We know how frustrating it can be when you have a PC that isn’t performing at nearly the rate it should. You can have crashes, blue screens of death, slow internet speeds, slow loading times on applications and a generally bad experience overall. The causes of this are pretty common and we’re going to go over some simple tips to help you speed up a slow computer.
Dust And Dirt Build Up
- Don’t just look on the inside of the computer; look on the outside as well. Once you take off the side panel to your computer, you might be surprised at just how much dust is in your computer. An ungodly amount can build up on top of your graphics card fans, your processor cooling fans, your heat sinks and other areas of your computer. This can drastically slow down hardware.
- Compressed air is the best tool to use for cleaning out any dust. Be careful not to use any compressor air however because air flowing too quickly and too hard to your hardware may cause is it to short circuit.
Junk Files And Temporary Files
- When you browse a web page or load a program, temporary or (junk) files are created and stored on your hard drive. If you never clear these files and you do a lot of browsing, it adds up overtime creating a large collection of used space that isn’t necessary.
- The easiest way to remove these files is with a program of your choice. The main and common recommended free program to use is CCleaner. This program not only cleans out the unnecessary internet browsing related files created by your browsers, but it also cleans out junk files left behind by your computer and useless files which serve no real purpose to your computer. However, this program receives a lot of updates and you’ll end up downloading it again every other day. That’s really the only flaw with CCleaner.
Viruses And Spyware
- This is one of the main causes of slow computers. Next to having a ton of junk files stored on the computer, you would be shocked to learn the number of people who have viruses and spyware silently eating their hard drive alive.
- Some of these viruses act as a Trojan horse and invite more viruses into your computer without you even knowing about it or giving them permission.
- If you’re on a budget and can’t afford premium virus protection, it’s highly recommended that you get Microsoft Security Essentials. The program is very light weight, constantly updated with the latest virus definitions and best of all, it’s free. There are not a lot of bugs out there that Microsoft Security Essentials can’t catch.
Having a quick and secure computer starts with the three essential things discussed above. Making sure your hardware is clear of any dust, clearing your junk and temporary files and killing all viruses and spyware off. However, you’re going to be limited to just how much performance you can get out of your computer due to the fact that everyone has different hardware in their PC. Your hardware’s specifications and what they’re designed for will determine just how much performance you can get out of the PC.
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