Windows PCs typically slow down as applications are installed and used. Whether you are using a word processor, writing a spreadsheet, surfing the internet, playing games or anything else, hard drives fill with temporary files
that do not always get removed when no longer needed. Hard disks can
succumb to this wear and tear over time, and this article will teach you
how to fix that. Read on to learn of ways to help keep a PC running
smoothly with little or no money.
1. Stop all unneeded background processes. Look at the
right corner of your Taskbar, to the left of the time,date, and
essential system icons. You will see a group of small icons,
collectively called the 'notification area' or 'system tray'. Each of
these icons represent a program that has been at least partially started
or is running "in the background". Regardless of state, each causes a
reduction of available memory and processing power, or resources.
Closing, exiting or canceling any unused background process returns
those resources to the system, and becomes available for use by the
application(s) started specifically by the user. Go to your task manager
and click on the Process tab. End all process that you can.
- A utility called Process Explorer (procexp.exe) can be used to list all programs running on your Windows system. It is more comprehensive than the Task Manager, and hovering your mouse pointer over any program name will tell you what it is about.
- A utility is built into Windows that can enable/disable task bar programs and processes from automatically loading with Windows. To access it, go to Start > Run > type in “MSCONFIG” and click OK. If you do not know what a process does, search its name. Do not disable processes if you are unsure, as some processes are necessary for your computer to function normally.
- A freeware program called Game Booster by IObit (the same people who wrote Advanced SystemCare ) will temporarily disable unnecessary background processes and boost performance on your computer when you are actively using only one program; such as a game program or video editing software. When you are finished, you can resume "normal mode" and all the background processes will be reloaded. Keep in mind that the performance gains will be negligible and unnoticeable unless you have a very slow PC.2. Turn off unneeded Desktop Features that try to make things look better. The fancy rounded window corners, the way the menus fade in and out, and the 3-D button styles on modern Desktops all require some computing power and can overwhelm older machines. To turn off these appearance only enhancements:
- Windows XP - right click on My Computer, and choose the Properties option, then choose the Advanced tab, and click the Settings button under the Performance section. In the Performance Options dialogue that comes up, go to the Visual Effects tab, and choose "Adjust for best performance". You can also try the "Custom" option, and turn on and off individual settings to see which ones will work without slowing your machine down.
3. Do a shut down/reboot also known as a cold reboot. Some programs do not release memory properly when they close, which is the case for some operating systems. Even doing a warm restart will not release some of the memory drivers and other core programs had allocated. The computer has to be completely shut down and then restarted. When a program is asking for some memory, a space would be allocated for it by the operating system (like Windows). This allocated memory can not be used by any other programs. "Well-behaved" programs typically let go of their hold of this memory space but some programs don't - this is known as a "memory leak", which is caused by a programming error. A memory leak is easily evident when a program uses up an abnormally high amount of resources because it keeps on asking for more and never gives back any of the allocated memory space. The user workaround is to terminate the program or process, but some processes and core processes can not be closed. Shutting down the system will have the operating system forget which memory locations aren't free, so on the next boot, all memory locations are free to use.4. Set your computer's energy settings to High Performance. This is especially useful in Laptops and Netbooks where the processor speed is altered in accordance to energy settings (and if you are running on battery power)5. Be realistic. The "high end" computer purchased as new 5 years ago may run the latest version of Windows, but that doesn't mean that it will do it very well. Keep in mind that the Minimum System Requirements on the software box is indeed, minimum. The best experiences usually require that the system is configured to Recommended System or better, instead. Technology marches on and it seems there is a game of "one-up-manship" played between software developers and hardware designers. Regardless, eventually new software will require new hardware or vice-versa. It seems that the amount of frustration you can endure best determines how long you will run your current setup.source : http://www.wikihow.com/Speed-Up-a-Slow-Windows-Computer-for-Free
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