With
Windows 7 and later, Microsoft has tried to make PC experience easy and
clutter-free for its users. It has many auto-optimizing features to
make your PC run smoother, but you must know some basic computer
optimization tips to make your computer work efficiently.
It
doesn’t matter how fast or shiny computers might be when they’re new,
they all seem to get slower over time. That state-of-the-art PC you
bought last year might not feel like such a screamer after you install a
dozen programs, load it with antispyware and
antivirus
tools, and download untold amounts of junk from the Internet. The
slowdown might happen so gradually that you hardly notice it, until one
day you’re trying to open a program or file and wonder,
“What happened to my PC?” This slowdown is called
Windows Rot; although Microsoft has done a lot to reduce this, since Windows Vista.
Optimize Windows for better performance
Whatever
the cause, there are lots of ways to help speed up Windows and make
your PC work better even without upgrading your hardware. Here are some
very easy and basic tips to help you optimize Windows 7 for faster
performance:
Use Performance Troubleshooter: The first thing that you can try is the Performance troubleshooter, which can automatically
find and fix performance problems.
The Performance troubleshooter checks issues that might slow down your
computer’s performance, such as how many users are currently logged on
to the computer and whether multiple programs are running at the same
time. To run the Performance Troubleshooter follow these simple steps:
- Go to Control Panel and click on Action Center.
- In Action Center, click on Troubleshooting, click on View All option available in the left pane.
- From
the list of troubleshooters select Performance troubleshooter and
follow the steps available in wizard to fix the performance related
issues.
Remove programs you never use:
Many PC manufacturers pack new computers with many unwanted software
which you may never use. These are often limited versions or trial
versions of software or crapware which are after a certain time period
have no use, utilities and programs installed by you may be have no use
as many software are bundled with lots of unwanted options like toolbar,
registry scanners, web browsers. keeping unwanted and useless software
installed have adverse effect on PC performance, its better to
uninstall them and save disk space.
Manage your start up programs: Many
programs are designed to start automatically when Windows starts.
Software manufacturers often set their programs to open in the
background, where you can’t see them running. That’s helpful for
programs you use a lot, but for programs you rarely or never use, this
wastes precious memory and slows down the time it takes Windows to
finish starting up. To
manage your start ups ,you can use System Configuration utility.
- Click on Start and type MSCONFIG in search bar.
- Open it and click on Start Up tab.
- Unchecked the entries which you’ll found unnecessary to run at Windows Start up.
- Click Apply and Ok to save the settings and then restart your PC.
Defragment your hard disk:
Fragmentation makes your hard disk do extra work that can slow down
your computer. Disk Defragmenter rearranges fragmented data so your hard
disk can work more efficiently. Disk Defragmenter runs on a schedule,
but you can also defragment your hard disk manually. To use Windows
inbuilt Disk Defragmenter utility, navigate to Accessories folder in
Start menu, then Click on System Tools and run Disk Defragmenter.
Defraggler is my personal favorite free Disk Defragmentation software.
Use Disk Cleanup to clean Hard Drive: Unnecessary files on your hard disk take up disk space and can slow down your computer. The
Disk Cleanup Utility removes
temporary files,
empties the Recycle Bin, and removes a variety of system files and
other items that you no longer need. To use Disk Cleanup, follow these
steps:
- Open Computer, Right click on Hard Disk partition for which you want to run Disk Cleanup.
- Then click on Disk Cleanup button. It will take some time to start as it will analyzes for Junk files.
- Check the boxes for files which are useless and click Ok.
CCleaner is my personal favorite for junk cleaning.
Un-installing programs you do not need or use is also a good idea!
Run only the necessary programs at the same time:
Many times we keeps on running several programs at same time and more
often half of them remains open without of any use. Sometimes changing
the behavior of using your PC also benefits in gaining better
performance. If you find your PC slowing down, ask yourself if you
really need to keep all your programs and windows open at once. Find a
better way to remind yourself to reply to email messages rather than
keeping all of them open. Make sure you’re only running one antivirus
program. Running more than one anti virus program can also slow down
your computer. Fortunately, if you’re running more than one anti-virus
program, the Action Center notifies you and can help you fix the
problem.
Turn off Visual Effects: If
Windows is running slowly, you can speed it up by disabling some of its
visual effects. It comes down to appearance versus performance. Would
you rather have Windows run faster or look prettier? If your PC is fast
enough, you don’t have to make this tradeoff, but if your computer is
just barely powerful enough for Windows 7, it can be useful to scale
back on the visual bells and whistles.
You
can choose which visual effects to turn off, one by one, or you can let
Windows choose for you. There are 20 visual effects you can control,
such as the transparent glass look, the way menus open or close, and
whether shadows are displayed.
To adjust all visual effects for best performance:
- Right Click on Computer icon and click on properties.
- In
the left pane, click on Advance Settings. If you’re prompted for an
administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.
- Click on settings in performance and then check or uncheck options to adjust for best performance and then click OK. (For a less drastic option, select Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer).
Restart your PC occasionally: This
tip is simple. Restart your PC at least once a week, especially if you
use it a lot. Restarting a PC is a good way to clear out its memory and
ensure that any errant processes and services that started running get
shut down. Restarting closes all the software running on your PC, not
only the programs you see running on the taskbar but also dozens of
services and drivers that might have been started by various programs
and never stopped. This step refreshes your Windows OS.
Add more Memory: This
isn’t a guide to buying hardware that will speed up your computer. But
no discussion of how to make Windows run faster would be complete
without mentioning that you should consider adding more random access
memory (RAM) to your PC.
If a computer running Windows 7 or
Windows 8 seems
too slow, it’s usually because the PC doesn’t have enough RAM. The best
way to speed it up is to add more. Windows 7 can run on a PC with 1GB
of RAM, but it runs better with 2 GB. For optimal performance 3 GB or
more would be preferred. Another option is to boost the amount of memory
by using
Windows ReadyBoost.
Check for viruses and spyware: If
your PC is running slowly, it’s possible that it’s infected with a
virus or spyware. This is not as common as the other problems, but it’s
something to consider. Before you worry too much, check your PC using
antispyware and antivirus programs. A common symptom of a virus is a
much slower-than-normal computer performance. Other signs include
unexpected messages that pop up on your PC, programs that start
automatically, or the sound of your hard disk constantly working.
Spyware
is a type of program that’s installed, usually without your knowledge,
to watch your activity on the Internet. You can check for spyware with
Windows Defender or other antispyware programs. The best way to deal
with viruses is to prevent them in the first place. Always run antivirus
software and keep it up to date. Even if you take such precautions,
however, it’s possible for your PC to become infected.
