How to speed up my computer? This is one question I have heard many times. And you will find many answers on the internet. So what is special about this post? I'm sharing all I know here. Read on and find out. Many types of software that 'optimizes' your computers are available now. Some of the tasks they do can be done by us too. You know actually you can't get your computer to perform over its hardware capabilities. Don't get angry, I haven't finished yet. Because of some reasons your computer cannot perform to it’s the maximum capabilities. So I'm going to help you fix them and make it perform to its maximum. It doesn't mean that because you have a high end computer with latest softwares you are getting the most from it. Read how you can get your computer from just running to FLYING:
Note: You have to set the "View by" (i.e. the arrangement of control panel items to “Large icons” or “Small icons”. I have included the method of opening all items in this way. You can skip this if you are going to open them by searching in start.
Note: To open system configurations: Type 'msconfig' in Run and press enter. You can use Ctrl+R on the keyboard to open Run. Or you can just search in start for system configurations". First you have to set the startup selection to selective in the General tab. Now read on:
Warning: Increasing maximum size of Virtual Memory more than the optimal size is of no use. The speed of hard disk is nowhere near the RAM. So increasing the maximum size over the limit can only slow down the system.
> explorer.exe - You can end this process. But you have to restart it by entering "explorer" in Run (Windows key+R). Windows Explorer may take a lot of time to load a folder with large number of files if you set "Sort by" or "Group by" the Date Modified.
> rundll32.exe - This process starts up when you run games or something alike. It is safe to end this process after the game or program has started. The game won't start without this but not required to run (during game play) it.
> system.exe - This process can use up both your CPU and network resources. If you find it slowing you down, you can end the process or suspend the process. But never end the process tree. If you do that, Windows will crash at the moment! In Windows 8 it is better to leave this process alone. Messing with it in Windows can cause instant crash!
> svchost.exe, taskhost.exe, conhost.exe - This processes also same as the "system.exe" but one difference is that you can also end the process tree! There may be many background processes with these names. These names also used by viruses to disguise as Windows process and may harm your PC. I advise you to scan your System Drive (the C: Drive) with your updated anti-virus program to make sure your computer is free of viruses.
Warning: After the scan if you find malwares remove them. Not all these processes are viruses. Do not attempt to delete these files thinking it's a virus. If you delete them Windows may not run. If you delete them you may damage Windows.
Are you a video game addict? Then I got some more tips, read: 13 Tips for the Ultimate Gaming Experience On Your Low End PC
With that concludes my tips to increase computer's performance. Try them and tell me your experience. If you face any trouble, leave a comment.
Note: You have to set the "View by" (i.e. the arrangement of control panel items to “Large icons” or “Small icons”. I have included the method of opening all items in this way. You can skip this if you are going to open them by searching in start.
Tip #1 Hardware Configuration
First let's look at your hardware configurations. If you bought your computer within last 5 years you most probably you would have an average PC. If your PC is more than 10 years old you seriously might want to consider buying a new one or at least upgrading to newer hardware. Don't just buy something. Before buying a new or upgrading you must check the internet for best options. As I said above just newest hardware can't provide great computer experience. The computers for office uses don't need many resources. Whereas when you use for purposes like graphic designing, video editing and gaming you need spend more on the memory, video memory etc.Tip #2 Update Device Drivers
So you have a computer that performs well. No matter you have old or new hardware you must install all device driver updates. The newest drivers will fix the bugs and improve the performance of the devices. In Windows you can use Windows Update to install the latest drivers. If you face any problem with the new drivers, you can always roll back to previous driver in the device manager.Tip #3 Software Updates
In the case of softwares, mostly newer the better! That is the reason they released the newest version. Update may be less resource consuming, bug fixes or just some new features. So go and update all your softwares. Don't use illegal softwares. Pirated software can harm your computer. Pirated software may also install malwares into your system.Tip #4 Uninstall Unwanted Softwares
Uninstall all unwanted softwares to make sure they are not wasting your disk space and resources. But don't get rid of your outdated (one and only) antivirus program (Something better than nothing! ;-)Tip #5 Anti Virus Programs
Virus infections always can slow down your computers to death. It can cause stutter and system crashes. If you use internet on your computer you must have an anti virus program installed on your computer. Also keep its virus definitions updated. Many antivirus programs are available on the internet for you to use. Free versions are enough for PC security. But there will be limited features in free versions. Some antivirus programs can slow down your computer while scanning. You can exit these programs while playing games to free up system resources.Tip #6 Disable Start-up Programs
Most of the softwares like system utilities, antivirus programs, download managers and other web applications startup on Windows start. These programs slow down the start up of Windows. You can control the startup programs from system configurations (read the Note below to know how to open this). In the system configurations window, under Startup, uncheck them to turn off all software except antivirus programs, sound driver control panel and other important softwares. Uncheck all unwanted software entries. You may have to restart Windows after applying these. You can see that your computer starts up within less time. If you didn't have any startup programs, of course you are not going to see any change!Tip #7 Disable Startup Services
In the System configurations (read the Note below to know how to open this), under Services, uncheck the services that are unwanted. And you may leave the Windows Services as it is (even though some can be disabled). The reason I say this is that if you disabled the startup of Windows Update service you can't use it until the service is enabled manually.Note: To open system configurations: Type 'msconfig' in Run and press enter. You can use Ctrl+R on the keyboard to open Run. Or you can just search in start for system configurations". First you have to set the startup selection to selective in the General tab. Now read on:
Tip #8 Windows Features
You can turn off some of the less frequently used Windows features. You can open this window from Programs and Features in Control Panel. If you use less frequently use the Windows Search, you can turn off the Indexing service. Search index is the main feature that affects performance. Don't disable features that you don't know about.Tip #9 Power Options
You can open Power Options from Control Panel. You can set the power options as your use. Use the high performance plan for best performance. But if you use a laptop Balanced or Power Saving plans can increase battery life.Tip #10 Visual Effects
Windows visual effects play an important role in the performance of your computer. Go to System in Control Panel. Click on Advanced system settings. Click on advanced tab. Now you'll see Performance Settings, open it. You can set the visual effects to your wish. But never set it to "Let Windows choose what's best for my computer". Windows is poor at selecting them. Windows would probably set high visual effects even if you have a basic configuration. What you have to do is set it to best performance. It will considerably increase the performance of your computer. Isn't this too much to get a performance boost? You're right! Even I haven't set to best performance. If you feel uncomfortable after disabling all of them, enable effects that you can't live without. If you have a high end computer, you can enable more effects.Tip #11 Performance Options
Go to System in Control Panel. Click on Advanced system settings. Click on advanced tab. Now you'll see Performance Settings, open it. In the Advanced tab set the Processor scheduling to Programs. The other option is for computers used as internet servers.Tip #12 Virtual Memory
A paging file is an area on the hard disk that Windows uses as if it were RAM. Windows visual effects play an important role in the performance of your computer. Go to System in Control Panel. Click on Advanced system settings window, under Advanced, click on change (below virtual memory). Set the size on C: drive to custom size. You have to set it to initial size to your original RAM size and Maximum size to less than twice of your RAM. The virtual memory can be more effective if you have SSD (Solid State Drive). It is faster than conventional HDDs.Warning: Increasing maximum size of Virtual Memory more than the optimal size is of no use. The speed of hard disk is nowhere near the RAM. So increasing the maximum size over the limit can only slow down the system.
Tip #13 ReadyBoost
ReadyBoost speeds up your computer by using storage space on most USB flash drives and flash memory cards. When you plug a ReadyBoost-compatible storage device into your computer, the AutoPlay dialog box gives you the option to use ReadyBoost. Otherwise you can right click on the storage device icon in "Computer" and enable it under ReadyBoost. If you select this option, you can choose how much memory on the device to use for this purpose. If you enable ReadyBoost you cannot use the space that is reserved for ReadyBoost on the storage device.Tip #14 Themes
Windows Operating System has the Aero themes. It looks good but also uses up system resources. You can use the Windows basic themes in low end computers. If your computer is running low on resources it will show warning to switch to basic themes. Also read my previous post to know how you can save and transfer Windows themes.Tip #15 Open Programs
Too many programs open at a time can cause your computer to become slow. If you turned off unwanted start-up programs there may not be programs running in the background.Tip #16 Windows' Processes Gone Crazy
You will find your computer slowing down at sometimes(less frequently). Do you find Windows Explorer slowing down making yourself unable to see any files? It would be the Windows' processes running in the background and causing all this mess! Open up Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open) right click on the process using most of the CPU and end it. You don't have to kill processes which are not eating up your resources. I found these processes slowing me down:> explorer.exe - You can end this process. But you have to restart it by entering "explorer" in Run (Windows key+R). Windows Explorer may take a lot of time to load a folder with large number of files if you set "Sort by" or "Group by" the Date Modified.
> rundll32.exe - This process starts up when you run games or something alike. It is safe to end this process after the game or program has started. The game won't start without this but not required to run (during game play) it.
> system.exe - This process can use up both your CPU and network resources. If you find it slowing you down, you can end the process or suspend the process. But never end the process tree. If you do that, Windows will crash at the moment! In Windows 8 it is better to leave this process alone. Messing with it in Windows can cause instant crash!
> svchost.exe, taskhost.exe, conhost.exe - This processes also same as the "system.exe" but one difference is that you can also end the process tree! There may be many background processes with these names. These names also used by viruses to disguise as Windows process and may harm your PC. I advise you to scan your System Drive (the C: Drive) with your updated anti-virus program to make sure your computer is free of viruses.
Warning: After the scan if you find malwares remove them. Not all these processes are viruses. Do not attempt to delete these files thinking it's a virus. If you delete them Windows may not run. If you delete them you may damage Windows.
Tip #17 Disk Cleanup
Disk Cleanup can reduce the number of unnecessary files on your hard disk to free up disk space and help your computer run faster. It removes temporary files, empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and other items that you no longer need. You can open Disk Cleanup by right clicking on a drive in Computer. Then select the files and click OK. In the message that appears, click Delete files. In the More Options tab you can delete System Restore and Shadow Copies. You can delete the old restore points and free up disk space. You have to do this for every drives present in your computer.Tip #18 Delete Temp Files
Temporary files are the files automatically in windows while using it. After a long period of usage these files pile up and use up a lot of disk space in the C drive. And these files also cause stuttering. These files are unwanted (after the use) and deleting these files does not harm your PC. Read my previous post for instructions.Tip #19 Defrag Hard Disk Drives
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down your computer. Removable storage devices such as USB flash drives can also become fragmented. If you have SSD you can skip this. Solid State Drives doesn’t get fragmented. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your disks and drives can work more efficiently. You can use the Disk Defragmenter in Windows to do this task. It is recommended to defragment after you delete all unnecessary files from your computer. Read more in my previous post.Tip #20 System Maintenance
You have to run Windows System Maintenance task to make sure your computer is running fine. Go to Control Panel, click on Troubleshooting. Run the maintenance tasks and Check for performance issues. Both troubleshooters will check for problems and fix problems by themselves. If there is some other issue which cannot be fixed they will notify you.Are you a video game addict? Then I got some more tips, read: 13 Tips for the Ultimate Gaming Experience On Your Low End PC
With that concludes my tips to increase computer's performance. Try them and tell me your experience. If you face any trouble, leave a comment.
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