5 Ways to Speed Up Your PC

No matter how fast your processor and regardless of howmuch ram you carry, there comes a time when you realizeyour computer just doesn't run as fast as it did when youbought it.

Windows loads slower, programs take longer to launch,and, in general, your computer drags like it just cameoff a 2-night drinking binge.

If this sounds like your situation, these 5 tips shouldhelp you get some extra speed from your PC.

~ Disk Cleanup Utility ~

You may not realize it, but just because you finish witha file doesn't mean your computer does.

In many cases, if your computer's hard drive were agarage, you would have unused junk files piled 20 feethigh and spilling out into the street.

Everyone should use the Windows "Disk Cleanup Utility" todelete old, unused, and temporary files that clog yourhard drive.

Click Start, point at All Programs (or Programs),Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Cleanup.Analyze your hard drive for files you can eliminate andit may shock you to see how much hard drive space (andspeed) you can free up with a few clicks.

~ "Defrag" ~

Imagine a properly maintained hard drive as room the sizeof Wal-Mart filled with filing cabinets.

Now imagine ripping open every drawer of every filingcabinet, slinging the contents onto the floor and tryingto find one document -that's a fragmented hard drive.

Sometimes lack of speed simply results from your computerworking too hard to find the files it needs.

You can solve this problem by "defragging" your harddrive.

Click Start, point to All Programs (or Programs),Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Defragmentor.Choose the disk you want to defragment and expect to letthe program run for several hours.

~ Uninstall Unused Software ~

We all maintain software on our systems we rarely, ifever, use.

That software can steal system resources. Click Start,Control Panel, and "Add Remove Programs" to pull up ascreen that allows you to remove old programs you don'tuse anymore.

Simply select and uninstall all programs you know forsure you don't need or want.

~ Buy More RAM ~

Increasing your RAM, a computer's memory, candramatically increase speed when running certainoperations or programs.

RAM costs so little now that you should install themaximum amount of memory your system can handle.

~ "Stop Them At Startup" ~

This operation requires a bit more technical savvy thanthe other four, so proceed with caution.

Many programs load into the system tray in the lowerright of your computer's desktop and consume systemresources even if you never use them.

Click Start, Run, type in msconfig, and press Enter.Click the "Startup" tab to see a list of programs thatautomatically start with Windows.

Clear the check box next to programs you know you don'twant to load at startup.

But don't clear any checkbox unless you are 100% certainof a program's purpose.

Once you finish, click OK and it will prompt you torestart Windows.

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved

http://www.thenetreporter.com

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and theco-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you howto use free articles to quickly drive thousands oftargeted visitors to your website or affiliate links...

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