How to Speed Up Your Computer Right Now

Take control of your computer. If you're running Windows XP, learn the easiest way to speed it up.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Slow computer running Windows XP

1. Switch to Classic Mode:
   a. Right-click the desktop
   b. Select "Properties"
   c. Find where it says "Theme:" Underneath this, click the drop-down arrow, and select "Windows Classic"
   d. Click "OK"
   
   Reason: Takes less CPU power and RAM

2. Disable Visual Effects:
   a. Click "Start"
   b. Click "Control Panel"
   c. Double-click the "System" icon
   d. Click the "Advanced" tab
   e. Under "Performance," click "Settings"
   f. Click the "Adjust for best performance" option
   g. Click "OK"
   h. Click "OK"
   
   Reason: Takes less CPU power and RAM

3. Defragment the Hard Drive:
   a. Double-click "My Computer"
   b. Find the "C" drive, and right click on it
   c. Select "Properties"
   d. Click the "Tools" tab
   e. Click the "Defragment Now" button
   f. At the top, the "C" drive should be highlighted
   g. Click the "Defragment" button
   
   Reason: Increases speed at which files are accessed

4. If you have one hard drive installed, perform this step. If you have two hard drives installed, skip this step and go to Step 5.
   
   Make Sure Virtual Memory is Set to "System managed size:"
   a. Click "Start"
   b. Click "Control Panel"
   c. Double-click the "System" icon
   d. Click the "Advanced" tab
   e. Under "Performance," click "Settings"
   f. Click the "Advanced" tab
   g. Under "Virtual Memory," click "Change"
   h. Make sure the "System managed size" option is selected
   i. Click "Set"
   j. Click "OK"
   k. Click "OK"
   l. Click "OK"
   
   Reason: Gives the OS as much virtual RAM as it needs

5. If you have two hard drives installed on your system, move the paging file to the second hard drive:
   a. Follow steps "a" through "g" of Step 4
   b. Make sure the "C" drive is highlighted at the top
   c. Click the "No paging file" option
   d. Click "Set"
   e. Click "OK"
   f. Click "Change"
   g. Make sure the second hard drive is highlighted at the top (The "C" drive shouldn't be the one highlighted. It might be called "D" or "E")
   h. Select the "System managed size" button
   i. Click "Set"
   j. Click "OK"
   k. Click "OK"
   l. Click "OK"
   m. Restart your computer so the changes can take effect
   
   Reason: Offloads the virtual memory onto the other hard drive, allowing the main hard drive to work faster.

6. Disable Hard Disk Indexing:
   a. Double-click "My Computer"
   b. Right click on the "C" drive
   c. Select "Properties"
   d. Uncheck the box that says "Allow Indexing Service to index for fast file searching"
   e. Click "OK"
   
   Reason: Hard drive is accessed less often, making it faster (note this comes with the price of making file searches slower. If you use the search box frequently, you may want to leave this checked. Otherwise, uncheck it.)

7. Determine What Version of Internet Explorer You Have:
   a. Open Internet Explorer
   b. Select "Help," and then "About"
   c. The version number is listed under the IE logo. If you have version six, go to Step 8. If you have version seven, go to Step 9.

8. Delete Useless Files in IE 6:
   a. Click "OK"
   b. Select "Tools," and then select "Internet Options..."
   c. Click "Delete Cookies"
   d. Click "OK"
   e. Click "Delete Files"
   f. Click "OK"
   g. Click "Settings"
   h. Click "View Files..."
   i. Highlight and delete all the files
   j. Close the window, and click "OK"
   k. Click "Clear History"
   l. Click "Yes"
   m. Click "OK"
   
   Reason: Time isn't wasted loading old, unwanted files

9. Delete Useless Files in IE 7:
   a. Click "OK"
   b. Select "Tools," and then select "Internet Options"
   c. Select "Delete..." under the "Browsing History" section
   d. Click "Delete All"
   e. Click "Yes"
   f. Click "OK"
   
   Reason: Time isn't wasted loading old, unwanted files

10. Delete Useless Files in Firefox:
    a. Open Firefox
    b. Select "Tools"
    c. Select "Clear Private Data..."
    d. Check Everything but "Offline Website Data" and "Saved Passwords"
    e. Click "Clear Private Data Now"
    
    Reason: Time isn't wasted loading old, unwanted files

Tips & Warnings

• If none of this improves your computer's speed, download free anti-spyware and anti-virus software to scan your computer for malware. If even this doesn't help, reinstall the operating system for a fresh start. Simply reinstalling the OS is the best thing you can do next to upgrading your hardware or buying a new computer.
• For more computer tips, check the resources below.
• Defragmenting your hard drive may take several hours or more. If you decide to do this at night, wait until your computer gets done "analyzing" the drive before leaving the computer. A dialog box will appear that tells you how badly fragmented your computer is. Click to continue with the defragmentation. The process won't be interrupted again until it's done.

Resources

• How to Instantly Lock Down Your Computer
• How to Protect Your Computer From Viruses, Spyware, and Malware for Free and Better Than if You Paid
• How to Really Delete Your Computer Files (Not Just Recycle Them)
• How to Make a Computer Program Faster
• How to Quickly Remove a Flash Drive or SD Card From a Computer

[plumberi]

on 10/15/2009 I wish i was this good. Thanks 58

[pctechguy]

on 9/15/2009 Dont forget to clean the registry. More than often this can become a little fragmented. For an online scan visit the following site: http://tinyurl.com/fixpcregistry
Their software is highly recommended and easy to use.

[eveewonder]

on 9/12/2009 Thanks. This definitely will speed up my PC. Excellent advice for all Windows users. 5*

[cliasays]

on 8/14/2009 Well written thanks for the tips!

[zanon]

on 3/31/2009 Great tips, I just turned off indexing, I always forget to when I reformat! Thanks.