Articles > Computing
By Kevin Hammond, Database Development Services, Inc
Updated on Jan 24, 2008
Windows PCs are
no different than your automobile, they require maintainance
to ensure top performance. Neglecting them will eventually cause
them to run slow and all of our time is valuable. Below are a
list of tips in improving your performance and keeping your PC
running in tip top shape.
NOTE: We like best of breeds, thus the software recommended
below is what we consider the best programs available to ensure
your computer runs in tip top shape and have no obligations with
any of these companies.
1. Have enough RAM? (Random Access Memory)
We recommend you have at
least a 2GB of RAM to run today's applications at peak performance.
Everyone's needs vary based on your PC usage,
gamer's, or graphic applications require much more RAM.
RAM doesn't make your PC faster, it PREVENTS your PC from
running slow. Windows XP itself using 256MB of ram, Vista uses 750MB of ram, now load your
anti virus, firewall, spy ware and there goes another 200MB of
ram. Once your out of RAM your applications write to your hard
drive to store temporary information. Guess what, the slowest
part of your PC is your hard drive...yup big difference.
Do you have enough?
Go to your control panel, system, in the general tab you will see how much you have. If you do not
have 1GB and wish to continue using your PC for another year or two,
or plan to get a new one within a year and give your PC to a relative,
friend, new employee, or make it a second PC for your home buy more
RAM.
A great website for evaluating what type of RAM you
have, and the amount in each slot is www.crucial.com.
Use the Crucial System Scanner and scan your system.
Installation of the RAM is at your own risk. Though
this can be done by anyone not afraid to open up their case. Typically
ram is held in by two clips one at each end, push these clips open
to take out old ram. Then align the chip to the slot accordingly
and push the chip in. The clips will automatically snap the RAM
chip back in. REMEMBER: These are electrical components and stay
grounded while doing any work and UNPLUG YOUR POWER CABLE before
doing so.
We also recommend getting matching pairs of RAM to maximize performance.
2. Remove unnecessary startup programs - MSCONFIG
Over time as you install programs on your computer, they
typically find themselves starting up when you first start Windows.
These app's typically includes messaging programs (MSN Messenger,
AOL IM, etc), Quicktime, Realplayer, Winzip, Microsoft Office,
QuickBooks, Microsoft Money, Dell Support, HP Applications, AOL,
the list goes ON and On. These are mostly unnecessary and should
be started by you the user, not Windows the operating system.
If they are running when your computer starts they are using
valuable resources and if your not using them ALL THE TIME, why
are they running?
Click Start->Run and type in msconfig. Then click
the tab Startup. Disable any entries that you wish to not startup
when your PC starts (don't disable your anti virus or firewall
software), then click Apply. If you see any entries that show Symantec,
McAfee, then DO NOT DISABLE them. You are at your own risk here,
but ensure after you make changes your Anti virus and Third Party
Firewall's load after you restart Windows.
This will give you an immediate performance BOOST
while you wait on your RAM to arrive.
3. Delete Unnecessary Files/Logs
Over time your computer builds up temporary files and logs that
slow down the performance of your computer and applications.
Have no fear, you don't need to be a computer geek to fix this
anymore.
CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) is a free download (donatation
accepted). CCleaner removes unused files from your system - allowing
Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space.
It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet
history. IMPORTANT: Close all programs
before running CCleaner for your protection of accidentally deleting
a temp file used by an application.
4. Remove unneeded programs
Overtime we install applications and then find we don't use them
but many times we never remove them. In the Control Panel->Add/Remove
Programs you will see a list of all the programs installed on
your PC. If your not using it then remove it. CAUTION: Becareful
as to what you remove, don't remove LiveUpdate as it is for your
Norton's Antivirus.
Things I find that are unnecessary include
Toolbars (Google Toolbar, AOL Toolbar, Viewpoint Toolbar, etc).
These toolbars typically monitor your online activity as the
more you have installed the more overhead on your online activities.
5. Spyware
UPDATE: Spyware problems are slowly disappearing as Microsoft has improved Windows so spyware it not so easily loaded, especially if you are running Vista with UAC On or Windows SP2..
In addition many anti-virus products include a level of spyware protection now. If you want to ensure your spyware FREE, chose SpyBot Search & Destroy,
and Ad-Aware to check your system.
FREE - SpyBot Search & Destroy (safer-networking.org)
Can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules
from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage
tracks from your system. Modules chosen for removal can be
sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete
elimination from your system. The handy online-update feature
ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete
listings of adware, dialers, and other uninvited system residents.
FREE - Ad-Aware (lavasoft.com)
Can scan your RAM, registry, hard drives, and external storage
devices for known data-mining, advertising, and tracking components,
Ad-aware can easily clean out your system, allowing you to
maintain a higher degree of privacy while you surf the Web.
6. Defrag Your Hard Drive
UPDATE: Vista now comes with automatic defragging built in.
Your Computer hard drive over time stores many files, some are
deleted and leave empty blocks. Think of it as a music CD,
track 1 loads fast, while track 15 takes some time to get to.
Your hard drive is similar, as it fills up the items written
are stored all over the place and typically toward the end
of the hard drive. Defragging your hard drive will put the
data close together and optimize your computer's ability to
read and store data in the future.
Diskkeeper - $29.95 (30 Day Free
Full Trial)
Want a solution that does this for you?
I recommend you check out DiskKeeper and use their Set It & Forget
It feature (www.diskeeper.com).
Defrag your hard drive when your computer screen saver comes
on. One thing you will know, your hard drive is optimized at
all times.
7. Windows Registry
If your PC is still acting strange after the above 6
tips then you may have a corrupt Windows Registry. There is only
one tool we use in these cases,
Registry Mechanic - $29.95.
Safely clean,
repair and optimize the Windows registry. Problems with the Windows
registry are a common cause of Windows crashes, slow performance
and error messages. You
can download a free trial (though some features are disabled)
and give it a try (www.pctools.com).
If that doesn't work then you need to consider buying a new PC
or reloading Windows.
If your time is valuable, then spending
many hours on your PC to try to get functional once again can
be a loss of money. Use your discretion on how much time you
are willing to spend yourself.
NOTE: ONLINE BACKUPS
In either case you need to backup all of your data.
Did I mention Mozy, (www.mozy.com),
free 2GBs of online backup storage. It's a real industry mover
and shaker. Else burn CDs and/or DVDs if you can and get that
data backed up.
In addition Norton's 360 comes with a yr of 2GBs of online backups. This is not so obvious and might require installing the Optional pack but we highly recommend if you are using Norton's 360 you configure the online backups properly to backup your most important data as this is part of your subscription service.
8. Buying a NEW PC, Final Tip
BUY a PC with at least 2GB of ram with at least a dual-core processor. Guess what, the cheapest
lines of PCs cut costs by putting in 512MB of RAM, or 1GB of RAM.
If the PC doesn't have 1GB of ram, get more and
add the RAM. Hopefully you now see how important RAM is as I
will always refer back to #1, have enough RAM?
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