HOW TO IMPROVE THE SPEED OF YOUR COMPUTER

In this jet or information age,one of the things that frustrate a computer user is slowness of ones personal computer.This article has been well researched out to provide tips on how to boost the speed of your laptop or personal stand-alone computer,in order words speed up your computer.

1 Free up disk The Disk Cleanup tool helps you to free up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete and lets you choose to delete some, all, or none of the identified files.

2.Remove spyware, and help protect your computer from viruses

Spyware gathers personal information without asking for permission. From the websites you visit to user names and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to compromising your privacy, spyware can hamper your computer's performance. Fortunately, there are a couple of easy ways to combat spyware.
3.DOWNLOAD MICROSOFT SECURITY ESSENTIALS for free to help guard your system from viruses, spyware, adware, and other malicious software Microsoft Security Essentials acts as a spyware removal tool and includes automatic updates to help keep your system protected from emerging threats.
4.The MICROSOFT WINDOWS MALICIOUS SOFTWARE REMOVAL TOOL, also free, checks computers running Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, windows me, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software, including Folstart, Phorpiex, Weelsof, Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom. It helps remove any detected infection or malware.

5. Free up disk space

The Disk Cleanup tool helps you to free up space on your hard disk to improve the performance of your computer or thereby speed up the computer. The tool identifies files that you can safely delete and lets you choose to delete some, all, or none of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:

ü Remove temporary Internet files.

ü Delete downloaded program files, such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets.

ü Empty the Recycle Bin.

ü Remove Windows temporary files, such as error reports.

ü Delete optional Windows components that you don't use.

ü Delete installed programs that you no longer use.

ü Remove unused restore points and shadow copies from System Restore.

ü Delete system files (Windows 8).

6.MAKE SURE YOUR HARDWARE IS SUFFICIENT

ABOVE AND BEYOND EVERYTHING YOU CAN DO WITH software to optimize the function of your computer, making sure you have the proper hardware to support Windows is critical.

7. CLEAN YOUR DESKTOP

Is your Windows Desktop dotted with files? Have you noticed that your computer has been running slower and slower? Do you see the hard drive light often flashing while you wait for the computer to respond to an action? There are steps you can take to fix it. Read this article.

8. SCAN YOUR WINDOWS SYSTEM FOR ERRORS

An operating system is a collection of files that perform different functions. It is possible, over time, that one or more of these system files has changed or become corrupted. If this happens, the speed of your system may decrease. By using a utility called “System File Checking”, it will inspect these files and correct any problem it finds.

9. SCAN FOR VIRUSES, SPYWARE AND ADWARE

Every Windows computer is vulnerable to viruses. Viruses are nasty little programs that cause both major and minor problems for users.
Spyware and Adware are programs created by companies to find out more information about customers, so they can better market products to them. Usually these programs are not created for malicious purposes. Spyware and Adware can load into computer memory and slow it down.
Periodically scanning and removal of Viruses, Spyware and Adware is a great way to improve computer performance.

10 UNINSTALL UNUSED PROGRAMS

Over time, you may have accumulated programs on your computer that you do not use. When a program is installed, it creates connections between the program and the operating system. Even if you don’t use these programs, they can slow down your system. If you have the original program’s installation disk or file, removing programs will free up space on your computer and may speed up your system's performance.

10. ADJUST VISUAL EFFECTS FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE

Windows provides a number of interesting visual effects including animated windows and fading menus. If you do not have enough operating memory (see above number 1), these effects can slow down your computer. Adjusting or reducing visual effects can make a difference.
To speed up Vista computers in particular you can disable features and function that are not used. For more information, read "How to Speed Up Windows Vista."

11. DON’T AUTOMATICALLY START PROGRAMS

Programs use operating memory (RAM, also called system resources). Unless you always use these programs, you can keep them from loading at Windows startup and speed both the booting of your computer and its performance.

12.. DEFRAGMENT YOUR HARD DRIVE

The more information and programs you have on your computer, the more it is likely that Windows has placed parts of the same file in different locations on your hard drive. It may do this for hundreds of files and programs, depending on how much space is available. Defragmenting the hard drive places all information for each file in one place. The result can be a faster computer experience.
Important Note: Before you even try this, backup all your work onto a different computer, hard drive, CD or disk. Also, you should only do this if you have a reliable source of power for your computer. Doing this when there is a brown out or power problem in the neighborhood, is not a good idea. If a computer turns off while it is defragmenting a drive, it will create more problems than not defragmenting it in the first place.

13 REINSTALL THE OPERATING SYSTEM AND PROGRAMS

If you have done all the above steps and your computer does not become more responsive, you might consider reinstalling the operating system and programs. This is a scorched earth option - basically you backup all your data and user settings, wipe your hard drive clean and re-install the operating system with your original disks. Next, install all your favorite programs and restore all your data and user settings.
The nice thing about doing this is that you essentially have a new computer, free of years worth of software and registry changes, additions and errors that can turn a fast rabbit of a Windows computer into a slow turtle. The bad thing about this choice is that it takes time and planning to do it correctly. If your PC is 3 to 4 years old and continues to run slower than it did when you purchased it, this might be the only action that will make to run faster