Keeping your PC optimized and in the same condition you first got it is not always the easiest thing to do. Files get corrupted, your harddrive gets fragmented, and often you’ll end up with background programs which you never use eating up your computer’s processing power. So what can you do? There are several simple tips you can use to optimize your PC, speed up boot time, and keep your PC running more smoothly for years to come especially in these tough economic times.

1.) Disable Special Effects: New operating systems—Vista in particular—tend to include great-looking visual effects such as animations and windows transparency. However, for older computers these unneeeded features can really slow down performance. Optimize your PC by disabling these options and enjoy smoother computer performance.

2.) Defragment your Hard Drive Once a Month: When your computer saves data to the hard drive, it does so in a fairly random fashion. After you first install a software program the entire application may be located in the same place on the drive, but each time you save data, it will likely get saved to a different location. When this happens the files become fragmented, and your Windows OS will operate more slowly over time. When you defragment your drive, all the tiny fragments of data are collected and stored in a more logical fashion, so the computer can retrieve them more quickly.

3.) Check for Spyware Once a Week: If you have an internet connection, your computer is vulnerable to spyware, adware, viruses, and other types of malicious software programs, collectively known as malware, which slow your computer down hugely if it becomes infected. Even if you use a good fire wall and run antivirus software, it’s still a good idea to scan your computer once a week or so, simply because most antivirus programs aren’t comprehensive enough to provide protection against every type of malware.

4.) Upgrade your RAM: One of the most cost-effective ways to speed up your computer is to buy some RAM for your computer. This is especially critical if you upgrade your software or are installing new software since they usually take up more RAM. In addition, if you use Windows Vista, a minimum of 2 GB RAM is recommended.

5.) Uninstall Unused Programs: One quick method to clean up your hard drive and to free up space is to uninstall any programs you no longer use. A clean hard drive will help with your computer performance.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 1:44 am and is filed under PC Maintenance, PC Tweaks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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