How Can I Make My Computer Run Faster With Freeware?
In many cases, "freeware," or software available for free download, can be dangerous. Unfortunately, many freeware offers are disguised traps for the spread of spyware and Trojan viruses. Other freeware is safe but it's not "free" at all, merely a ploy to get users to try a barely-functioning free version and then pay for the full working package. But there are notable exceptions, freeware that is actually safe, fully functional, and will help your computer run faster and stay safer. You can find many on one entirely safe site, filehippo.com.
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Instructions
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Download and install Sandra Lite 2010, a free benchmarking program, from filehippo.com. Even this free trial version of Sandra will provide good information about the performance of your computer hardware and point out areas where problems may lie or improvements might be made.
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Download a copy of the driver-scanning tool Everest Free Home Edition from majorgeeks.com. Everest will identify all of your machine components and direct you to download sites for new or missing drivers. While many free driver-finding or "detective" tools on the Internet are infected, Everest is not. Fresh, updated drivers will always make a machine more stable and run faster.
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Defrag your hard drive and your registry with tools from auslogics.com. The Auslogics Defragger tool is much faster and more thorough than the Windows onboard tool. The Auslogics Registry cleaning tool will iron out any problems in that department; unlike other free registry "cleaners" available on the web, the Auslogics tool is not a dupe for a virus.
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Download one of the most popular free tools in the computer world, C-Cleaner, from filehippo.com. C-Cleaner cleans up your temp and Internet Files, clears cookies and a host of other "garbage" bins that accumulate on a hard drive. C-Cleaner will also speed up your computer by showing you how to turn off unnecessary startup programs.
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Uninstall all those unwanted software applications on your hard drive with the free Revo Unistaller from revouninstaller.com. Revo is far more advanced than the Windows "Add and Remove Programs" tool, and is able to remove everything connected to a software title, including the registry level.
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Protect your computer from viruses, spyware and adware that will slow down any machine by downloading Spybot Search and Destroy, Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware. All three are effective programs for detecting and cleaning up a nasty infection, even in these freeware versions that do not provide "real time" protection. In fact, Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware are multiple award winners for detecting and removing a host of bugs. All three are available from filehippo.com.
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Clean up just about any serious viral infection with the free tool, ComboFix. ComboFix is only available from bleepingcomputers.com. Other versions with similar spellings are often fakes and are infected. ComboFix will clean up almost any infection, but it is potent and not to be used lightly.
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Tweak your computer in dozens of speedy ways with the famous Tweak UI tool, available from filehippo.com. Tweak UI has been around for many years and continues to outperform any resident Windows tweak applications.
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Tips & Warnings
Place all of these tools on a 2GB flash drive and give them out as gifts to your friends, family and classmates.
Be careful downloading freeware from "off" brand websites that appear to be "cheesy" or unprofessional. It's highly likely the freeware is spyware. Look for the CNET Reviews logo for further safety.
References
Resources
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