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Despite the technological advances we've achieved during the last two decades, we are still plagued with computers that can't keep themselves running at top physical condition. So what happens when your fancy PC or laptop suddenly starts to run out of breath? Is it time to throw in the towel and spend more money on upgrades? Probably not. The age and power of your PC will make the difference between a simple cleaning and overhaul, or trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

The following are a number of tips and tricks that can make your PC run quickly, efficiently, and without slowdown.

1) TURN OFF UNNECESSARY VISUAL ELEMENTS

While this may seem a bit vague, it actually refers to the Windows desktop settings which (depending on the speed of your CPU and available memory) can have adverse affects on your performance. To tweak these settings, go into the START menu, then click SETTINGS, then CONTROL PANEL, and click the SYSTEM icon. Click the ADVANCED tab, then SETTINGS. The VISUAL EFFECTS tab should be the first menu that is displayed. From here, you can check or uncheck the boxes that correspond to the different visual options available for Windows XP. Having all of the boxes checked means that Windows is giving you the richest visual experience possible. However, that can be very taxing on your system. Check only 'SHOW TRANSLUCENT SELECTION RECTANGLE,' 'SMOOTH EDGES OF SCREEN FONTS,' 'USE COMMON TASKS IN FOLDERS,' and 'USE VISUAL STYLES ON WINDOWS AND BUTTONS.' You will notice that you still get a great visual experience without sacrificing your PC's memory.

2) TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE ON ALL DRIVES

This little command can be found in the START menu, under SETTINGS, then CONTROL PANEL, and again, under the SYSTEM icon. Look for a tab called SYSTEM RESTORE, and you'll notice a menu that shows the available hard drives on your computer that can be backed up at your discretion. System Restore protects the average PC user from experiencing data loss by creating "restore points" which you can fall back on in case Windows XP suffers a serious problem. WinXP will simply find the last known good restore point and start back from there. A handy tool to have, but it will slow down your system, especially if you have an older PC. If you are handy with Windows, you can turn off the System Restore feature and tackle any possible problems as they come. If you don't like the thought of removing this safety net, then leave it on. Most serious computer problems will come from malicious

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