How to Make Windows Work Faster (Page 2 of 2)

There are many computer optimization (system tuning) software available, but we have to think about them before installing carefully: do they bring more load to our computer than the speed they bring? If your computer is 4 or 5 years old, even has a single core processor, running above 1.5 Gigahertz, you can safely install a system tuning software. I can safely recommend PC Pitstop Optimize even for the older computers; it can clean your registy, tune Windows settings to increase your Internet connection speed, remove unnecessary files, optimize Windows for your hardware and eliminate rogue background processes, which will result in significant performance gains. However, the program does not have a defragmenter, be sure to defragment your hard disk after you finish with tuning.

Screenshot courtesy of Terry's Computer Tips.

As we have just discussed under the “Getting rid of Unused and Unnecessary Programs”, you should not go about and install every program. This comes as a “maintenance” task, which is keeping an eye on your computer all the time. Yes, really you do not need an e-mail client which informs you about a new mail with the cute bunnies. Either use Windows Live Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird, preferably the latter, which uses less system resources. Of course you are free to go with Windows Live Mail if you are using MSN Messenger and Hotmail extensively.

You may also consider using portable applications on your computer. Portable applications are not installed on your computer, therefore does not use your system resources. I have visited this issue with the article on “Getting more out of your netbook by using portable applications”, but you do not need to use a netbook to go through all those. You can basically do the same programs with your Windows computer.

Yes, you do not need to wait Windows to download and install all the updates after you reinstall it. You can easily create an installation CD/DVD containing all the updates released for your operating system. First of all, you need a legal copy of your Windows operating system in a CD or DVD. Then, you have to go to Microsoft's Update site and download the updates which are installed on your system in a directory (the website installs an ActiveX Control and then displays the updates on your computer). Then download either nlite (if you're using Windows XP) or vlite (if you're using Windows Vista) and follow the instructions to create your new CD/DVD that contains all the updates. When you go for a new install, use this CD/DVD and you will immediately see that your computer is performing better.

Keeping Windows fast and clean is really a tough process. However, with our Bright Hub tips you can claim your computer's speed back and keep it fit all the time. Don't forget to select your programs carefully. If you're not happy with them, uninstall them, clean your computer and then defrag. Each step comes one after another, if you defrag and then clean, it makes no sense because after cleaning you will free up some space which has to be defragmented.

If you still think that your computer is slow, then you have to think about a possible malware infection and take the necessary steps to clean your computer.