Give your PC a free speed boost
My PC is running slowly, what can I do? If you have never been driven to distraction by a computer that takes forever to start, or responds to any command with an endless spinning cursor, you are one of the lucky few. Like a car or a washing machine, Windows is not very' good at maintaining itself, although Windows 7 has some major improvements in this respect. Instead, it needs regular servicing to keep it in tip-top condition. And in this guide we will explain how to do this.
Most of the speed-boosting tips and tricks we will explain are not complicated, even for inexperienced users, although you should still take sensible precautions such as making backup copies of your important files first. But at least you won’t need a socket set or a pair of greasy overalls.
Slow, not steady
So, why does Windows slow down with age? There are many reasons, not least of which is that over time it has to cope with the demands of more and more installed programs.
Each new program you install takes up space on the hard disk, uses memory, and may use space to create files and documents. Some programs, such as anti-virus tools, start when Windows loads and each of these uses a share of the PC’s available memory, hard disk space and processor resources. They can also make Windows take forever to start by jostling for position and trying to load while Windows itself is trying to get its house in order.
If there are lots of programs running, eventually there comes a time when memory runs low and Windows has to resort to using free hard disk space as extra ‘virtual’ memory. This is much slower than real memory and can cause the computer to slow down, especially if there is not enough space on the hard disk. Adding more physical memory is the best solution, but a free short-term fix is to reduce the number of programs that are running.
Errors on the hard disk caused by program crashes, or users turning off the PC improperly are also sources of problems; temporary files can get left behind, filling up the hard disk and causing other errors. We will explain how to solve these problems, but let’s start with the hard disk itself.
Picking up the pieces
Files are not stored on a hard disk in a tidy way, and over time this can lead to the blocks of data that make up a file becoming scattered across the hard disk, or ‘fragmented’. To open a fragmented file Windows has to scrabble around finding all the pieces and putting them back together, which takes time.
There is an easy way to fix this problem, using Windows’ built-in Disk Defragmenter tool. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Defragmenter. When the program opens, click Defragment or Defragment Disk. The process can take several hours, and will finish more quickly if the PC isn’t used during this time.
In Vista and Windows 7 defragmentation is performed automatically every Wednesday at 1am, as long as the PC is turned on (if it isn’t, the task will run as soon as possible). To change this to a more convenient time open Disk Defragmenter and in Vista click the Configure Schedule button in Windows 7 click Modify Schedule.
Program overload
As we mentioned above, a lack of hard disk space on your PC can have an impact on performance. Unnecessary programs are one culprit and programs you don’t use might also be loading bits of themselves when Windows starts, leading to a further drain on the computer’s resources.
For this reason it’s well worth having an occasional clean-out of unwanted programs and documents, especially if you like trying out free programs that you may have forgotten to remove. Before removing any program that you have paid for, first ensure you have the original discs (plus registration details and/or serial number if applicable) so you can re-install it again later if you need it.
The quickest way to uninstall programs in Windows XP is via the Control Panel. Click Start, Control Panel and click ‘Add or Remove Programs’ to open an alphabetical list of installed programs. The amount of hard disk space taken up by each program is also shown if it is known. To remove a program, click on its entry and click the Remove button (sometimes labelled Change/Remove). Follow any instructions that appear, restarting the PC if asked.
In Vista or Windows 7, click Start, Control Panel and click the ‘Uninstall a program link’ in the Programs category. Select a program and click the button labelled Uninstall (some programs may display Change or Change/Uninstall buttons instead).
When you uninstall a program, the User Account Control security prompt will ask for confirmation - click OK or type in your administrator account details if requested to do so.
Deep cleaning
Once you have cleared out unwanted programs, it’s time to dig out the deeply ingrained junk. When a file is deleted, it is moved into the Windows Recycle Bin so it can be restored if needed. The problem is that many users don’t realise this, so the Recycle Bin fills up with many gigabytes of supposedly deleted files, all scattered across the disk.
Also, programs such as web browsers often create hundreds of temporary files that are left behind when the program closes. The best way to get rid of everything at once is to use the built-in Disk Cleanup tool. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and Disk Cleanup to launch the program. (In Vista, click the ‘Files from all users on this computer’ option when requested).
