files in the hard drive. This not only frees up space, it also increases performance for the PC. It’s a pretty small task for you and for the PC. It only takes a few minutes, depending on how often you use it.

Among other things, I recommend CCleaner. It’s another disk cleanup software. Not only does it delete temporary files. It also deletes bloated files. This keeps the hard drive nice and clean — thus, improving the performance of the PC.

Turn off Aero (for Windows Vista+)

Aero was introduced to Windows Vista. It gives this modern, transparent look for your taskbar. It has been proven that Aero kills a little bit of processing power, probably because it’s Aero (I have no other explanation).

Simply go to your Personalize menu, go to Windows Colour and click on “turn off Aero.” This should help speed up your computer.

Startup Programs

When you turn on your PC, it’ll start running certain programs. These are called Startup Programs. They begin running in the beginning. By changing these settings, you can improve the startup speed, which always helps.

WinKey + R opens Run. Then, run msconfig. The fourth tab, Startup, will have all the Startup programs on a list. Be aware! Only disable programs that you don’t necessarily use when you start your PC like “Adobe” or “Apple Push.”

Never disable your anti-virus program. You could be left unprotected for a few minutes at Startup. That’s never good.

Internet Browsing Files

As you surf through the internet, you encounter cookies and other temporary files. Of course, I’ve mentioned deleting these temporary files in Disk Cleanup. What you can do is set your browser to delete history, cookies and other temporary files when you turn it off. Not only does it speed up your PC, it also speeds up your web browser. It works.

These are just a few tips that will definitely improve your PC. These are small, but helpful tweaks on your PC. Enjoy!

Keep Chewing!