When working on your PC, is it so slow that you spend half your time looking at your watch or staring at the ceiling instead of at your monitor?

This presents lots of time to ask important questions like “why is my computer running so slow?” and “how much would it hurt if I punched my monitor?”

Speed up slow computer with CleanMyPC If you want to fix a slow computer, CleanMyPC is a lightweight app that downloads and installs quickly. The beauty of the app is that it is a hub for many different system cleaning tools. In fact a lot of what we talked about, CleanMyPC can do, and it does a better job. Using a speedy, clean laptop is infinitely more satisfying than using a cluttered, grimy one, just like coming home to a clean and tidy house feels better than coming back to a messy and dirty space. Simply plug the USB flash drive in and select My Computer, right-click on the USB drive, select the Ready Boost tab, choose ‘Use this device’ and select as much space as you can. 2gb is optimal for 1gb of RAM. It makes a small difference to overall response, which will vary from PC to PC.

The answer to the second question: a lot.

The answer to the first question is more complicated. There are many factors that conspire to make your PC slow down over time.

Before you bite the bullet and splash on a new PC, try these simple tips to speed up your computer. They may just make your old PC feel as good as new.

Speed up computer by freeing up disk space

You may not know this, but free space is not being “wasted” in Windows. Depending on your settings a lot of that free space is going to be used by Windows for updates and the reading and writing of data. Microsoft recommends at least 20% of your system drive be free for Windows to perform at its peak. The more free space you have on your disk, the faster Windows will operate.

There are three main ways to free up space

1. Deleting duplicate and junk files
2. Uninstalling unused programs
3. Storing data on an external disk drive or in your cloud storage

Delete duplicate and junk files

Have you ever found the same file in multiple locations and not known how it got there? Yup, it’s the great mystery, right up there with missing socks. Maybe they’re connected somehow?

You may not be able to do much about your socks, but you can look through your photo and video folders, as these are the natural habitat of the duplicate file. Find them and delete them. It feels good, and you may be surprised at how much space you can save.

Junk files are files that are generated by apps and software that contain temporary data. Even though they are not used frequently by their respective programs, they will take up disk space. Junk files are stored in different locations on your computer, so they can be difficult to find.

To remove junk files, use the Windows app, Disk Cleanup.

Uninstalling useless programs

We all like to try new things. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, and we encourage it. The problem is that many people will try a new app, use it once or twice, and then forget about it. Multiply that every month for a couple of years and you’ve now got a lot of wasted space and resources.

There is also the matter of branded systems that came pre-installed with (mostly) useless bloatware. These apps are seldom used and mainly just sit in your system, taking and never giving. Sort of like the visiting college buddy from hell. To remove programs that slow your computer, navigate to:

• Programs and Features (Windows 7)
• Uninstall a Program (Windows 8)
• Apps & Features (Windows 10)

Now identify the programs you hardly ever use and uninstall them.

Add more storage options

We live in a time of choice. Let’s use it to expand our set of storage options. You don’t necessarily even have to buy a new HDD or an external drive; you can move files to cloud storage options like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft Onedrive, and Box.

Once you’ve moved data from your internal drives to somewhere else, the extra space will help speed up your computer.

Disable startup programs to make your PC boot faster

When Windows starts it first loads all startup and system tray programs. Some of these programs are essential, while others may just be unnecessarily wasting your system resources. How many of these programs do you need running the whole time?

Normally you can lose half of them, and you won’t even notice they’re not running in the background. However, you will notice that your PC has now sped up.

To remove startup programs simply:

• Press Window Key + R
• Type in msconfig and press enter
• Click on the services tab and check “Hide all Microsoft services”
• Unselect the programs you don’t want running at startup

To turn it back on simply return to msconfig and check the box again. It’s that easy.

Speed up slow computer with CleanMyPC

If you want to fix a slow computer, CleanMyPC is a lightweight app that downloads and installs quickly. The beauty of the app is that it is a hub for many different system cleaning tools. In fact a lot of what we talked about, CleanMyPC can do, and it does a better job.

Want to remove a program and make sure not files are left behind? Go to the Uninstaller tab.

Need to remove junk files that are wasting space? Go to the My Computer tab for a quick scan and clean up.

How about cleaning your registry? Removing startup programs? Uninstalling browser extensions?

There are solutions for everything.

Still no sock finding function, though.

Instead of wasting your valuable time running process after process, this one step solution makes maintenance of your computer easy. CleanMyPC simply does what it says - it cleans your PC quickly, boosting your PC’s speed and extending its life. Try it for free!

