Speed up my Computer
Here is a tutorial that I have written to give step by step instructions for even beginners to follow on how to speed up your computer. You
can use these methods and programs on Windows
Xp and Vista computers. Also they may work on older versions of Windows also. Sorry Macs I didnt include you guys. : (
Also all the programs that are used in this tutorial are 100% free. No trial versions.
This tutorial assumes that you are able to install programs onto your computer. Also you may want to print this off for reference later and for the cleaning out the dust part. So lets get started!!!
- (Optional) Cleaning out the dust
- Uninstall unused programs
- Virus Scan
- Malware Scan
- C Cleaner Cleanup
- Registry Scan
- Unneeded Start-up Items
- Check Disk Scan
- Defragging
- Tips for maintaining a fast computer
(Optional) Clean out the Dust
This is a optional step if you have a desktop computer and are comfortable with opening up your computer tower or feeling like venturing into your computer. If you have a laptop then this doesn't apply.
1. Ok first you should always turn your computer off and unplug it when opening it up. So hope you printed off these instructions. Now its time to open up your tower. Depending on what tower you have taking off the side panel may be slightly different. With my tower you go to the back of it and there are 2 screws that need to be taken out with a philips screwdriver. Once they are out, the side panel should just slide off.
2. Since your gonna be near the inside of your computer you should make sure that you discharge any static electricity on you by touching something that is metal to ground yourself. Just so you don't shock any parts and wreak them. Now this is where you need a can of compressed air. You can get this at any local computer or hardware shop.
When you start to blow out all the dust bunny's I would suggest doing it outside so you don't make a mess inside. Also when blowing on the fans inside you should hold onto the fan with one hand and blow with the other because there is a potential to break a fan if you get it spinning to fast. I learned that the hard way. : (
3. Once you have your computer dust free then you can slide your side panel back on and put back any screws that you took out. There you go!!! You have a dust free computer now.
top1. Uninstalling unneeded programs
Do you have lots of installed programs on your computer that never get used? Well by uninstalling programs that you never use it will free up some space and generally speed up your computer some. NOTE: If you see something that you don't know what it is, then generally leave it. Ok so here is how you do it.
>>This is for XP users
Go to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs
Now there is a list of all the programs that are installed. Find programs that you never use or don't need and click on it. Then click the
Remove button or Change/remove button and follow the prompts that come up. And do that for all unnecessary programs.
>>This is for Vista users
Go to Start > Control Panel > Uninstall a Program
Now there is a list of all the programs that are installed. Find programs that you never use or don't need and click on it. Then click the
Uninstall button and follow the prompts that come up. And do that for all unnecessary programs.
So there you go. Now you have cleaned up any unnecessary programs on your computer.
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2. Virus Scan
This is for people that don't have a virus scanner on your computer or don't ever use it. You can get viruses from e-mail attachments, downloading things off the internet, or risky websites that like to download stuff onto your computer unwanted.
NOTE: The process is the same for Windows XP and Vista.
1. First you gotta zip over to Grisoft and download AVG free virus scanner here. This is a great product that is highly recommended for a free virus scanner.
2. So now install the program and once installed AVG will prompt you to update the signature database. So click the "Check for Updates" button and select "internet" provided you have an internet connection.
3. Continue to follow the prompts till a button says "scan Computer". Click this button and it will scan you computer for viruses. This will take around an hour depending on your computer.
4. Once the scanner is finished it will display the viruses found (if any) and ask you what to do with them. You can click "quarantine" to disable the viruses but not harm any programs that may be attached to the virus.
5. After the scan is done it will have a button to register the program. You don't have to do that. Just click next and you done!!
6. You can now close AVG. Also AVG is programmed by default to do a daily virus scan. You can go into the "Scheduler" and change the time if you like. You now have faster cleaner computer!! Congratulations though there is still a ways to go.
top3. Malware Scan
This stage is different than the virus scanning stage. This is to scan your computer for other nasty things on your computer other than viruses.
NOTE: The process is the same for Windows XP and Vista.
1. First you need a good malware scanner. The one I recommend and use is A-Squared free. You can download it here.
2. Once you have installed the program you need to update the signature database. To do that the first time you run the program it will prompt you to update. Click yes to update it.
3. Then after its done updating you will need to restart the program. Then you want to click "Scan PC" and for the first one do a deep scan which will throughly clean your computer. This will take about an hour or more depending on your computer.
4. Then when its done scanning it will show all the nasties it found. Check the boxes and click either quarantine or delete.
5. You can now close the program and your done. You now have a even more cleaner and faster computer.
NOTE: The free version does not come with automatic updates or a daily scan. You will have to buy the full version if you want those features.
top4. Crap Cleaner Cleanup
The title pretty much explains it. But we are gonna use a program for it. Its Called Crap Cleaner or C Cleaner. It will speed up your computer and clear up hard drive space in the process.
