This website shows you various system utilities that you can use to make your PC perform “like new” again.
From The Speed of Smell To The Speed Of Light
How’s that PC running these days? Does molasses in May run faster than your browser? Is a galloping turtle beating the speed of your Office applications? There’s help out there… and fortunately it travels a lot faster than smell.
Changes in computer response time can most frequently be observed in your application response time. If you have “hourglass syndrome” and have time to prepare dinner, clean your house, and change the baby before your browser launches, you might have a problem. Fortunately, there is hope for your hourglass illness. There are several ways to speed up your computer and most are inexpensive or free.
System Utilities To Save The Day
Running a Disk Defragmenter, a Disk Cleanup, and a Scan Disk can all dramatically improve your performance, especially if you have never run them before. These tools move corrupt data out of the way or recover it, if it can be recovered. These tools are all free with Windows XP and can be found under Accessories->System Tools.
Mind you, all of these utilities can take a few hours to run. It is best to start the scans before a period of inactivity, as your computer can not be in use while these scans are running.
Spy Sweepers, Registry Sweepers, and Virus Scanners Galore
These utilities should be run on a regular basis. Spyware/Adware, registry clutter, and viruses can slow your system to a halt. Prevention and removal software can be inexpensively acquired from companies like Symantec, Norton, and Lavasoft. These sweeps should be run on a very regular basis to protect you from the simple risks that come from browsing the internet, downloading media, and installing/uninstalling software.
Tweak This
Tweak UI is a program offered by Microsoft for Windows (it is in their PowerToys suite), that has many speed-up utilities included. It is also a free Windows utility. It should only be used by experienced users. If you are experienced, you might want to consult a guide or tutorial before diving in.
Your PC Is Not An Attic
Delete some of that old junk. Storing items on your computer gives the processor and hard disk more data to sift through i.e., more processing time. Delete what you are not using or what you did not intentionally install. Trash those old movie files and music files.
Nothing Lasts Forever
After doing all of this, if you are still having problems with speed, it might be time to upgrade. Remember, race car tires cannot be put on a go cart. This means, if you have an ancient computer, an upgrade is not going to help. An entirely new system is necessary. However, computer systems have taken a dramatic fall in price over the past few years.
A new system with all of the bells and whistles can be acquired for a few hundred dollars. If your system is still new, you might want to look into adding more RAM (random access memory) which adds speed in leaps and bounds.