Use defrag to optimize your drives

If you’ve been following along, you probably now have a lot of free space on your drives. As we said before, free space is used by Windows, so it’s important that the free space is organized on your hard disk in a way that is easy for Windows to access.

That’s exactly what defrag does. It moves your data around on the physical disk to make your computer efficient and faster. It’s not always a quick process but it can help fix a slow PC, so it’s worth it.

To find the defrag app, in Windows 8 and 10 just type “defrag” into the search field. In Windows 7 it is found under All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.

Important note – Defrag should not be performed on Solid State Drives (SSDs).

Turn off animations

Windows animations look cool on a fast new system. Like icing on top of cake. On an old and slow PC, they are just annoying. To get your cake, I mean PC, speeding up you should turn off the animations for a boost.

It will only take a moment, so here’s what you do:

• Windows 10 – Go to Control Center > Ease of Access Center and check “Turn off unnecessary animations.”
• Windows 7 and 8 – Go to Control Center > Ease of Access Center and click on “make the computer easier to see.” Now check “Turn off unnecessary animations.”

Put your web browser on a diet

We live in our web browsers. Because we spend so much time using them, it’s no surprise that we lack discipline. There’s always a new cool sounding add-on to install or a new site (or nine) that we want to open in a tab to check out later. The problem is that the more tabs you have open and the more add-ons are installed, the more resources your web browser will take up, and the slower your PC will be. So take a look at your add-on or extension manager and uninstall anything that isn’t adding to your web browser experience.

For open tabs, it’s a matter of discipline. If you can’t bare to close them, you could instead bookmark them to view later. Another option is One Tab, a free browser add-on for Chrome and Firefox that converts your tabs into a link list, freeing lots of memory to help your Windows computer speed up.

Don’t let viruses slow you down

These days you have to be on your toes when it comes to what you click on online. Behind a lot of enticing links, you’ll find viruses and malware. Even when these programs aren’t directly harmful, they will often use your system resources and slow down your PC.

This is why one of the key elements to help your PC speed up is to have a protected system that remains clean of these dodgy programs. Make sure your anti-virus and anti-malware programs are always up to date, with real-time protection turned on.

Reinstall Windows for the ultimate fresh start

There’s nothing quite like a new beginning. If your computer is still working slow, a more dramatic option would be to reinstall Windows itself. Reinstalling Windows will speed up your computer by removing junk files and apps that you no longer want. It also removes viruses, malware, and adware. In short, it will return Windows to its most clean state.

Windows 8 and Windows 10 users have two options:

1) Refresh (keeps your personal files and reinstalls Windows)

• Go to Settings, and then click Change PC settings
• Click Update & Security, and then click Recovery
• Under “Refresh your PC without affecting your files,” click Get Started
• Follow the instructions on the screen

2) Reset your PC (Deletes all your files, so make sure that your important data is backed up)

• Go to Settings, and then tap Change PC settings
• Click Update & Security, and then click Recovery
• Under “Remove everything and reinstall Windows,” click Get Started
• Follow the instructions on the screen

For Windows 7 users, the process is a lot more challenging and time-consuming. Instead of doing a reinstall of Windows 7, we’d recommend upgrading to Windows 10 (you’ll have to eventually anyway). It’s faster, more user-friendly, and if your PC starts to slow down again, you can do the quick and easy refresh that we outlined above.

What’s the verdict?

Have you worked through our hints? Did they fix your slow PC?

If these tips didn’t turn back the clock and you still have a slow PC, then you may have to wave the white flag and head down to the computer store. But even if you get a new computer, save these methods because one day your new PC won’t be new anymore.

When the slow-down starts, stop it in its tracks by using the power of CleanMyPC, Disk Cleanup, Defrag, and all the other tools at your disposal.

Life is too short to be staring at the ceiling, waiting for your PC to finish a simple task.

It happens to all of us, one day you realize your computer isn’t running as fast as it was the day you booted it for the first time. Programs that used to fire up in milliseconds, now have you wondering if you can take a potty break before the hour glass stops spinning. Over the years the face of Windows has changed but other things remain the same. The interface is very different, however, the basics of computer tune-ups still apply for the newest versions of Windows. This won’t be a how-to but, rather, a general guide to point one in the couple of directions to improve system performance.

Quick Fixes

The first thing you need to do, is run through our computer quick fix cleanup instructions. This section will take you through the steps of disabling startup programs, perform disk cleanup, and help you to identify unneeded system tray processes and disable them. How did you get all these unneeded programs and processes to start up and automatically run on your PC? Some were installed as trial versions of software, other programs were installed long ago and have never been used since. Do you suspect spyware or malware has intruded your PC? We’ll show you how to get rid of them.

