How to Repair Slow and Poor Computer Performance

Fixing computer performance can be easy if you have the right tools.

Everyone hates when a computer slows down and stops performing like when it was brand new. As time goes by, people install programs and load their computer with documents, music and videos and do not realize that just like automobiles, computers need preventive maintenance as well. By keeping up on this maintenance you can keep your computer running fast and performing just the way you want it to.

Instructions

Fix your computer performance

1. Clean your "Temporary Internet files and cookies" in Internet Explorer. This will help to clean out all of the built up files that your browser has to go through in order to load a stored web page. When you visit that page again your computer will load the most current copy of the page also known as a "cookie".

2. Shut down start-up programs, click "Start and run," when the run dialog box comes up type in "Msconfig" and click on "OK". The Microsoft Windows System configuration utility will open up and you will see tabs across the top. Click on the "Start-up" tab and the list of all the programs that run when your computer boots up will be listed here. Go through and deselect the box next to each program to stop it from starting on boot and then click "Apply" at the bottom. When you click on "Close" you will be prompted to either restart now or restart later.

3. Uninstall programs that you no longer need. Click on "Start" and then select "Control Panel" on the start menu. When the control panel opens up click on "Add/Remove Programs" and wait for the add/remove programs window to open. Go through this list and select each program you wish to uninstall and then click on the "Change/Remove" button to the right of the program name. Follow the uninstall instructions.

4. Run a defragmentation on your computer. Click on "Start and highlight All Programs", at the top highlight "Accessories" and you will see "System Tools"; highlight this option and you will see the "Disk Defrag" program listed here; click on the program to start it. Once the program begins, there will be an analysis button towards the bottom; highlight your hard drive and click on "Analyze". Once the analysis is complete, it will tell you if you need to defragment your hard drive and if so click on the "Defragment" button to start the process.

5. Remove your Temp files from your computer. Double-click "My Computer" and right-click your "Local drive" (which is usually your C:\ drive) and select "Properties". The properties window will open on the "General" tab; click the button labeled "Disk Cleanup". When the disk cleanup window opens go through and place a check mark in the box next to the option that says "Temporary files" and "Temporary Offline Files" and click on "OK" and your computer will remove all of these files that are not needed.

References

• Computer Cure Pro: Registry problems and registry cleaning
• Microsoft: 5 ways to speed up your PC
• Microsoft: Ways to improve your computer's performance