07/03/2016
# # # 8 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR SYSTEM RUN FASTER # # # #
Rather than buying a new laptop or PC, here are 10 ways of avoiding a costly new purchase by making your existing computer run faster.
1) Uninstall unused programs:-
New PCs come with a whole load of 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, 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
2) Automatically delete temporary files:-
Temporary files amass on your computer through everyday tasks and can remain on your hard disk, slowing the computer down.
To do this, open “My Computer”, and select your local drive (usually C:\). Select the “Windows” folder and then open the folder titled “Temp”.
Use your mouse to right-click on the folder, and in the “View” options, choose “Details”. Once this is done, select all the files that are older than the current date and press the delete key. Then go to the Recycle Bin on your desktop and empty it.
3) Prevent unnecessary start ups:-
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.
To do this, click “Start” and “Run”. In “Run”, type “msconfig” and then press enter. You should then see the “Startup” tab, with all the programs ticked the ones which will load upon your computer starting up. 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.
4) More RAM:-
Therefore, the more programs you use, the more RAM you need, and the slower your computer will be if you don’t have enough.
You can either add more RAM with an extra memory stick or two.
5) Run a disk 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 “Defragment Now”.
6) Run 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”.
7) Give your computer a static IP:-
Another trick for speeding up your computer loading time is to give your computer a static IP address that never changes.
When you startup your computer, it spends a decent amount of time asking the network for an IP address. Not only does having a static IP address make the network easier to manage (particularly if you have several devices using the same network), but it also cuts time off your startup.
To do this, visit the “Network and Sharing Center”, and select “Change adapter settings”. Right click on your local adapter and select “Properties”. You then need to highlight what should be titled “Internet Protocoal Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and click the properties button.
In “Use the following IP address” enter in the correct IP, Subnet mask, and Default gateway which correspond with your network setup.
Make sure to check “Validate settings upon exit” so Windows can find any problems with the addresses you entered.
8) Hoovering out the dust:-
Again, this sounds a tad radical, but dust is your computer’s enemy. It can impede airflow, which is vital to keeping your computer’s temperature down, and if your computer is overheating, it is likely it will slow down its performance to cope.
If you have a desktop or a laptop, you can take off the computer’s exterior and use a hoover on a low power setting to try and remove some of the dust.
