Slow PC suggestions

HP Pavillion 2005

How full is your hard-drive? Often times you'll find that an older computer is slowing way down simply because the hard-drive is near capacity.

Go into your windows explorer, and sort the files by size. Don't delete any files that you're not familiar with. But delete any of the large files that you know you'll never use. Also go into your control panel, and uninstall any programs that you don't use.

Another trick is to turn off programs that automatically come on when your computer starts up...

If you go to your -start button- and then click on -run- then type in "msconfig" (without the quotes) and hit enter. This will be your system configuration that comes up. At the top you'll see a tab that says "Startup". If you click on that you'll see programs that start up when your computer loads. Most of these are not necessary for your computer to run. Uncheck any unecessary programs and then click on "Apply". Then restart your computer. You'll see a huge difference in startup time if there are a lot of programs you're able to turn off.

Good luck.

Here is a really nice article I found, hope it helps.

How do I speed up my Windows PC computer? - TECH.BLORGE.com

Meh.

Don't pay for the service. Your computer is really not very old.

Take a look in Add/Remove Programs and remove any unused programs.
Delete any files (such as music, movies, etc) from your hard drive or move to other media.
Delete the cache from your internet browsers.
Increase the physical memory for your computer.
Run MalwareBytes to find/remove any viruses.
Use AdAware or some other to remove spyware/adware that may slow down the computer.
You could also visit pcpitstop.com for a free performance check and tools. Very handy!!
I really like Smart Defrag, which is free. You can also do a Deep Optimization, which I've noticed big improvements in game speed.

Defrag that baby I am sure you have never defraged it since you got it but first run scandisk to mark of any bad sectors so you do not corrupt any files.

This may be a quick fix to give your pc a bit of a boost if its been sluggish over time.

It's all BS.

The only real method to speed up a maching invoves tuning various system settings, bios tuning, and overclocking. You can learn more about doing that by visiting websites like Toms Hardware, and [H]ard|OCP for free.

Good luck, and may St Peter (Norton) smile on you.

Without a doubt the best way to speed up your pc is to upgrade the hardware, which is the ram and processor.

Aside from that, second tritrain's post above.

If your computer is slower than usual, check for viruses, uninstall unused programs, free up disk space, defrag your hard drive, turn off unecessary services and start up programs and get a reliable registry cleaner.

Hope that helps.

if your pc is more then 1 year old, it needs alot of updates, which probably isnt worth it, considering the types of computers that are out now and for the good prices. I saw a HP laptop yesterday at bestbuy for 399.

Here are the tips you need:

Improve Your PC Performance With These 5 Free Registry Cleaners | Gizmoko - Cool Websites, New Softwares And Computing
4 Free Apps To Boost Your Computer’s Speed | Gizmoko - Cool Websites, New Softwares And Computing

When my computer starts lagging a little I just run CCleaner, it takes 2 minutes and does the job every time

It's free here CCleaner - Download theres a few paypal buttons there but they're just for donations.

How old is your computer, and what operating system does it run? If it's quite old, first try defragmenting it (if you haven't done so already). If that doesn't work, and it's an older machine clogged up with a lot of software/adware/spyware, you might have to try reformatting the hard disk drive and reinstalling your operating system.

If it's STILL really slow after that, you have two options. You can either ditch your computer, OR if you really, really want to continue using your computer, I'd recommend trying (and then installing) Puppy linux, it makes even the oldest computer fly! Puppy Linux Community - Home

CCleaner has already been mentioned above. Same company has a free tool (defragler) to defrag the drives. IMHO a better defrag than the one Win XP provides.
Also check out this article at lifehacker about Netbook tuning which in my opinion contains some useful tips for real PCs as well
The Definitive Guide to Making the Most of Your Netbook - NetBooks - Lifehacker

Something I find that really slows a PC down are all the add-ons and updates that come with Windows -- especially as updates get superseded, but still seem to get loaded into RAM each time your PC boots up. Some of these so-called "security" updates are totally unnecessary IMHO if you have a decent firewall. They just take up space. Fonts are another culprit for slowing down your PC. Personally, I find I only use a dozen or so, but every time I install a new graphics program or editing software, it installs a load of proprietary fonts - many of which are identical to the ones that come with Windows anyway - all of which have to be loaded and slow down your PC as a result.

My PC was running incredibly slowly, so over the Christmas holidays I backed up all my data, formatted the hard drive, reinstalled Windows XP from scratch, downloaded only the latest (and most necessary) updates, and reinstalled only the software I use most often - culling a lot of the extra fonts as I did so. This also gave me the opportunity to have a fresh install of the latest versions of software like Internet Explorer without the residue of umpteen previous updates to slow it all down. My computer is much faster now. I've now taken the precaution of having Windows promt me before it installs any new updates, and I uncheck ones I don't really need.



I suggest you do likewise, as it sounds like you've got the same problem.

1 - Buy an external hard drive ( $100 )
2 - Load all your stuff onto it
( put it into folders and zip it and save a second copy in zip files - lots of room )
3 - Remember to save your bookmarks /favorites!
internet explorer?
Start-> My Computer -> Local Disk C -> Documents & Settings -> Owner - Favorites

4 - Reformat your computer with the disc provided by manufacturer
( make sure you have this, first - or create one via the OEM instructions to do so )

5 - Reinput all your data from the external hard drive.

Computer will more than likely be a lot faster.