How to Solve Your PC's Speed Problems

The speed of computer can slow down over time. The system takes time to respond even to simple tasks such as opening the files, folders or surfing the Internet. As a user, there are certain things that you can do to solve the speed problem of your computer.

* Scan you computer for errors. A lot of files can cause your PC to slow down. If you observe that it has been running slower and slower, now is the time to scan your system for errors such as "DLL, SYS and EXE". It cannot be avoided that with longer use of your computer, the system can change or it will become corrupted so the speed will be greatly affected and it will become slower and slower. Use the System File Checking utility to find the files and correct them whenever it finds some errors. You also need to perform a hard drive clean up to remove unnecessary system files and. It will also empty your Recycle Bin and delete all the temporary files. To do this, click the Start menu, search for Disk Clean up and click it. Run the utility, click OK and choose Delete Files.

* Scan your system for viruses, spyware and adware. Viruses are programs that can cause several problems to the users later on while spyware and adware are programs created by companies to find out some information about their customers in order to look for better ways on how they can market their products and services to them. Although these are not created for malicious purposes, they can affect the memory of your PC and will eventually slow it down. Always run the antivirus software in the background to ensure that your system is safe from these harmful programs. Schedule a periodic scanning and removal of these programs in order to improve the speed of your computer.

* Uninstall unnecessary programs and applications. After a long time of using your computer, a lot of programs have accumulated in your system that you will not use eventually. When you install a program, it builds a connection between the program and the operating system that can slow down your PC even if you are nor using it. You have to delete these if you still have the original disk or installation file to free up some disk space while you can help speed up the performance of your system. To do this, click the Start button, open the Control Panel, choose Uninstall a program under the Programs options, and select the program that you would like to delete and click Uninstall.

* Automatically check for updates. Always check for updates in order to keep your computer safe and healthy. As much as possible, set your computer to get automatic updates, patches and security fixes to be installed in your PC and keep it up-to-date. To do this, "click Start, choose Control Panel, click Automatic updates from the options and choose Automatic" (recommended).

* Avoid setting programs to start automatically during start up. As much as possible, don't let the programs run during Windows start up so you can speed up both the computer booting as well as its performance. You can only do this whenever you use these programs frequently. Use the Windows built in tool "MSConfig" to remove unnecessary programs during the start up process. You can do this when you click the Start menu, go to Search or Run and type 'msconfig', choose the Startup tab, and uncheck all the applications that you do not need. Unless you don't recognize it, you should just leave it there. As much as possible, run less programs especially those that take a lot of memory all at once when the computer is already running. Close programs that are no longer in use and your PC will be a lot faster and can perform better.

* Last but not the least, defrag your hard drive. After you have tried the steps above, it is now time to defrag your hard drive. The Windows package comes with a Disk Defragmenter that will scan all the files on your system and recognizes them. It will help bring back to pieces some parts of the files that have been broken apart in one particular location so your hard drive can easily find them. In order to achieve a faster PC experience, go to My Computer, right click on drive "C:", select properties, choose the Tools tab and click the Defragment Now button under the Defragmentation options.

Run all these steps with extra care to avoid doing more harm on your computer. If ever you are hesitant and you are encountering problems that you can no longer easily fix, it is highly recommended to the help of a specialist.