1. Ok step one would be to go download it. You can download it here.
2. So now go ahead and install the program. Once installed make sure all your browser windows are closed. Then run it and click the "Analyze" button.
3. Once its done analyzing then click the "Run Cleaner" button. It will clean up you computer. : )
4. There you go. Now your computer is clear of unneeded files and you have more hard drive space.
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5. Registry Scan
The registry that is part of Windows gets cluttered up with invalid entries and links to nowhere over time so you gotta clean it out once in a while. All you need is C Cleaner which you already have in the above step.
1. So fire up C Cleaner and on the left hand side click the "Registry" button.
2. Next click the "Scan for Issues" button at the bottom.
3. Now it should show you all your invalid entries. Click the "Fix selected issues" button at the bottom right of the program.
4. It will ask you if you wan to back up your registry. Its always a good idea to back up you registry so if something goes wrong you can restore it. So click yes and save it in a spot you know where it is.
5. Then it will prompt you to select "Fix all selected issues". Go ahead and click it. Then click ok. I had 162 errors when I did it for this tutorial!
6. Now you can close the program. Voila! You have a cleaner computer and hopefully run faster to.
top6. Disable Start-up items via msconfig
Does your computer take forever to load up? Well this step will quicken your load times. So lets get started.
>>This is for XP users
Go to Start > run
type in "msconfig" without the quotes and hit enter.
Click on the far right tab called "startup".
Now uncheck all the programs that you don't want to start-up. If you are unsure about a program then you can just leave it.
Click apply > close > either restart now or later (doesn't matter)
NOTE: when you restart the computer a box will pop up saying that msconfig was run. check the box and click ok.
>>This is for Vista users
Go to "Start" > "All Programs" > "Accessories" > Command Prompt
Type in "msconfig" without the quotes and hit enter.
Click on the second last tab on the right called "startup".
Now uncheck all the programs that you don't want to start-up. If you are unsure about a program then you can just leave it.
Click apply > close > either restart now or later (doesn't matter)
NOTE: when you restart the computer a box will pop up saying that msconfig was run. check the box and click ok.
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7. Checkdisk (chkdsk) Scan
Enough with these scans eh! well we are almost done. This one checks you hard drive to make sure there are no errors on it. This will take a good hour or depending on your computer and will you won't be able to use your computer either. Also if you have more than 1 hard drive then you can do it for each one at separate time. Just choose the other drive.
Go to "Start" > "My Computer" > right click on the "C:" drive >
Go to "properties" > then to the "tools" tab > click the "check now" button under the error checking heading.
Now check both of the boxes in the window that popped up > click "start" > click "yes" and now it will run upon reboot.
when you restart your computer a blue screen will come up and it you want to cancel the scan then just press a button
Don't touch anything if you want it to continue on with the scan.
NOTE: If you scan the hard drive that doesn't have Windows installed on it then you don't need to restart your computer.
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8. Disk Defragmentation (Defrag)
Finally we are on the last step. Whew! But unfortunately this step takes the longest to do. I would suggest doing it right before you go to bed and let it run overnight cause it takes a while.
Defragging a computer is pretty important if you have never done it before or you use your computer lots. What happens is your hard drive gets fragmented on your hard drive and when you defrag it, it organizes it so your hard drive will be faster. Though it wont touch where your files are actually located on the hard drive. Also if you have more than 1 hard drive then you can do it for each one at separate time. Just choose the other drive.
Go to "Start" > "My Computer" > right click on the "C:" drive >
Go to "properties" > then to the "tools" tab > click the "Defragment Now" button under Defragmentation heading.
Select which hard drive you want to defrag. Usually it has the right one selected already.
Then click the "analyze" button and it will tell you if you should defrag or not.
If it says yes then click the "defragment" button". Now go to bed and let it do its thing.
NOTE: For Vista users it is basically the same except you just click "Defragment now" instead of "analyze"
Once its done you should have a hard drive thats nice and organized.
topTips for keeping a computer fast
Just like a car a computer needs regular maintenance to stay running in tip top shape. Here are some maintenance guild lines.
- Don't install unneeded programs that you will never use
- Try and run a defrag every couple of months. If you use your computer more then do it sooner.
- Try and do a malware and virus scan at least once a week and keep them up to date.
- Do a chkdsk scan every couple of months though it depends on how much you use your computer
- Do a registry scan once a month. Do it more frequently if you are always using your computer.
- Make sure you don't have unneeded programs starting up, especially after you install new programs.
- Do a C Cleaner cleanup every couple of weeks also.
- And finally, keep an eye on how much dust your building up cause it can build up pretty fast.
I hope you gained something out of this tutorial and hope your computer is happy now!!
topIf you think you have benefited from this tutorial or this site then please donate by clicking on the donate link. As im a college student doing this on my spare time. Thanks!