After a while, a list of file types will appear, including the Recycle Bin. All are safe to select but we recommend not choosing ‘Office Setup Files’, ‘Hibernation File Cleaner’ or ‘Compress old files’ if they appear in the list. Selecting these will not harm your computer, but there could be annoying side effects.
In Windows 7, click the ‘Cleanup system files’ button to show some extra files - again these can all be safely deleted. Click OK to start the cleanup. If there is more than one user account in XP, log on as each user in turn and run Disk Cleanup again.
Stop startups
Many programs try to make users’ lives easier by running silently all the time, often to check for program updates or to show a device’s status. In some cases it’s unclear what these programs are doing, but any program that’s running will have an impact on performance, especially if memory is in short supply. Check which programs are running by pressing Control, Shift and Esc keys together to launch the Task Manager. Click on the Processes tab. All the tasks listed here are potentially taking up valuable resources. Some are essential and would be visible even on a brand new PC but others have been created by installed, but possibly unwanted, software.
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Check the Notification Area icons
to see which programs are running in Windows
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Many such programs and tasks place an icon in the Notification Area, the area at the right-hand side of the taskbar. Some of the icons you see here, such as the clock and volume control, belong to Windows. Others are put there by third-party programs and are not always necessary' for the program to work - they just give you easy access to certain features.
To remove unwanted startup items, click Start, All Programs, then open the folder called Startup. Removing the icons from this folder will not uninstall the programs, but it will prevent them from starting while Windows loads.
Note down the name of each entry and remove them one by one, restarting Windows after each deletion to check that everything is still working fine. If an error message appears or there is some other problem, the shortcut can be restored from the Recycle Bin (as long you don’t empty the Recycle Bin first). To do this, open the Recycle Bin and locate the shortcut that you deleted. Select it, right-click and choose Restore.
Advanced startup options
Windows should by now be starting to look a little leaner and meaner, but there may still be some stubborn programs cluttering up the Notification Area. These do not appear in the Startup folder, so how do you stop them? The answer is the System Configuration utility. But first a word of caution: if you are not comfortable with any of the following, it is best to avoid this step as a mistake could prevent Windows starting at all. And as with any operation that involves making changes to Windows’ settings, make sure your important files are fully backed up before commencing.
To launch the System Configuration utility in XP, click Start, Run and type msconfig in the ‘Open’ box before pressing the Enter key. In Vista and Windows 7 type msconfig into the Start search box and press Enter. Click on the Startup tab. Some programs listed may have self-explanatory names but others may not. If you are unsure what an item does, look at the name in the ‘Startup Item’ column and search for it in Google or your favourite search engine - there are websites that list common startup items and whether they can be safely disabled. If you cannot find information, leave it alone.
On a new computer there will usually be no items in the Startup tab. Disabling items should not cause Windows to stop but it may prevent important software running. The safest method is to disable items one by one, restarting Windows each time. To disable an item, clear the tick box next to its name, click Apply and restart the computer when prompted. To re-enable an item if you discover that it’s needed, launch the utility again and tick its box in the Startup list, click Apply and restart. You can quickly re-enable all disabled items by clicking on the General tab and selecting the ‘Normal startup’ option.
Added extras
Older or low-cost PCs often struggle with Windows’ flashy visual effects, so it’s worth turning these off temporarily to check whether it will give you a speed boost. Press the Windows key and the Pause key together to open the System Properties box. In XP, click the Advanced tab or in Vista and Windows 7 click the ‘Advanced settings’ link at the left side of the window. Now click the Settings button in the Performance section. On the Visual Effects tab, click the ‘Adjust for best performance’ option, click Apply and then OK. The display will look flat, but it should be quicker. To put things back, choose ‘Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer’.
Windows 7 users have an extra weapon: the built-in Performance Troubleshooter automatically detects and fixes common problems. To run it, click Start, Control Panel, click ‘Find and fix problems’, then click ‘Check for performance issues’. At the opening screen click Next and follow the wizards instructions. If you don’t want changes to be made automatically, at the first screen click the Advanced link and untick the box labelled ‘Apply repairs automatically’. When the wizard completes a summary’ of problems will be shown.
If none of the advice above has had any effect, this could be a sign of deeper problems with your computer and you may need to re-install Windows as explained in the box below. But in most cases, you should find that decluttcring Windows will result in a much faster computer at no cost apart from a couple of hours of your time.
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