Make your computer fast and reliable

How to Make Your Computer Fast & Reliable

A computer runs faster and smooth when it is newly purchased. The performance of a computer slows down day to day as the use increases. Keeping a computer stable and maximizing its performance has never been an easier task. Lets discuss a few things that could make your computer faster without much more effects.

 Steps 

1. 1
   Upgrade your Hardware: The first thing you have to do is find out whether you have sufficient hardware to run the installed programs or not. Fortunately, there is a tool in Windows Vista and Windows 7 which automatically performs this operation for you and ranks the computer based on the results.
   • Click Start | Control Panel.
     
     
     
   • Type "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Performance Information and Tools" in your Address Bar and press ENTER.
     
     
     
   • Click the button "Rate this Computer or Re-run the assessment".
     
     
     
   • The process may take several minutes to complete. Please be patience during this operation.
     
     
     
   • After it is successfully finished, results may occur, where you will get information about the hardware components which you need to upgrade.
     
     
     
2. 2
   Defragment your Hard Disk: As you copy new files, the hard disk gets fragmented. In simple words, a file is stored in non-continuous manner which slows down the operations on your computer. Defragmenting your hard disk once a week would help making your computer faster. There is a tool called Disk Defragmenter to perform this operation.
   • Click Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter.
     
     
     
   • Select all the drives to defrag.
     
     
     
   • Click "Defragment Disks" button to begin.
     
     
     
3. 3
   Defragment your Registry: Registry is the database where operating system & application settings, configurations and other data are stored. Registry is accessed by almost all the programs on your computer; including your operating system. This continuous access often fragments the registry which slows down your computer. As there is no built-in Registry Defragmenter tool in Microsoft Windows, you have to choose a good third party product.
   • Connect to the internet and download RegInOut Registry Defrag.
     
     
     
   • Log-in from the administrator user account and install the software. Run it when the process finishes.
     
     
     
   • Close all other running programs and tasks.
     
     
     
   • Start analyzing the state of your registry and then click the "Defragment" button to begin the process. A system reboot is required.
     
     
     
4. 4
   Control the Start-up Applications & Services: After the operating system is booted, a number of programs and services are started. The bigger these list; the slower the computer. That is why; control these programs and services and disable all the third party tools which you really don't need.
   • Click Start | Run. Or otherwise, press Windows Key + R.
     
     
     
   • Type "MsConfig" and press ENTER.
     
     
     
   • Under "Startup" tab, disable unnecessary applications. Click Apply.
     
     
     
   • Under "Services" tab, mark the box "Hide all Microsoft Services" as checked, and do disable the non-required services. Click Apply.
     
     
     
   • Click OK and reboot the computer when prompted.
     
     
     
5. 5
   Change the Computer Settings for Best Performance: There are two options- 1) Set Windows for Best Appearance; or otherwise 2) Set Windows for Best Performance. By choosing the latter, the system is set by applying those settings which help making it faster. Let's see how it is:
   • Right click the "My Computer" icon on your Desktop.
     
     
     
   • Select "Properties" option.
     
     
     
   • In the new page, click "Advanced System Settings" at the left hand side.
     
     
     
   • Under "Advanced" tab, click "Settings" under "Performance" frame.
     
     
     
   • Select the option "Adjust for Best Performance" from the "Visual Effects" tab.
     
     
     
   • Click OK | OK.
     
     
     

 Tips

• The Step 2, 3 and 4 are recommended to do at least once a week. Performing them on a regular basis will help improving the overall performance of your computer.