Remove Bloatware

If you purchased a computer from a major retailer, more than likely it was delivered with a plethora of bloatware (also known as junkware) installed ‘for your user experience.’ If you have no use for them, uninstall them. Most of them tend to inject themselves in window’s startup and create services that run in the background, robbing you of CPU cycles and RAM.

Nowadays, brand new computers come preloaded with so much useless garbage and gimmicky trial software. These preloaded programs offer minimal use to you, and the industry, and refers to them as Bloatware. Bloatware often consists of software from merchants that have a marketing agreement with the computer manufacturers that allows them to have these pieces of software preinstalled on a brand new computer. Some examples of Bloatware include: limited trial versions of Microsoft Office Software, 60 day trials of antivirus software, pay-as-you-go wireless internet service software, and diagnostic or tutorial software that runs in the background and drains your computer’s precious resources. Check your computer’s Programs directory and see what icons are on your desktop to find out what you should remove. Remember, simply deleting the shortcut icon on your desktop does not delete the program itself. Also, remember that to properly remove a program from your PC, you cannot simply delete a file or folder, which you will need two run what’s called an Uninstall for that particular piece of software.

The conventional way to remove a program once you’ve determined you don’t need it, is to go to your Control Panel, then click on the “add and remove programs” option, select a program from the list and click to uninstall that program. The Uninstall process will completely remove all program files, short cuts, and most importantly, make the necessary changes to your computer’s registry so that the operating system knows that the program has been completely removed from your PC. We prefer to Uninstall programs is by using a third party application called CCleaner. We only recommend a small handful of third party applications that are designed to help clean up and speed up your PC. CCleaner is one of them.

A new “uninstaller” program we recently came across is called PC Decrapifier. Its name says it all – it removes “crap” from your PC. It is a simple file that you download and run on your PC. It lets you pick from a known list of BloatWare programs that are installed on your PC which ones you want to remove – you simply place a checkmark next to the items you want uninstalled and let PC Decrapifier do all the work. The beauty of this is that it uninstalls all of the programs in one shot, saving you time and effort. Click HERE to visit the PC Decrapifier website and download the program.

Clean Up your Hard Drive

One of the main reasons causing desktop and notebook computers to run slow are the numerous programs and processes automatically running in the background. This may include programs that automatically start up and load a computer starts up, and processes that are running transparent to you in the system tray. Both of these things can be serious hogs of your computer’s resources and can bring your computer’s speed down to a crawl.

Uninstalling applications, installing new ones, and even just using the ones that you have can create system clutter that can pile, nickle and dime-ing you out of the performance of yesteryear. CCleaner (official website ) is a tool that will tighten up the registry and dangling DLL files, along with helping you maintain some semblance of privacy on your PC.

The latest version of Windows may appear to be a new operating system (OS) , but it still frags up a hard drive just like an old one. Personal documents, program files, and system files are all subject to becoming fragmented. Windows has a built-in defragmentation program but sometimes even Windows needs a little help keeping it’s business in order.

Clean up your Pagefile

The Pagefile and Registry are held in a locked position when you run your defrag — this means when you run a defrag session, you are not changing the status of your Pagefile or Registry. A tool like Sysinternal’s ‘PageDefrag’ (official website ) can remedy the fragmented state of your pagefile and important registry files. As you remove programs and install new ones parts of your operating system’s innards become less contiguous.

For the rest of your files, you may want to opt for a commercial defrag tool like Norton’s Speed Disk from the Norton Utilities suite of products, O & O Defrag or a freeware utility like Defraggler or Auslogics Disk Defrag. These types of third-party software are often capable of doing a better job than the built-in Windows utility.

As mentioned above, the pagefile is an in-use system file and cannot be moved when a defrag is running. Although this is true, there is a way around this. If you disable the pagefile, followed by a reboot then Windows will delete the pagefile. This gives you an opportunity to defrag your hard drive including the space that the page file was using. After your defrag is complete turn your page file back on, ensuring that your pagefile is using a contiguous chunk of space on your hard drive. When enable your pagefile set it to a specific size, for example, 3GB. If your pagefile is set to automatically adjust its size, then you increase your chances of creating a fragmented page-file.

Another method of manipulating your pagefile to increase system performance is to off-load it to a secondary hard drive. Doing so will free up internal bandwidth the system is using to move data to and from your main hard drive, that is hosting your operating system.

