My computer is running slow. I need to know how to increase computer speed?

Question

I’ve had my computer for about a year now. For the past week or so, my computer has started to run slowly. I thought it was strange that my computer was getting old already. I was about to throw it away, but a friend told me that there were ways to make my computer run faster. I need to know how to increase computer speed so my stuff works again! By the way, I’m running Windows XP.

Answer 1

There are a few ways to make your computer run faster. The first and best way to get things running like new is to do maintenance on your registry. Most of the time, slow computer speeds are related to registry junk.



Basically, your registry is the filing cabinet for all the files that all your programs need to work. After a while, your registry files can get corrupted or damaged. If you install and remove a lot of programs, your computer could also be cluttered with orphaned files--that is files that are left behind after the programs are uninstalled.



Fixing these problems is easy. Just go here: http://optimize-your-pc.com/regcure/repairing_errors.php and get the registry cleaning tool. Run it once and everything will run like new. Keep up with it every few weeks, and everything will stay that way.



Another thing you can do is regular virus and spyware scans. If your computer is infected with either of these, it will run slower. Most computers come with these programs installed already, and they’re usually among the best programs out there.



You can also run your computer’s defrag program regularly. It’s already on your computer, usually in your Control Panel under Performance and Maintenance. Select "Rearrange items on your hard disk to make programs run faster." It will probably let you know whether or not you need to run it.



Anything beyond that gets pretty technical. You can change up your Virtual Memory settings, memory allocations and install a new RAM card. You may hear about overclocking your computer along the way--I would highly discourage you from doing that, since you can burn (literally!) your computer that way.

Answer 2

There a several reasons why your computer is freezing/slow. First question is when was the last time you cleaned your registry. Having a corrupted registry can cause a whole host of errors and problems. Freezing up is one of them. If you have a lot of unnecessary registry keys that are hogging up your computer resources. Your computer is bound to choke. Scan your registry with a good registry cleaner. If you pull up more than 20 errors or duplication, clean your registry.



2. Depending on your RAM specs and your computer usage. This could also be a the issue. Having an insufficient amount of free space does not allow your RAM to function properly. If you are using a lot of RAM by net surfing or other activities without enough empty space your will get freezes. You don't need to buy new RAM but you should increase your free space by removing unnecessary data and perhaps increasing your virtual memory. The below link will show you how.



3. Spyware could be the culprit, so do a scan and see if your computer is infected.



4. That last area is a hardware drivers. This could be the problem if new hardware has been added to the system. So, the drivers should still be up to date. So try the first two suggestion and see if you can get your computer to stop freezing.

Check your drivers. Hope this helps.

<--http://tp5pro.com/WhyIsMyComputerSlow.htm

Answer 3

The best way is to download Ccleaner here http://bitly.com/UrALrK



Or you can go on Windows operating system locate the command prompt and go there to do the following:

Create a Recovery file of system and date it today.



Then begin by;

delete the 'Temp' folders..they have hidden subfolders so you need to set the attributes in order to bypass this. For each subfolder delete all cookies and rubbish left behnd after install-uninstalled programs. Do a 'dir' command to check your progress. Make sure the 'Temp' file is empty.



goto c:\windows\prefetch and delete everything in there..no exceptions



goto c:\windows folder and delete all the '$' files that have been installed by updates. They can all be succesfully deleted and just take up disk space.



Locate the Internet Temporary Files..Check to see how high the saving level is..some have it set at 30 days..but that stores faaaar tooo much data..though it slows down the system overal. Keep this to a minimum..suggest 2 or 5 at most.



Delete all 'cookies' all those you don't need.



Locate the windows directory and go through the folders you know and those you don't need. Check this once a week at least. Some programs will install under XP as NT and older systems where there is no check of systems weight.



Check to see that system files have not changed since last booting. Things like .ini files or .bat are important items.





Check for 'Hidden Directories' all over the disk...do this at the command prompt:



dir *.* /ah wil show these hidden directories



Check the 'dir' command for all parameters

Answer 4

If your virus/spyware free, there are a couple things you can do get your computer working faster. If you using your computer for normal stuff and not gaming. You don't always need more RAM you just need to perform a few maintenance task.



First, if you haven't cleaned your registry in a while. This is necessary. Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, un-installs etc. Each one of those events produces a key. That key needs your PC's resources and free space. So, if you clean your registry, you make more resources available for speed. Do a registry scan if you got more than 20 errors you should clean it.

http://www.delete-computer-history.com/what-is-the-best-registry-cleaner.html



2. Clear your Windows cache files, this is your temporary file. It can grow up to a large volume and stop your computer from using RAM properly. In a sense slow it down by preventing it from using free space.Here is how:



1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser

2. Click Start, click "Control Panel", and then double-click "Internet Options".

3. On the General tab, click "Delete Files" under Temporary Internet Files.

4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the "Delete all offline content" check box , and then click OK.

5. Click OK.



3. Manage your startups. Your excess CPU usage is due to too many programs running in the background. You can cut these to barebones by alter your msconfig. Here is how:



1. Open your Start menu.

2. Click Run

3. In the command screen type "msconfig.exe"

4. In the "system configuration utility",click either "service" or "startup" tab

5. Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using.

