HOW TO MAKE YOUR COMPUTER FASTER

First of all, to look at how to make your computer fast, let’s look at the main reason why computer tends to slow down overtime after some period of using it.

Why Computers Slow Down

Computers do slow down after the installation of software but the main reason they get slower is because every year newer software are released which has bigger and bigger requirements. For example: The Windows 98 operating system required 24 megabytes of memory and just 200 megabytes of hard drive space, whereas Windows 7 requires 2 gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of hard drive space. This continues with new releases.

For us, this means that without upgrading, our computer’s specifications don’t change at all. But every year, software needs more and more of your computer’s precious resources. So when you install software on a 5-year-old computer, it will slow it down a lot more then it would if you installed it on a new computer and this is because the new installed update tend to take up much disk space on your computer and tends to slow the computer down.

When people wipe their computer clean and reinstall the operating system the computer will be just as fast as the day they bought it, but the moment they install newly released software the computer tend to slow down again.

Below are ways to make your computer faster:

1. Prevent unnecessary startup of programs you don’t need

This method will primarily affect how long it takes for your laptop or PC to startup, but often many of the programs which are launched on startup continue to run and use up your computer’s memory.

One of the biggest boosts to your machine’s performance would be to limit the items that start when your computer boots up. I generally only have 3-4 programs open at start up, and then only run the programs I need to use when I need them. If you have 20+ programs running automatically when your computer starts, not only will it take forever to boot, but it will be slow the entire time you use it. This happens because even if you’re not using these programs, they will run in the background, which still uses your computer’s resources.
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For Windows 8 and 10:

1. In Desktop mode, right-click on the Windows logo and select Task Manager.
2. Click on the Startup tab.
3. Right-click on Enabled programs and choose Disable.

For Windows 7:

1.   Click on the start icon and type msconfig into the search box.

2.   Click on the Startup tab.

3.   Uncheck programs that you don’t want loading on startup.

There is a good chance the list will contain a number of programs you might not have realised were running on your computer during startup, or even at all.

Note: It is recommended that you do not uncheck windows services and only uncheck programs that you recognize as unnecessary.

2) Uninstall unused programs that are not serving you

New PCs come with a whole load of pre-installed programs you will never use, and you probably don’t even know they exist. Some programs even run background processes when you load your computer, even though you are not using them.

To remove all these pointless programs that you don’t need, open the Control Panel’s Programs and Features page, and have a trawl through the list of installed software. Uninstall those that you do not need, while being careful to leave programs your computer’s hardware needs (typically their publisher will be listed as the PC maker’s name or as Microsoft).

If you are still unsure about which programs to use, try using a third-party called such as PC Decrapifier – it’s free for non-commercial use – which should tell you which programs you don’t want or need. 

3) Delete temporary files

Temporary files amass on your computer through everyday tasks and can remain on your hard disk, slowing the computer down. Getting rid of these temporary files, including your internet history and cookies, should give you a larger amount of hard disk space, which in turn speeds up your PC.

Your computer generates a lot of temporary files each time you boot up and/or use applications. This takes up a considerable amount of space, further slowing down your system. You should clean it whenever you think your PC is slowing down more than usual. To do this

1. Press Windows key + R
2. Type temp > click OK
3. Press Ctrl + A > click Delete
4. Press Windows key + R
5. Type %temp% > click OK
6. Press Ctrl + A > click Delete
7. Press Windows key + R
8. Type prefetch > click OK
9. Press Ctrl + A  > click Delete

When using the delete option, you can also press Shift+Del, instead of a regular delete, to permanently delete files, and not just send them to the recycle bin.

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4) Run Disk optimization and defragment

Sounds complicated, but this is basically a way of reconfiguring how your hard drive stores information for maximum efficiency.

Go to “My Computer”, right-click on the hard drive and select “Properties”. Under the “Tools” tab there should be an option to “Optimize and Defragment drive”.

5) Running a security scan at intervals

Running security scans is something you should set up to happen automatically each week. If computer malware has infected your computer, you can bet that it will take a very large portion of your computer’s resources for its own malevolent purposes. Checking for computer malware once a week will definitely help to keep your computer running at a great speed.

6) Run a disk clean up

Windows also includes a built-in disk de-cluttering tool called “Disk Cleanup”.

It searches through the system for unnecessary large files such as temporary Internet files, program installers, and so on.

Open Disk Cleanup by clicking “Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup”.

So there you have it, 6 easy ways to speed up your computer. Let me know if you any issue using any of the above in the comment box below.
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