How to Increase the Processing Performance of a IBM ThinkPad Model 41

Laptops provide convenience and mobility with all the performance of a desktop computer.

Lenovo's ThinkPad model 41 laptop carries Windows 98 or XP as the stock operating system. The motherboard in the IBM laptop holds up to 512kb of RAM in one of two available memory slots. The processor is either a 1.4, 1.6 or 1.7 GHz Intel Mobile Pentium M, which covers the processing speed. To increase the performance of the laptop, tweak the active programs and increase the RAM. A professional can install an additional RAM card to assist with substantial improvements in speed. However, if you adjust your programs, you will experience noticeable improvements.

Instructions

1. Right-click "My Computer" from the desktop. Click "Properties," which opens a new window. Click the tab labeled "Advanced." Click "Settings" under the section titled "Performance."

2. Click the toggle button beside "Adjust for best performance." Click "OK" on that window. Click "OK" on the "System Properties" window. The system will immediately adjust the settings, which may take a few moments.

3. Click "Start," "Programs" or "All Programs." Click "Startup." The programs in this folder start up when you turn on the computer. Right-click any that you do not need and click "Delete." "Delete" only removes the shortcut from that folder. It doesn't remove the program from the computer.

4. Click "Start," "Programs" or "All Programs." Click "Accessories" and "System Tools." Click "Disk Cleanup." A window opens that scans for unnecessary files. The scan will complete, opening a new window showing "Files to Delete." Click the check box by each type of file unless you know you need that specific type of file, such as setup logs and Internet history. Click "OK." The process will take about 15 minutes.

5. Remove toolbars from the Internet browser. Internet Explorer, Mozilla and several other browsers use add-on toolbars like Zynga or Yahoo toolbars. The toolbars slow the computer down. Click "Start," "Control Panel" and "Add or Remove Programs." The window will populate a list of all programs on the computer. Click on all the unnecessary toolbar programs (the program will say "Yahoo Toolbar" or "Zynga Toolbar" or similar). Click on "Uninstall." Remove any other unused but known programs. Do not delete a program simply because you do not recognize it.

6. Open the Internet browser. Click "Tools" and "Options." Click "Clear browser history." The different browsers will have different commands. You may have to search for the "Clear browser history" link.

7. Click "Start," "Programs" or "All Programs." Click "Accessories" and "System Tools." Click "Disk Defragmenter." The program that opens up will have a list of the hard drives on the computer; you should only have one. Click the main drive (usually labeled "C:") and "Defragment Disk" at the bottom right of the window. The defragment process can take up to an hour or more to complete.

Tips & Warnings

• The process will free up RAM to operate active programs. You will notice an immediate change after the process is complete. Defragment the computer once a month (once a week for heavy users) to maintain good speeds. If you have a professional install an additional RAM card, the computer will be faster than when you first purchased it.

References

• Lenovo: Detailed Specifications: ThinkPad T41/p