Computers and Technology

Have you ever been in the middle working on your computer and suddenly it froze, crashed or came to a slow crawl? And you had to restart, lost your work, lost time and felt so enraged that if you had an axe STOP! DO NOT KILL the computer. Here are 6 tips on how to speed up a computer.

1. INCREASE VIRTUAL MEMORY:

Virtual memory is the space your computer uses when there is not enough RAM (Random Access Memory), which is the memory used when running programs like Microsoft Office.

Resetting the virtual memory usage on your computer, also referred to as pagination, is great way speed up a computer.

To access and reset the Virtual Memory:

On the Start menu,click My Computer. The My Computer window is displayed. Click View System Information. The Systems Properties dialog box is displayed. In the Systems Properties dialog box click the Advanced tab. Under Performance, click Settings. The Performance Options dialog box is displayed. In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Find the Virtual memory area. Click Change. The Virtual Memory dialog box is displayed. There you can make changes to the custom pagination. You should not exceed the MB limit given by your computer.

2. STORING FILES ON THE MAIN DRIVE:

Do not store lots of data on the main drive, usually the C Drive, which is where you install your windows operating system. Storing software like games, finance programs and other software on another drive of your computer is another way to speed up a computer.

3. RESETTING START UP MENU:

To increase the speed with which your computer boots you can remove unnecessary programs from the start up process, and this is another effective way to speed up a computer.

4. TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE:

System Restore is a function which keeps a backup of your computer's scheme by date. Having the system restore option on takes a lot of space from the hard drive. If you turn off the system restore option it will free up a lot of physical memory and can significantly speed up a computer.

To access and turn off System Restore:

Click START, then click ACCESSORIES, then click SYSTEM TOOLS, then click SYSTEM RESTORE. Once there you can edit settings and then turn off the system restore option.

5. CLEANING INTERNET CACHE AND COOKIES:

Temporary Internet files affect browser speed. Regularly cleaning the cache and cookies will make your browser and computer perform at a faster speed.

To Clean Internet Cache and Cookies:

click Tools from your browser toolbar and click on Internet Options to delete and clear cache and cookies. This should be done on a regular basis to ensure ongoing improvement of computer performance and browser speed.

6. DEFRAGMENTING THE DISK:

Regularly defragmenting the drive will speed up a computer.

This tool can be accessed from the Start Menu then Accessories thenSystem Tools.

WHAT ABOUT SOFTWARE THAT CLAIMS TO SPEED UP COMPUTERS?:

There is software out there that claims to optimize computer speed and performance, but this type of software is often costly and does not provide an all-in-one tool necessary to speed up computers to the max. And so you wind up buying several software programs in an attempt to fix multiple computer problems.