How to Upgrade Your Computer Speed

Ever wondered how to upgrade your computer speed and keep it fast?  I have spent quite a bit of time struggling with my own computer, which is quite beefy, and have learned a few tricks of the trade.  I am a freelance videographer and I use my computer for a lot of video editing, so I need it to be able to handle the speeds for video rendering.  That doesn't even include the fact that I have a minor addiction to online gaming. 

The bottom line is that when it comes to keeping a computer fast you have to think of it like your own body; you eat food and you need to get rid of the waste (I won't go into details here).  Sometimes you eat the wrong foods and you have to exercise to get rid of the unwanted fat.  A computer is very much the same way!

Consider all of your software the food and sometimes you install or download an infected or corrupted piece of software (a piece of pie).  It may look good at first, but can bring you some serious problems later on. You have to get rid of what is unwanted.  Your computer must go through an exercise program, probably once or twice a month depending on how often it gets used.

There are ways to make your computer faster without any upgrades, but if you are looking to upgrade I would suggest adding another hard drive or simply getting a bigger one.  The biggest cause of slow computers is having small hard drive with too much data on it.  What is a hard rive?  Every time you install, download, or save a file or program it is stored on your hard drive.  It sits in your computer in a slot near the front and is about the size of small VHS cassette tapes.  Any electronics store should sell hard drives.

To take your hard drive out, disconnect the power cord (mandatory) to make sure you don't get shocked and that you short anything out.  Then find the screws to one of the side panels of your computer tower and remove the panel door.  Inside near the front and closer to the bottom, you should see your hard drive.  There may be a screw or or a snap that is holding it in place.  Remove this screw or snap and slide your hard drive out of the slot.  Disconnect the two cables going into it.  The smaller one is the power cable and the bigger one is the data cable. 

Take it to the electronics store and ask them for one that is significantly bigger in data size, not physical size.  Take it home and place it back in your tower the same way you took the first one out. 

Now, you are able to buy a kit that converts your old hard rive to what is called an external hard drive.  They are super easy to put together and they hook to your computer via USB.  This is how you can transfer all of your old files to your new hard drive.  Keep in mind that you will have to install Windows again on your new hard drive before it will start.