10 Tips Speed Up Your Computer

Everyday IT and computer repairs advice to help make your computer run faster & more efficiently from Geeks2U...

Everyone knows the aggravation and frustration of a slow computer, so " How do I speed up my computer? " You can now save yourself from exasperation especially when you are busy working. The following are Geeks2U top ten tips to speed up your computer.

Note: you should only attempt these tasks if you feel confident in doing so. And remember that your friendly Geeks2U computer technician is only a phone call away.

Here are 10 tips to make your computer go faster:

1. Close applications that you're not using.
Having lots of windows open will reduce the performance of your PC. Even applications running in the background can use up memory and can cause issues. It's always good to check your system tray (near the clock) and quit everything that you don't need.

2. Check for & remove spyware and adware.
Spyware and adware are a menace to computers these days. All computers on the internet are exposed to spyware and adware. These malicious programs usually install themselves without your consent and are designed to monitor your computer usage for marketing purposes, and also to spam you with unwanted advertisements. These can be removed with special software, but be very wary of companies claiming to offer spyware solutions, because they often contain spyware themselves!

3. Check for and remove viruses.
Many viruses will slow your computer to a crawl. It's very important to have a good antivirus that is kept up-to-date.

4. Defragment your Hard Drive.
As you use your computer, files become fragmented. This can slow the operation of your computer dramatically.

5. Upgrade your RAM.
RAM stands for "random access memory". Almost everything your computer does requires this type of memory. If you are running low on this, your computer will suffer significant loss of speed. This is the cheapest and most effective hardware upgrade you can perform.

6. Add a dedicated video card.
Most computers use integrated video adapters, meaning that all of the graphics displayed on your screen are using up RAM. Adding a dedicated video card which has it's own memory can dramatically increase both the graphics performance and overall speed of your computer.

7. Reformat your Hard Drive.
This is a very dramatic form of cleaning up your PC. It involves deleting everything on your Hard Drive and reinstalling your operating system (such as Windows). Make sure you have backed up all of your files.

8. Upgrade your internet plan.
If the performance of your computer is satisfactory, but web pages load slowly or downloads aren't as fast as you'd like them to be, call your internet service provider and ask them about upgrading to a plan with more bandwidth. The fastest residential plans in Australia are around 25mbits on ADSL2+ and 30mbits on extreme cable.

9. Is it time for a new PC?
We've found that computers older than 4 or 5 years are somewhat obsolete. Obtaining parts for older computers is generally more expensive and they usually are much less efficient than newer parts. Computers these days are extremely cheap regarding what you get for your money, so it's always a good possibility to explore.

10. Get a geek out!
Here at Geeks2U we receive calls every day from people suffering from poor computer performance. Our technicians are extremely experienced at diagnosing performance issues with your PC and can generally have them fixed within one hour. We will also provide you with personally tailored advice on how to keep your computer running smoothly