hlstriker
04-04-2006, 10:37 PM
Is your computer running slower then when you first got it?! Then read these sections below on how to get your computer running fast again!
[Section 1 - SPYWARE/ADWARE]
I recommend having more then 1 Spyware/Adware program because they all seem to find some different things. Download these two programs and run them about once every one/two weeks.
Ad-aware - Download Page (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/)
Spybot - Search & Destroy - Download Page (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/)
Now your computer is Adware/Spyware free and should be a little more faster!
[Section 2 - VIRUSES]
We all know Viruses are icky things, and we do not want them! So download this program which I prefer to get rid of them!
avast! - Download Page (http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html)
This program is also just more then a Virus protector. It has firewalls, trojan blockers, and much much more! Run the virus program at least once a month.
[Section 3 - STARTUP PROGRAMS]
It seems alot of people have TONS of programs running on their computers startup. You can see alot of these programs down by the computers clock.
Turning all of your small programs off on startup is good to do. ONLY turn off the small programs though, such as Instant Messengers, Games, just things like that. Never turn off a Virus Protector or Firewall (other important stuff too!).
To turn these programs off, go into the main program, and usually in the Options/Settings/Preferences there is a spot that says "Run this program on startup.". It may not always say that, so just look for something close!
[Section 4 - DEFRAGMENTER]
Follow these steps to Defrag your computer!
1)Go into "My Computer".
2)Right click your hard drive icon (usually "C:"), then click "Properties".
3)Now you will see a Dialog Box with tabs at the top. Click on the "Tools" tab then click the "Defragment Now..." button.
4)The Disk Defragmenter screen will now appear, Click on Analyze. This will check your drives and will only take a few seconds. If your result shows a lot of red, then click on "Defragment" to continue. Be warned this may take several hours, so don’t run it, if you are going to need the computer in a rush. Run it over night or before you go somewhere.
Run the Defrag at least once a month.
[Section 5 - SCANDISK]
Follow these steps to run Scandisk.
1)Go into "My Computer".
2)Right click your hard drive icon (usually "C:"), then click "Properties".
3)Now you will see a Dialog Box with tabs at the top. Click on the "Tools" tab then click the "Check Now..." button.
4)The scandisk screen will now appear, select all the boxes and click on “Start”. Scandisk will begin. Be warned this may take several hours, so don’t run it, if you are going to need the computer in a rush. Run it over night or before you go somewhere.
Run Scandisk at least once a month.
[Section 6 - SOFTWARE]
Not much here, just something to Defrag your RAM.
RAM Def - Download Page (http://www.download.com/3000-2086-10185812.html?tag=lst-0-13)
RAM Def can defragment you RAM when reching a warning level, or silently (with command line parameters). It excels in terms of reliability and speed and the full support it offers to its users, with help files, a troubleshooting guide, tips, online assistance, and a forum guarantees you peace of mind along with XTreme performance.
[Section 7 - Update Windows and Drivers]
Drivers
Drivers are a very important update. For example keeping your graphics driver updated can improve performance of the graphics card by quite a significant amount. I recall one such driver that gave a performance boast of 40% from the original.
Updated drivers also provide enhanced performance, and compatibility with programs and games, so don’t wait, update today.
Windows Updates
Not only will some updates improve performance but they will also make your computer more secure and reliable. Important updates for Windows XP, 2000 and NT are the service packs, which are a compilation of small patches and fixes. These updates should always be downloaded, or retrieved from magazine cover disks. (The Service Packs tend to be very large files, so unless you are on broadband do not download)
Where to get the Updates
There are three main places where you can get your updates. The first is within windows. To do this is quite simply. Simply click on start, from your desktop and then click on “WINDOWS UPDATE”. You must be connected to the Internet for this.
Secondly you can access the Windows Update web page from your browser by using the following address, http://www.windowsupdate.com
Lastly, for mainly drivers, do a search on the net. E.G. if you have an Nvidia Geforce graphics Card then search for “NVIDIA GEFORCE GRAPHICS DRIVER”, in a search engine (e.g. www.google.com ).
[Section 8 - Other Useful Things!]
