Speeding up your PC

We all want faster PCs – a slow PC can lead to frustration and inefficient use of precious time!

Here are some straightforward tips to get the best out of your PC:

Don’t install lots of unnecessary software

• Printer drivers – only install the basic driver, don’t install photo editing software, ink buying apps, network monitoring apps that the printer manufacturer includes.
• Registry cleaners – always do more harm than good and don’t speed up your PC. You will sometimes see adverts for registry cleaners on various websites such as software download sites – don’t be tempted to click on them!
• If you are installing some software to test or it’s a trial version of software, always remember to uninstall it.
• Always uninstall software from Control Panel – deleting the relevant folders will not uninstall the software.
• Don’t install more than one anti-virus program. In fact, consider not using anti-virus at all – this does rely on good user education, however.
• Uninstall software that’s never used.
• Check Windows start-up items to see if there’s anything that can be removed from start-up.
• Ensure your backup is working correctly so you can go restore files should you get over zealous with file deletion!

Ensure that the system is running its clean-up tasks

• Check that defrag is running regularly (only if you have a traditional mechanical disk – SSDs don’t fragment and running defrag will potentially shorten their lives!).
• Run the Disk clean-up wizard every couple of months.

Consider Installing a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

• A UPS will protect the PC from sudden power loss which should reduce the risk of disk corruption. This will in turn lead to a faster PC as the system doesn’t have to reallocate bad disk blocks.

Consider installing more RAM

• This will only help speed up a PC if you have lots of large programs open simultaneously. 4GB is sufficient for day to day office use.

Reduce the size of your email store

• The more email you have, the slower will be your email program – opening the program will be slower and searches will be slower.

Clean the dust out of the fan inlets and exhausts

• This will ensure that the CPU can reach its maximum operating speed without throttling down due to excess heat.

Replace the mechanical hard drive with an SSD (Solid State Disk)

• Everything will feel faster
• Boot times dramatically reduced
• Program load times dramatically reduced
• Internet browsing will feel faster
• Accessing all files will be much faster
• Potentially improved lifetime of the disk
• Lighter and more power efficient in a laptop

Following these straightforward tips will ensure that your PC is running as efficiently as possible, leaving you more time to concentrate on running your business.