How To Make Your Computer Run Faster

Nothing drags you down like a computer that's dragging! The buzzing and grinding of a slow computer not only makes tasks prolonged and drawn out, but also tends to make users crazy! Here's the way to keep your sanity intact.

You don't necessarily have to buy a new computer. I used a Windows XP laptop for 9 years before I finally got something new. You don't have to be an engineer to know how to make your computer run faster. But you do need to give it some attention, and some good programs that help.

First rule for all users

Make sure you back up your important files. Whether your computer is running fast or slow, sick or healthy, always be in the habit of saving your work and important items. You might consider purchasing an external hard drive, or at least a flash drive to save on. Or you could upload to a cloud drive.

It's important to be backed up always, because things happen to computers. And it's smart to back up in case any of the following recommendations fail to work for you. I'm not to be held responsible if anything goes wrong, okay? But again, I've had no problems for almost a decade on the same computer.

Antivirus and common sense

Windows computers are known to be more vulnerable than Macs. I used to recommend antivirus software until I got frustrated with how bloated it was becoming. It really is good to have, and there are free programs out there that work just as well as the paid. But I have gone for a year now without an antivirus program because my computer was just too old. Getting rid of it freed up lots of memory and made it fast again.

If you have the memory, you should run an antivirus and firewall program. However, common sense works very well too. Stay away from bad websites. Be suspicious about emails that are out of the norm, even if it seems it's from a friend. Make sure it's actually personal and check the link before clicking on anything in the message.

Free tools

First, uninstall programs that you're not using. The more free space you have on your drive, the better. You might also check what programs are starting up with your computer and stop the unnecessary ones. CCleaner and WinPatrol (below) can help with both of these. 

Some people re-install Windows. I've never had to. I did eventually have to install some more RAM. That should always help speed things up. But you may not need to do this yet. At least see if these programs might help...

  CCleaner is a program that will clean up all the junk files that are dragging your computer down. It will also clean the registry, which may or may not be helpful but I always do it anyway. Regular use will keep the computer from getting slow. Or, if you're like me, you might wait quite a while before the next cleanup, just to see if you can tell a difference after all the buildup. I also use Easy Cleaner and it seems to pick up different junk that CCleaner missed. It cleans the registry too. I do not use the "Duplicates" deletion, because that can really mess things up if a wrong file is deleted. [UPDATE: Easy Cleaner is not working on Windows 10].

 I have added these programs to friends' computers and they have been astounded at the difference the cleaning makes.

Malwarebytes is a program that hunts and gets rid of malware. Malware is like spyware, not a virus, but bad. This is a good program with one drawback: it must constantly be updated. Using it once or twice a month is good.

Win Patrol is an incredible program that monitors all the hidden activity on your computer. For example, if you downloaded and ran Real Player or Adobe Acrobat, these programs are constantly trying to install updaters and becoming a part of the start up process of the computer every time. This uses up resources and slows things down. Win Patrol lets you know whenever a program is trying to do something behind your back! Often there will be a "Run Once at Start up" that is necessary for new program installations, so I click "Yes." But several programs want to "Run At Every Start up". Be careful about services that want to install. Usually those are necessary, but not always. Win Patrol may be a bit overwhelming to the new user. It will generally stay quiet, but if you download much it will alert to all that's going on. Updates can trigger it as well. Some alerts show system services. Don't reject those. When in doubt, accept the change.

Auslogics Disk Defrag. Windows already has a disk defragmenter, but it's not very good. You can find other good defrag programs, but this one seems to work well and is user friendly. Some people like to defrag once a week. I usually do it about once a month. It doesn't speed things up too noticeably, but I believe it does help. Auslogics will try to get you to buy their speed boost program, and install a trial with their Defrag. It's best to uninstall the unwanted program.

For the most part, these are generally safe programs, but please use at your own risk. I'm just sharing what has worked for me! I hope they work for you.

Maybe you can clue us in on other useful resources or tips! Leave a comment below, and happy computing!