No matter how much RAM you have or how high your processor speed is, you will eventually find that the speed of your system has slowed down than what it was when it was new or newly formatted. As time passes, your computer accumulates a lot of junk and errors that slow down its performance. Not only will you find files saving and opening slower, but opening programs and startup will also start taking long. And the worst part is that your computer will start to ‘hang’ at the most inopportune of moments.
If you have already started experiencing effects of the slowdown, then some quick and easy ways of increasing your system’s speed without reformatting it are given below. Please note that these tips are only for users of Windows based operating systems (Windows 7, Vista and XP).
1.Decrease the Load On Your C: Drive
If your operating system is installed on your C Drive, and that is where you are saving all your data, then it is bound to slow down the performance of your OS. Searching for files as they keep on accumulating on the same partition will go on taking longer and longer as the number of files and programs grows. The first thing to remove from your C Drive should be high volume files like movies, music, videos and games. Once you shift these to another drive, you will instantly see the change in the speed of your OS. Another major advantage of keeping your data on a partition that does not carry your operating system is that you will not end up losing all your data when the OS is corrupted due to a virus attack or a system error.
2. Clean Up Your Hard Disk
The best way to free up disk space is to use the Windows Disk Cleanup tool. This tool checks all your drives for unnecessary data that is taking up disk space and slowing down your system so that you can delete them. To use this utility, go to My Computer, Right Click on the Hard Disk Drive (C, D, E etc) that you want to clean up, go to the General tab in Properties and click on Disk Cleanup.
Once you do this, the program will calculate the amount of disk space that can be freed when you delete some unnecessary files like those populating your recycle bin and temporary internet file folder etcetera. Uncheck any files that you want to save while checking the ones that you want deleted in the Files to Delete list and click on OK. Confirm Yes when asked whether you want those files removed. If you are using Windows 7, then you can also create more space by using the Cleanup System Files option and selecting More Options.
You can often end up clearing up many GBs of disk space by using this utility, and your PC will instantly start running faster.
3. Defragment Your Hard Disk
Data on your hard disk keeps getting saved in unused, empty spaces instead of being stacked back to back. As the number of files on your disk grows, the time taken by your operating system to find and open a file also grows as it searches among piles of unorganized data. Defragmenting your drive lets you remove the empty spaces between data pockets so that it becomes easier for your operating system to locate and open your files.
To defragment you hard disk drive, go to My Computer, Right Click on the Hard Disk Drive (C, D, E etc) that you want to Defragment, go to the Tools tab in Properties, click on Defragment Now and then Analyze Disk. Once the Disk has been Analyzed, you will get a dialog box that lets you choose whether you want to defragment the disk or not. Windows 7 also lets you schedule regular defragmentation. Click on the Configure Schedule button on the Disk Defragmenter dialog box to set a schedule for automatic defragmenting of your disks.
If you have a number of partitions, you will have to clean up and defragment each one separately. You should defragment your disks at least once every two months and carry out a disk cleanup once every week to keep your system from becoming sluggish. Other things that you can also try are checking and eliminating hard disk errors by using the Error Checker tool and using the msconfig utility to stop unnecessary programs from starting up every time you start your computer.
