Make your Windows PC faster......

We all are sometimes tired of the sluggish performance of our Windows PC. Our own PC becomes a a necessary evil.Do not worry, there are lot of ways to tune your PC,for delivering best performance.
 Here I present some ways to make PC start and run faster.

  The obvious ways:

1)      Disk Cleanup : This utility is inbuilt in your system

      Go to Start>>All Programs>>Accessories>>System Tools >>Disk Cleanup

    Run this to free up extra space.

2)      Disk Defragmenter: After repetitive usage, files are staggered in various sectors of the Hard disk, which make the job of CPU difficult and hence time consuming to access those files. Disk defragmenter utility rearranges files in contiguous storage locations.

           Go to Start>>All Programs>>Accessories>>System Tools >>Disk Defragmenter.

        Run this for faster access.

3)      Slow startup problem : - This is a common problem when a computer takes too much time to boot up (possibly after switching on your PC, you can watch a part of a movie between two commercials). This is simply because your PC has been directed to startup with a lot of applications. Want to get rid of this problem?

Go to Start>> Run>> type “msconfig” in the box that appears>> Click “Startup”>> uncheck the applications that are unwanted during startup, the click ‘Apply” and then “OK”. You will be prompted for a restart. Do that and see the magic….When I say unwanted startup applications, it means applications like “Yahoo-Messenger”, “PCsuite” etc which are unwanted in your system tray and which may be opened from Start>>All programs, if required. The catch here is to keep only the system files and uncheck the others (i.e. those which you can identify as a layman).

4)      Loading of “Start” menu is slow : Go to Start>>Run>>type “regedit” in the box>>Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER>>Control Panel>>Desktop. Look for Menu Show Delay, and double click to edit the value. Default value may be 400. The lower the number specified, the faster the Start Menu will load. Change it to 0. Click OK.

5)      Slow loading of “My Computer” Window

Now this is one common problem, where once you double click “My computer”, it takes too much time to load, as somebody is searching something with a torch.

To get rid of this problem

      Go to Tools >> Folder Options >> View and uncheck ‘Automatically search for network folders and printers”

Not so obvious but powerful ways:

  6) Defraggler

It is an alternative to Windows Defragmenter and much better. Defraggler is free, works wonderfully and can speed up defragmentation manifold. I always choose to use defraggler, instead of Windows Defragmenter. So, have Defraggler.

        7) CCleaner

             It does what it says. This is basically the best single lightweight utility to speed-up your computer. It is an all in one application which can delete unnecessary file (job of disk cleanup), uninstall programs at your command (job of add remove programs of windows), remove unwanted registry entries; clean up cookies and cleanup temporary files from other applications. This is a small piece of application, which I run once a week, to keep my PC faster, clearer and hence stronger. So,have Ccleaner. जैसा नाम वैसा काम।

8) Revo Uninstaller

     It sometimes happen that you are unable to install certain programs through add remove utility. This can be done by Revo Uninstaller. Personally,I use Revo uninstaller (the freeware only) for uninstalling any program, because there is no leftovers of that program after uninstall(which is there in case of traditional add remove utility)

Revo Uninstaller runs the selected program's built-in uninstaller, but after the uninstall has completed, it will search and remove files or registry entries that the uninstaller may have left on the user's hard drive. 

Revo Uninstaller also cleans out:

§                    Files in the temporary folder

§                    Entries in the Windows start-up applications folder

§                    Browser history and cache of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera andNetscape

§                    The recently opened file list in Microsoft Office applications

       So, get Revo Uninstaller

Now, some advices to keep PC clean & fast…..

a) Junk & unnecessary registry entries should be removed periodically. Ccleaner can be used for this purpose,

b) One should not keep installing softwares. Install a program if it has got real purpose for you.

c) System tray should be kept free as far as possible. This reduces startup time.

d) Get a genuine anti-virus program. Not the free ones, but the paid ones. It will surely secure your PC from attacks. My choices are Quick Heal and Kaspersky.
e) Before opening any application, let the computer boots up completely. Do not be in a hurry.
f)Do not set wallpaper, which is of large file size. It is better to do without wallpaper if RAM size is low.
g) Make it a habit to empty recycle bin regularly, as the files remain in your Hard-disk till you empty recycle bin.
h) Do not overcrowd your desktop with lot of files, shortcuts etc. Each shortcut on the desktop uses up to 500bytes of RAM.
i) Disable the tray icon option, while installing softwares, as they uses RAM and also slow down booting up of the computer.
j) Keep your computer dust-free as dust jam and slow down the cooling fan, leading to heating of CPU and thus affecting CPU speed. Compresses air should be used to blow out any dust from the CPU and do not use Vacuum cleaner. The main point here is to keep the RAM area uncluttered.

Remember to enjoy and learn with you PC to the fullest. Do it safely and surely. That’s it !