A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO IMPROVING YOUR COMPUTER SPEED
Buying a new personal computer or laptop is not always the only solution to fix a slow computer. Though the computer is a machine, there are several factors that can slow it down, and bring down its efficiency. There are many small and easy things one can do to improve the working speed of a computer, and these can be done without professional help. Here are some of the ways in which a slow computer can be made to run faster.
Get Rid of all Spyware and Viruses
Spyware is a kind of software that is installed in computers, when connected to the internet (or more specifically, certain websites) that collect the user’s information, without him being aware of it. The presence of spyware is not always easy to detect. They slow down the computer by taking up valuable processor time to log the user’s activities and report them to the source. Spyware, malware and viruses that take up a lot of processor time can be got rid of with anti-spyware and anti-virus software, which are available in both free and paid versions.
Clean the Browser
Some browsers, like Internet Explorer, are more susceptible to spyware or malware attacks. Browsers like Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome are better at protecting the computer from malicious software. Some methods of making them work better are: to clean up the browser history and cookies after every browsing session; disabling pop-ups that can plant malicious software onto the computer; visiting only ‘trusted’ websites, and avoiding those websites that the browser indicates as being unsafe. Reducing the size of webpage history to store details of pages visited only for the past week or so helps too.
Clear Out All Unnecessary Files
Over a period of time, our computers accumulate many unwanted files, software, cookies and other data. Data related to many errors are also saved on the computer, like when a software malfunctions, or when the power goes off and the user’s work is not saved. Running the Disk Cleanup once a week helps weed out all unnecessary files or info, clear the recycle bin and compress the old files that are saved onto the memory. Deleting unnecessary software also frees up processor time and allows the computer to function better. 
An Ongoing Process
Keeping the computer at peak productivity is an ongoing process, and requires some simple things to be done regularly: cleaning up the registries, deleting unnecessary programs and installing only those that are actually useful to the user and keeping very few programs running in the start menu and system tray, for instance. Any machine needs regular maintenance and the computer is no different. Maintaining it well keeps it ‘healthy’ and makes it run faster.
This article was written in association with Modis, the UKs leading recruitment agency for IT jobs in London
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