How To Speed Up A Slow Vista Laptop Keyboard

Tune-Up Windows Vista

If you are running Windows Vista operating system on your desktop or laptop PC a, you will likely notice when compared to other operating systems, your PC is running quite a bit slower. It may take longer to load up, operate more sluggishly, and generally feel like it is underpowered or overworked. One thing you can do, it is disable Windows Vista Aero . Aero is a Windows Vista feature that is purely cosmetic. It merely enhances the look of your windows desktop and folders. Find out more about how to speed up you Windows Vista computer.

If you have performed all of the above steps, performed our quick fixes to clean up your PC , and find that your computer is still running slow, you may want to consider increasing the amount of RAM on your desktop or laptop PC.

Other Speed Up Tips

There are several other things you can do to speed up your PC. Other things that slow down your PC are unneeded Windows services running in the background. Disable Windows services that you don’t need. Here is an excellent guide as to what Windows services can be disabled, as well as, their default settings. This is more of an advanced step, but anyone who is willing to dedicate a little patience and diligence can greatly improve their operating system boot time and log in time. Reducing the amount of services loaded will have a direct affect on the number of modules loaded in RAM and lowers the rounds of multitasking your CPU must perform to keep those services up and running. This method also improves the security of your system by shrinking your attack surface area.

You have probably noticed the biggest delay when using your desktop or laptop PC is during the boot-up process. If you previously shut down your computer, your PC has to run through the boot-up cycle before you can begin using your PC. This boot-up cycle involves running a whole slew of diagnostic checks, initiating all of your startup applications and processes, and simply getting windows running to a point where you can began to use the programs on your PC. For this very reason, we do not recommend shutting down your computer after every single session (or every single night). Instead, make use of the special features in your windows operating system that sets your operating system to a Sleep or Hibernate mode.

If you are using a desktop computer at home, simply walking away from your desk at the end of the night and leaving your computer idle will eventually put it into a dormant sleep mode. In Sleep mode, you’ve ceased any active processes that you are running on your desktop, however a lot of background processes are still being run. In Hibernate mode, you cease or shut down just about all running processes, park your hard drive, and the result is very little is actually running on your computer. If you are using a desktop computer, the differences between the two modes are subtle and have little or no impact to you. If you’re using a notebook computer, the differences are more significant. By setting your laptop computer to Hibernate mode, you will conserve your battery life much more significantly that if you’re in Sleep mode. If you are a laptop user, we highly recommend setting your computer to Hibernate mode if you are running off battery power and you are not actively using your laptop. Also, Hibernate mode helps you speed up your PC — when you come out of Hibernate mode and revive your computer, it takes just a fraction of time to warm up the system and began using all of your computer’s functions. And this will save you a great deal of time in the computer’s boot-up cycle when compared to starting up your computer after a complete shutdown.

Many laptop computers today are equipped with a special media player mode. This allows you to play DVD movies on your laptop’s screen without actually having to start up and running your windows operating system. There are significant battery life savings if you do use the media player mode in that your computer is not running your full operating system and all of the resources required. Instead it is operating just like a portable DVD player. Moreover, media player mode allows you much quicker access than a full start-up of your computer’s operating system. Not only use a tremendous battery power, but the media player mode starts up quickly and the controls are responsive and easy to use.

How To Speed Up A Slow Vista Laptop Windows

CCleaneris a very useful and user friendly software that allows for even novices to keep a healthy computer. The basic program is very small and free to download. Consider using CCleaner to maximize efficiency and productivity with any personal or family computer. The main cleaner is able to analyze and delete superfluous information. This includes things like temporary internet files, internet histories, cookies and recently visited URLs.

The registry cleaner allows users to scan for missing file extensions for preloaded programs. This can be used to help restore issues where a person may have accidentally deleted necessary files for the computer to run. There is also a feature which displays a Startup list where users can enable or disable various programs that initially start when the computer is first turned on. Another very convenient feature is the system restore that allows for a person to reset the settings to a previous date and time if the computer becomes infected with a virus or malware.

What’s Next?…

Once you have taken care of the Quick Fix PC Clean-up items and the PC Speed-up items, it’s time to move on to finding and eliminating spyware on your PC and a complete and thorough virus scan. Once you are finished cleaning up your computer and fixing the conflicts and problems, you must take precautions against these problems popping up again in the future.

If you are beginning to have problems with your computer, you should consider taking the time to set up a good backup plan for your precious files and learn more about how to protect your privacy when you are online. That’s all for now. The aforementioned tips can make a rookie look like a Tech Wonder. The tools mentioned are ones that I use and recommend to my clients and family. If you have suggestions of worthy alternatives send them in. Thank you for reading.

How To Speed Up A Slow Vista Laptop Windows 10

Thanks to Terrance Turner.

>>Continue to our next step: Eliminate Spyware

How To Speed Up A Slow Vista Laptop Screen