How to Make Your Computer Faster: a Step-by-Step Guide

"Can I make my computer faster?" is a question a computer technician hears every day. People get so frustrated by their slow computer that they seek professional help or even get a new laptop. However, in most cases it's unnecessary - all they need to do is look after their PC in a proper way. In this article, I'm going to provide easy to follow advice that will help you speed up computer performance without spending a cent.

1. Remove viruses

Eight out of ten times computers become slow because of virus, malware and spyware infections. PC infections can steal your bandwidth, alter Windows settings, and make your life a nightmare. So, even if you have an antivirus installed, the first thing to do when your computer slows down is to update your antivirus and give your PC a good scan. In addition to that, check your computer with reliable anti-spyware software.

2. Fix PC errors

Another thing you should do is scan your computer for junk files and registry errors. Both are a by-product of daily computer activity, so there is very little you can do to prevent PC errors from accumulating. That's why it's good to clean your computer at least once a month. To do that, run Windows Disk Cleanup tool (click on Start and type disk cleanup in the Search bar, then select the Disk Cleanup Tool). Scan your computer with the utility and let it clean up the junk.

However, fixing PC registry errors is not that simple without a third-party utility. Registry errors usually appear because of improper software uninstalls and various crashes. The registry is the main database within Windows. So the more registry errors you have, the less stable your Windows is. To fix that, you need to run a registry cleanup tool at least once a month. There are some good free registry cleaners, like CCleaner. However, you will be better off investing in a paid program that includes a registry defragmenter as well. Defragmenting the registry is an essential part of computer maintenance because it frees up RAM and makes your system more stable.

3. Defrag Your Hard Drives

And last but not least, remember to defragment your hard drive once a month. Defragmentation will assemble file fragments together, which will greatly speed up application launch time and make your files open faster. Windows has a built-in disk defrag utility, but it has limited options. That's why I always recommend Auslogics Disk Defrag or Defraggler - both are free. On top of that, Auslogics Disk Defrag has advanced options, such as disk optimization and system files smart placement.

Remember to keep your computer well-maintained and it will keep running fast for a long time.