by C.D. Crowder

Created on: January 24, 2008

Speed is important to any computer user. After all, no one wants to waste time waiting for their pc to start up or programs to load. However, computers gradually slow down. Every few months a newer faster computer arrives on the market. You can make your pc comparable to these newer pcs with a little maintenance and some upgrades.

Simply performing basic maintenance tasks regularly, your pc can run just as fast, if not faster than the day you purchased it. Follow the steps below to accelerate your pc's performance.

1. Run Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragment at least once per month. Both tools can be found under Start Programs Accessories System Tools. Disk Cleanup removes temporary application files, temporary internet files, and other hard disk space hogs. An alternative to Disk Cleanup is CCleaner. This program cleans out everything Disk Cleanup does and much more. This is a free program and simple to run.

Disk Defragment removes file fragments and moves them when they need to be. This can increase disk space if there are many unneeded fragments. This also increases the speed of your hard drive because the drive does not need to work as hard to find all the fragments of a file.

2. Keep your computer free of spyware and viruses. These can greatly slow the speed of your computer. Run these programs weekly to scan for problems. If you use the internet often, you may want to schedule daily scans when you are away from your pc. Norton and McAfee are both highly recommended, but will cost you. Windows provides Windows Defender for spyware for free. AVG is one of the most popular free anti-virus programs. Find what works best for you.

3. Check your startup applications and running processes. Many programs set themselves to start when your computer starts. However, most people are not going to need all of the software to automatically start running in the background when their pc starts. First, check Start Programs Startup. If there are any programs you do not need, delete the shortcuts from the folder. Second, check msconfig by going to Start Run Type msconfig. This allows you to see everything that is starting when your computer starts. If you are unsure, check the internet first to see exactly what the file name goes with.

To check running processes, open Task Manager by using the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del. As with msconfig, if you are unsure of any processes, research them first.

4. Keep the hard drive uncluttered. More space equals better speed. Uninstall any programs

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