8 Things that will Immediately Speed up your Computer

Although computers are wonderful devices it can be frustrating if yours begins to slow down. There are several reasons why this can happen, including malware infections, registry errors and much more. If you are interested in knowing how you can speed up your computer, then follow the following simple steps;

Get More RAM

Adding RAM is one of the ways through which you can easily and cheaply speed up your computer. Random Access Memory is a type of computer storage that is volatile. This means that everything that is stored on RAM gets lost when you turn off the power to your computer.

The great thing about Memory is that it enables a computer to run at a greater speed, mainly because it is faster than the permanent storage device, the Hard Drive.

The programs that are open on your computer are temporarily stored on the RAM, thus allowing the CPU to access them at a rate that is much faster than it would have been able to from the relatively slow Hard Drive.

(You can also read our article on the 7 essential software for Windows 10 to get more on how you can get the most from your computer).

Adding RAM to your computer, therefore, means that the Processor does not have to work extra hard to fetch required information from the Hard Drive. It is, thus, one of the most effective ways through which you can speed up your computer.

How much RAM do I need?

The amount of RAM that you need depends entirely on how you use your computer. As an example, my computer has 3GB of RAM, which, for the past seven or so years that I have had it, has been more than enough, mainly because I do not play graphics intensive games.

There are limitations, however, as to the amount of RAM that can be installed on a PC. On mine, that runs to 8GB. Although I am using a 64 bit version of Windows 10, I am limited in terms of how much I memory I can have by the fact that I am using the Home version of the Operation System.

64 bit computers should, theoretically, take over 16 million terabytes of RAM. 32 bit computers, on the other hand, are limited to a maximum of 4GB of RAM. You should, therefore, take these issues into consideration when deciding whether or not you can add RAM module as a way of boosting your computer’s performance.

Run Check Disk and Disk Defragmenter

You can also greatly speed up your computer by running Check Disk and Disk Defragmenter; 2 useful utilities that are part of every Windows Operation System. Choose the option to repair errors, and Check Disk will also repair your PC during the scan.

The good thing about Windows 10 is that it, by default, is set to periodically run the two utilities. On some early versions of Windows, such as Windows XP (believe it or not, there are still people who are still using that wonderful OS), you have to run disk Defragmentation manually.

Clean up your PC with Iolo System Mechanic

Another great way through which you can boost the speed of your computer is through the use of computer optimization tools. We have already mentioned that your PC will, over time, begin to slow down. This is caused by errors to the registry and to other places, among other issues. That is why it is so important for you to make sure that everything continues to work as it should, by making sure that your PC is fully optimized for speed.

Get a Solid State Drive (SSD)

Solid State Drives have, over the past few years, gained traction, although, perhaps, not at the rate at which enthusiasts would have hoped for. With prices gradually falling, it is now possible to get an SSD without having to rob a bank.

Solid State Drives are made using none volatile flash memory, and have gained a troop of loyal following mainly due to the fact that they are extremely fast when compared to Hard Disk Drives.

Getting an SSD will virtually eliminate those annoyingly long boot times that you now take as normal, and will ensure that programs load faster.

Although is it often reported that Solid State Drives have the drawback that they have a finite number of write cycles, the truth is that, if you get one now, it will probably outlast the life of other components on your computer.

Get an Antivirus and Scan for Malware

It may come as a surprise to you that there are still people out there who do not have antiviruses on their computers. That is despite the noise that is constantly being made about the need to protect PCs from the threats that lurk across the internet.

Malware infections are one of the reasons why computers may begin to slow down. Worms, as an example, are a type of malware that, when they infect your computer, use up system resources by constantly replicating, thus contributing to the slowing down of your PC.

There are many great antiviruses out there, many of which are offered free of charge. The one that we use at Network Bees is Panda Security. You can get it by clicking on the banner above.

Getting an antivirus and ensuring that it constantly receives the latest virus definitions is one way through which you can ensure that your PC continues to perform as it did when it was new. It’s also a way for you to, if you have already been infected, get rid of the malware that may be behind the slowing down of your computer.

Update Your PC’s Drivers

Problems with drivers are another of the many reasons why some computers slow down over time. Drivers are the important interface that stands between your computer’s hardware and its Operation System. Without them, your PC would not be able to communicate with components such as mice, CPUs, keyboards, Hard Disk Drives and many other essential components. Drivers need to be constantly updated in order to ensure that your computer continues to operate at the optimal level.

If you start having issues with your hardware, the cause may be incompatible or outdated drivers. You can boost your computer’s performance through the simple act of updating its drivers.

While this can be done manually, there are a number of utilities out there that have been designed to automatically update the drivers that are on computers. Getting one of them is a sure way of boosting the performance of your PC.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Programs

Removing unnecessary programs is another good way through which you can immediately speed up your computer. Most of us are guilty of downloading a wide range of free software, a number of which we never get to use. Many of these programs start up when we turn on our computers. This needlessly adds to boot times and contributes to the slowing down of your PC.

Go through the programs that are installed on your computer and remove any that you do not use. You can do this by opening Control Panel and choosing “Uninstall a program” under “Programs.” Be careful, though, not to uninstall programs that are essential to the running of your computer. In general, anything that says “Microsoft” should be off limits.

Disable Some Startup items

If you are not comfortable with removing programs from your computer, you can still speed up your computer lies in preventing them from starting up when your computer is powered up. This can be done through Task Manager in Windows 10, and through the System Configuration (msconfig) in earlier versions of Windows.CategoriesBlog Tagshardware, software, Windows, windows 10, Windows 10 tips