Crap Cleaner - Download Page (http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp) (Program to clean up all the "crap" on your PC!)
[Section 1 - SPYWARE/ADWARE]
I recommend having more then 1 Spyware/Adware program because they all seem to find some different things. Download these two programs and run them about once every one/two weeks.
Ad-aware - Download Page (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/)
Spybot - Search & Destroy - Download Page (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/)
Now your computer is Adware/Spyware free and should be a little more faster!
[Section 2 - VIRUSES]
We all know Viruses are icky things, and we do not want them! So download this program which I prefer to get rid of them!
avast! - Download Page (http://www.avast.com/eng/down_home.html)
This program is also just more then a Virus protector. It has firewalls, trojan blockers, and much much more! Run the virus program at least once a month.
[Section 3 - STARTUP PROGRAMS]
It seems alot of people have TONS of programs running on their computers startup. You can see alot of these programs down by the computers clock.
Turning all of your small programs off on startup is good to do. ONLY turn off the small programs though, such as Instant Messengers, Games, just things like that. Never turn off a Virus Protector or Firewall (other important stuff too!).
To turn these programs off, go into the main program, and usually in the Options/Settings/Preferences there is a spot that says "Run this program on startup.". It may not always say that, so just look for something close!
[Section 4 - DEFRAGMENTER]
Follow these steps to Defrag your computer!
1)Go into "My Computer".
2)Right click your hard drive icon (usually "C:"), then click "Properties".
3)Now you will see a Dialog Box with tabs at the top. Click on the "Tools" tab then click the "Defragment Now..." button.
4)The Disk Defragmenter screen will now appear, Click on Analyze. This will check your drives and will only take a few seconds. If your result shows a lot of red, then click on "Defragment" to continue. Be warned this may take several hours, so don’t run it, if you are going to need the computer in a rush. Run it over night or before you go somewhere.
Run the Defrag at least once a month.
[Section 5 - SCANDISK]
Follow these steps to run Scandisk.
1)Go into "My Computer".
2)Right click your hard drive icon (usually "C:"), then click "Properties".
3)Now you will see a Dialog Box with tabs at the top. Click on the "Tools" tab then click the "Check Now..." button.
4)The scandisk screen will now appear, select all the boxes and click on “Start”. Scandisk will begin. Be warned this may take several hours, so don’t run it, if you are going to need the computer in a rush. Run it over night or before you go somewhere.
Run Scandisk at least once a month.
[Section 6 - SOFTWARE]
Not much here, just something to Defrag your RAM.
RAM Def - Download Page (http://www.download.com/3000-2086-10185812.html?tag=lst-0-13)
RAM Def can defragment you RAM when reching a warning level, or silently (with command line parameters). It excels in terms of reliability and speed and the full support it offers to its users, with help files, a troubleshooting guide, tips, online assistance, and a forum guarantees you peace of mind along with XTreme performance.
[Section 7 - Update Windows and Drivers]
Drivers
Drivers are a very important update. For example keeping your graphics driver updated can improve performance of the graphics card by quite a significant amount. I recall one such driver that gave a performance boast of 40% from the original.
Updated drivers also provide enhanced performance, and compatibility with programs and games, so don’t wait, update today.
Windows Updates
Not only will some updates improve performance but they will also make your computer more secure and reliable. Important updates for Windows XP, 2000 and NT are the service packs, which are a compilation of small patches and fixes. These updates should always be downloaded, or retrieved from magazine cover disks. (The Service Packs tend to be very large files, so unless you are on broadband do not download)
Where to get the Updates
There are three main places where you can get your updates. The first is within windows. To do this is quite simply. Simply click on start, from your desktop and then click on “WINDOWS UPDATE”. You must be connected to the Internet for this.
Secondly you can access the Windows Update web page from your browser by using the following address, http://www.windowsupdate.com
Lastly, for mainly drivers, do a search on the net. E.G. if you have an Nvidia Geforce graphics Card then search for “NVIDIA GEFORCE GRAPHICS DRIVER”, in a search engine (e.g. www.google.com ).
[Section 8 - Other Useful Things!]
Crap Cleaner - Download Page (http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp) (Program to clean up all the "crap" on your PC!)