6. Click "OK"

Answer 5

http://www.malwarebytes.org/



A free download. This will get rid of all the tracker cookies & spyware you probably have & don't know it. They can slow or cripple your computer.



Next, your lucky. XP is a memory light OS. Vista would be much worse.

Next go to ...



Start> All Programs> Assessories> System Tools> Disc Clean up



Run that. Then...



Start> All Programs> Assessories> System Tools> Defragment



Run analize, Then if you can run Defrag.



If your hard drive is too full, more than 85% full, you will have to ditch some files, or else compress all rarely used files. Defrag cannot run unless at least 15% of the hard drive is free.

This will take some time to run if your hard drive is near full. But you should run it when your computer is over 15% fragmented. It can increase your speed dramatically.



Good Luck, I hope this has helped you! :-)

Answer 6

You can try the following-



1) Scan for viruses and spyware , I recommend AVG and Spybot. But dont run two AV programs at the same time.



2) Reduce the number of programs loading at startup. Have only the ones absolutely necessary.



3)Uninstall programs you may never need and also run a diskcleanup and chkdsk. CCleaner is a great diskcleanup program, its free.



4) Defragment. Check your HDD free space. The built in defragger needs atleast 15% free space. The best defragger I have tried is Diskeeper, it defrags in low free space. Whats more, it can be set to run in the background automatically. You can download the free 30 day trial version here-

http://www.diskeeper.com/defrag.aspx



5)Ensure that your PC has enough RAM, if not upgrade. 1 to 2GB is the bare minimum nowadays.

Answer 7

Hi, since your computer is about a year old...and you are experiencing slow computer or your computer running slow, first, you need to check this: Go to 'Programs' --> 'Run' --> Type in 'msconfig' --> 'Start Up Programs' --> Check whether are there any redundant programs --> Clear those unwanted programs from running on your computer. If this does not fix your slow computer problem, then you need the next best solution.



Often times, the main reason why your computers slow down, freeze and experience sluggish performance is because there are simply too many unwanted and useless files being stored in your computer. Some of these files overlap each other due to corrupted file names. In this scenario, you really need a dose of the best registry cleaner in the market.



Registry cleaners are remarkable for one main reason – they help you get rid of unwanted and useless files and programs in your computer that you never really will be using. This redundant registry will eat up valuable space in your computer and make your computer slow. By cleaning up these useless and unwanted registry, you can speed up your computer faster.



I would advise you to clean your computer registry once a week with the best registry cleaner software. I can assure you it will make your computer run faster and fix slow computer.

Answer 8

1. delete all the temporary files. run > %temp% > delete all the files. 2. only install those softwares which are required 3. do not store any personal or other matter on the C drive. 4. Do not store too many files on your desktop. 5. Remove the unwanted start up files. run > msconfig > start up > deselect the unwanted. 6. Full Scan your computer every week to Keep it free of virus. For that you need to have a full/licensed version of a good anti virus. 7. Increase the speed of RAM Have a 1GB DDR RAM atleast. 8. Defragment the disks. start > All programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. 9. Do not open too many pages/ files at the same time.

Answer 9

Microsoft Registry Problems = Slow Computer!

The Windows registry, Containing information and settings for all the hardware, software, users, and preferences of your computer, whenever you make a change to the Control Panel settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the registry.

When the Windows registry becomes very large, your computer’s can become very slow and it can cause it to be unstable.



Clean your Registry can make your computer faster

http://faster-computer-clean-registry.com

Answer 10

I am a developer at Microsoft so I know a thing or two about computers. The best PC cleaner and antivirus program is PC Health Boost, it's very light and it's the only antivirus/cleaner with a 99.99% detection rate.



It's also a PC booster so your computer will be running faster than nomal. Download it here for free: http://www.pcboostsoftware.com

Answer 11

Boot in DOS mode and type c:\deltree windows

hehehe *Ok don't do that.



But more RAM memory will always help. Consider getting a SSD. try defragging your HD.

Do not install EVERYTHING you find on the I-net.

Run an antivirus. Run spybot. Close all unused apps...

If you still cannot make it faster. Reinstall Windows and ONLY install the apps you really need.

Answer 12

Some folks would recommend you go out and buy upgrades or a completely new system. If you have the money then go for it. If you don’t, then why not try to fully optimize your current system? Often times this will solve the problem and turbo charge your system. Scan your computer for free and get a full diagnosis at:



http://www.registry-clean-up.net

Answer 13

Below can help you speed up your pc:



For IE, click Tools, Internet Options delete files (offline files) clear history (set days to save to 0 if you want) click o.k., and Restart



For Firefox, press ctrl+shift+del, and click clean private data.



Manage your startup:

Open your Start menu -> Click Run -> In the command screen type "msconfig.exe" -> In the "system configuration utility", click either "service" or "startup" tab -> Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using.



You can also use PC Repair Doctor to fix up all those hidden PC errors on your PC.

http://www.inklineglobal.com/products/peb/moreinfo.html

Answer 14

Defragment.



Uninstall unused programs.



Virus scan.



Add more RAM!



Reformat.



:)

Answer 15

listen there are lot's of program in internet.so don't be arrogant and just download anything.

go to download.com and type the question u have and whatever they recommend look for the editor's choice.

best of luck.