5 ways to speed up your PC
By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain your
computer and keep it running smoothly. This article discusses how to use
the tools available in Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) and Windows
Vista to more efficiently maintain your computer and safeguard your
privacy when you're online.
1. Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your
computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard
disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then
enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the
identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:
Use Disk Cleanup to:
·
Remove temporary Internet files.
· Remove downloaded program
files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
· Empty the Recycle Bin.
· Remove Windows temporary
files.
· Remove optional Windows
components that you don't use.
· Remove installed programs
that you no longer use.
Tip: Typically, temporary
Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches
each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are
available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to
clean.
2. In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll
through the content of the Files to delete list.
Choose the files that you want to delete.
1. Clear the check boxes for
files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
2. When prompted to confirm
that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.
After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk
Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing
better.
2. Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your
system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard
disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response
time can be significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates
fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each
occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly
end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk
speeds up.
When to run Disk
Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:
· You add a large number of
files.
· Your free disk space
totals 15 percent or less.
·
You install new programs or a new version of Windows.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.
1. In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the
drives that you want to defragment, and then click the Analyze button. After the disk is
analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you should
defragment the analyzed drives.
Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an
estimate of how long the defragmentation process will take.
2. To defragment the selected
drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows
Vista, there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the
progress—but your hard drive is still being defragmented.
After
the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the
results.
3. To display detailed
information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.
4. To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.
5. To close the Disk
Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of
the window.
3. Detect and repair disk errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to
optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity
of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking
utility.
As you use your hard drive,
it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance
and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or
even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad
sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files
or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer
daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data
loss.
To run the Error Checking
utility:
1. Close all open files.
2. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
3. In the My Computer window,
right-click the hard disk you want to search for bad sectors, and then
click Properties.
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab.
5. Click the Check Now button.
6. In the Check Disk dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt
recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.
1. If bad sectors are found,
choose to fix them.
Tip: Only select the
"Automatically fix file system errors" check box if you think that your
disk contains bad sectors.
4. Protect your computer against spyware
Spyware collects personal information without letting you know
and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to
usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential
information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper
your computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to
consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included
in Windows Vista, and is available as a free
download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are
other free anti-spyware software programs available.
5. Learn
all about ReadyBoost
If you're using Windows
Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in
adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash
memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance
without having to add additional memory. Learn
more.
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