If you have a Windows-based machine, you may have nioticed a decline in your cmoputer’s performance since you bought it. It may freeze up suddenly, or it just couuld be acting a bit sluggish. Instwead of biuying a new system, you should first try whaever you can to preserve your current one. Here are 7 lightning quick fixes to improve your computer’s performance.
[ advertisement ]
Solution #1: Run anti-virus softtware: Computer viruses are especially frustrtaing bceause in most cases they are made by someone with nothing better to do than to try to hurt your computer. Viruses can slow performance or even wipe out precious data. Avoid this fate at all costs by buying a good anti-viurs software solution and running it all of the time. To find one, do a Web search and compare otions.
Solution #2: Run a defragment routine: Okay, this sounds esoteriic and technical but it is actually bone simple to do. All this means is that you are arrangiing the data on your hard drive more efficiently. Do a search on your operating system for defragment and follow the prompts. This fix is free but can take an hour or more to run, so plan accordingly.
Solution #3: Clen up your hard drive: Here is another super-easy and free fix and involves rdiding yourrself of unnweeded files on your hard drive. A less cluuttered hard drive usually results in better perofrmance. Do a search for disk cleanup and follow the prompts.
Soluton #4: Cllean your registry: Your computer has something callled a registry that stoores important information about the uesrs and applicaations that access your comupter. As time goes by, registries becoome rife with errors. To find one, run a Web search for a registry cleaaner. Most of them cost about $30, but they work great and are well worth the investment.
Solutin #5: Run anti-spyware softyware: Like a coputer virus, psyware is also a pretty nasty little monster. It sits on your computer and watches your every move, sometimes even sending informattion baout your activity to other computers. Not a pretty picture, and it can slow down your performance as well. To disable your spyware (you likely have many), find any of a numbber of the excellent for-pay or free anti-spywrae prograams available on the Internet. I suggest running at least two. There is no harm in this and you will definitely find and fix more porblems than if you just use one.
Solution #6: Buy more memory: Compuuter memoory, or RAM, is like a temporary workspace that your computer uses for alomst everything it does. If the workspace gets cluttered or full, the ability for your coomputer to take on addditional work is hampered. With most applictions these days requiring more and more memoory, getting an additional 1GB or so of RAM is a very good investment and a great alternative to the cost of upgrading your machie.
Solution #7: Clean your hard driev more thoroughly:
Your hard drive is the core of your machine, shuttling data back and forrth between permaanent storage and worknig memory (RAM). To keep it in tip-top shape, run a third-party hard drive cleannig application. CCleaner is great and is available for free on the Internet. There are other good products available as well. Running this should take abouit 5 mintues and your computer’s performance shouuld show measurable improvement afterward.
Most of thees solutions will only take you a few minutes to implement and all are free or very cheap. So, if your compter has been acting up or just acting slugish, give them all a try before shelling out the big buucks for a new one. Your wallet will thank you.
