Quick Ways to Speed Up Your PC
If you've noticed that your PC isn't as fast as it used to be, that is because computers will slow down over time due to several factors. New programs get installed that take up hard drive space and load when your computer starts up; using precious memory, or you could even have a virus. There are a couple quick and easy steps you can take to speed up your computer now.
Restarting your computer is the
easiest way to speed up your PC. The best way to do this is to
completely shut down your computer first. In Windows click on the
Start button and then click “shut
down”. Then press the power button on your computer to turn it back
on. Next it would be good to take a look at what programs start when
you first turn on your computer. You might have programs you don't
need, and disabling some or all of them can significantly decrease
the time it takes for your computer to start up.
You can change what loads on startup using an application called msconfig. On any Windows operating system, simply press the Windows key on your keyboard (It looks like a picture of a square window.) and R at the same time to open a run box. Type msconfig and press enter.
(on Windows 8 & 10)
Click startup, then click open task manager. Right click on any application and select disable if you don't want it to start when your computer starts. Close the task manager when you are done.
(On Windows 7 and earlier)
Click on startup and you can see a list of all the programs that load when your computer starts. You can click “disable all” if you want to load them yourself later, or choose what you want to have start by clicking on the check boxes next to the program name. After you are done, click okay. Then it will ask you to restart your computer, click yes. When your computer starts back up it will load the programs you selected.
You can change what loads on startup using an application called msconfig. On any Windows operating system, simply press the Windows key on your keyboard (It looks like a picture of a square window.) and R at the same time to open a run box. Type msconfig and press enter.
(on Windows 8 & 10)
Click startup, then click open task manager. Right click on any application and select disable if you don't want it to start when your computer starts. Close the task manager when you are done.
 |
| MSCONFIG on Windows 8.1 |
(On Windows 7 and earlier)
Click on startup and you can see a list of all the programs that load when your computer starts. You can click “disable all” if you want to load them yourself later, or choose what you want to have start by clicking on the check boxes next to the program name. After you are done, click okay. Then it will ask you to restart your computer, click yes. When your computer starts back up it will load the programs you selected.
 |
| MSCONFIG on Windows 7 |
If your computer is running low on
available hard drive space, it will slow down. You can delete files,
but you don't want to delete a file that your computer needs.
Temporary internet files are good files to delete, because these are
just files that get installed when you visit a website and temporary
data needs to be stored. These files aren't necessary and can take up
a lot of space. You can access these by pressing the Windows key and
R again at the same type, type “%temp%”, then press “okay”. A
folder will open up, delete everything inside. Some files might not
be able to be deleted because they are in use, you can skip those.
These files won't be permanently deleted unless you empty the Recycle
Bin. Right click on the Recycle Bin on your desktop and click “empty
Recycle Bin”, then click yes on the dialog box.
Viruses can slow down your computer or just be plain annoying. If you have an anti virus program installed like Norton Antivirus, open it and click run scan. It might take several hours to run, when it's finished, follow the instructions and then make sure to restart your computer. If you don't own anti virus software, there are free programs that are very good. I recommend one called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This program is different from Norton because it can't actively scan, it will only do so when you tell it to. You can download it for free at Malwarebytes.org. Click on “free version download” and it will start downloading automatically. When it is finished, install it, then open the program by double clicking on the Malwarebytes icon on your desktop. Click on the “Update” tab, and then click “check for updates”. It is important to run the update every time because new virus definitions are added every day. After you do this click on the “Scanner” tab and select “Perform Full Scan”, then click “Scan”. A box will open that shows the hard drives you want to scan, select those then click “Okay”. This might take several minutes to complete. Afterward, a message box will appear saying the scan has completed. Click “Okay”, then it will take you back to the “Scanner” page. Click “Show Results”, and it will open a box showing any malicious software that has been found. Select all of them then click “Remove Selected”. Then restart your computer.
If you've followed these steps, you will notice your computer will be dramatically faster and more responsive. These steps would be good to do every few months, or whenever you notice your computer becoming slow.
Viruses can slow down your computer or just be plain annoying. If you have an anti virus program installed like Norton Antivirus, open it and click run scan. It might take several hours to run, when it's finished, follow the instructions and then make sure to restart your computer. If you don't own anti virus software, there are free programs that are very good. I recommend one called Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This program is different from Norton because it can't actively scan, it will only do so when you tell it to. You can download it for free at Malwarebytes.org. Click on “free version download” and it will start downloading automatically. When it is finished, install it, then open the program by double clicking on the Malwarebytes icon on your desktop. Click on the “Update” tab, and then click “check for updates”. It is important to run the update every time because new virus definitions are added every day. After you do this click on the “Scanner” tab and select “Perform Full Scan”, then click “Scan”. A box will open that shows the hard drives you want to scan, select those then click “Okay”. This might take several minutes to complete. Afterward, a message box will appear saying the scan has completed. Click “Okay”, then it will take you back to the “Scanner” page. Click “Show Results”, and it will open a box showing any malicious software that has been found. Select all of them then click “Remove Selected”. Then restart your computer.
If you've followed these steps, you will notice your computer will be dramatically faster and more responsive. These steps would be good to do every few months, or whenever you notice your computer becoming slow.
