Have you ever had a once fast PC go slow on you?
Do any of these seem familiar?
- slow reaction to clicks
- unexplained delays
- jerky video playback
- abysmal game performance
- busy cursor all the time
- excessive hard disk activity
Surveys show as little as a 2 second delay upsets users.
What’s causing this?
Windows PCs do indeed get slower over time. It’s usually a mixture of ever-increasing amount installed software, more applications running concurrently, less free memory and a “dirty” registry (see explanation below). Worst case viruses and malware may be involved too.
Tips for speeding up your PC
1. Run a full scan with your antivirus software
If any issues, sort those first. Then run a registry cleaner, such as WiseFixer.exe to get more speed out of the registry. It’s important to scan for viruses and run a registry cleaner on a regular basis. Once a week, at least. (Small tip: If you have multiple computers at home or in the office, purchase the licenses for all at the same time. You’ll get a better deal. For one, WiseFixer license is discounted in bulk.)
2. