Help Yourself Centre Simple Ways to Speed Up Windows

Uninstall Unused Applications

Having lots of data on your hard drive will not slow your computer down, however, lots of applications install helpers and hook themselves into the operating system. The first thing you should do is uninstall any old applications you are no longer using. You do this by opening "Control Panel" and then selecting "Add/Remove Programs" or "Programs and Features", depending upon your version of Windows. You will see a list of applications installed, select one and click Uninstall. Do this for everything you no longer need.

You must be careful as once the application is removed there is no way to recover it and if you need to reinstall it you may need your licence keys.

Windows Startup Programs

Some of the simplest programs place an executable into the startup registry entry. This means that the programs starts and runs in memory each time you boot the computer. This leaves less memory available for the applications you need to run to work. The “MS Config” application edits the startup directory. You open this utility by clicking the Windows “Start” button and then entering “msconfig” into the text box. This opens the MS Config utility.

Click the MS Config’s “Startup” tab. In this window, a list of programs that start on your computer are listed. Remove the check mark next to each program you want to disable.  Click “OK” to save your changes. You are prompted to reboot, which is required to complete the changes.

Use Disk Cleanup to Free Up Hard Drive Space

Disk Cleanup is found in the “System Tools” directory in the “Accessories” section of the Start menu. This utility lists several files you can delete from the hard drive. Some of the file directories include the temporary Internet files, offline web pages, the Recycle Bin storage and temporary download directories. The tool deletes these files to free up hard drive space, which can slow your computer if the hard drive is running out of disk space.

Defrag Your Hard Drive

Adding and deleting files on your hard drive causes the hardware to fragment. When the hard drive is too fragmented, it takes longer for the computer to open and load your programs and files. Windows has a defrag utility that helps you organize the files on your computer. It places each of these files and programs in a contiguous manner on the drive.

The defrag tool is found in Windows Explorer. Click the Windows “Start” button and click “Computer.” Right-click the drive you want to defrag and select “Properties.” Click the “Tools” tab and then click “Defrag Now.” Only defrag the computer when you don’t need it. Defragging a computer takes several minutes and it slows the computer until the process is completed.

Other Things

You should ensure your Windows is up to date (e.g. all Windows Updates are completed) and that your Anti Virus is valid and runs once in a while. Viruses and bad sectors are very frequently causes of slow computers.