Speeding Up A Slow Computer

One complaint I hear over and over from clients is their computer is running slowly. Some clients are using older computers with older hardware.  Others complain that the brand-new computer is not running as fast they expect it should be. It isn’t necessary to replace a computer to speed it up. Here are some steps that can improve the speed of your computer without dishing out a bunch of cash. 

Uninstall unused programs
When you purchase a computer, programs come preinstalled on the computer. You may have never used these programs and they can be removed. These may be program you installed a long time ago, but don’t use anymore. To remove unnecessary programs, Click Start>Control Panel>Programs and Features>Uninstall a Program. Select the program that you want to uninstall and select Uninstall/Change. 
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Delete temporary files
Temporary files can take up space on your hard drive and slow down programs. Most of these files are no longer needed and can be deleted. Click Start and search for “Disk Cleanup”.  Select the drive you would like to clean up. Normally this will be the C: drive.  Select Temporary Internet Files and Temp Files. Other files types can be picked also, but make sure you know what you are deleting. Then click okay. If there are a lot of temporary files, the process may take a long time to complete. 

Clean up the registry
The Windows registry is a database of configuration settings for your computer. When a program is installed, items are added to the registry. When a program is uninstalled, the registry items may not be removed. If there is a large amount of data in the registry, it may take longer for your computer to start or to open programs. Deleting unused registry item can speed up your computer. There are a few free programs that can be used to do the cleanup. My favorite it CCleaner Free.  Download and install the program. Select Registry. Click Scan for Issues. When it complete, click Fix Selected Issue.

Add RAM
RAM, also know as memory, is what your computer uses to load all the information that your programs and files use. If your computer is older, your computer may not have enough RAM to run the programs that your want. Programs that open large files, like AutoCAD, Publisher, or Photoshop, the large files maybe using a lot of your RAM also. Upgrading the RAM in your computer can be a cost effective way to speed up your computer. 

Add Drive Space
Your computer uses your hard drive as temporary memory also. If your hard drive is low of space, your computer may not have enough space for temporary memory. Upgrading the size of your hard drive or adding a secondary drive to your computer can fix this issue. 

Upgrade Your Drive to SSD
If you are upgrading your hard drive, you may want to replace the old drive with an SSD drive. SSD stands for Solid State Drive. These new types of drives don’t have moving parts like traditionally hard drives which have platters. The drives read and write data faster than traditional drive. SSDs can improve the speed of your computer over 50%. Boot time are faster also. The new drives are more expensive but the gains in speed are worth the cost.
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Run a disk defragmentation
When your computer writes to the hard drive, the bytes of data are stored on your computer. The bytes are stored can be stored in random places on the drive. Parts of the same file can be on completely different parts of the drive. When your computer opens a file, it takes longer because to needs to look at two different places to get the information it needs. Defragmenting your computer reorganizes the bytes, so they are logically organized. To defragment your computer, click Start and search for Defragment and Organize Drives. Select your hard drive and click Analyze. The program will scan your drive and recommend if you drive needs to be defragmented. If it does, click optimize and the defrag will run. 

​If you are still having issues with your computer after completing these steps, there may be other issues with your computer. Contact Umbrella Infotech to schedule a time to review your computer.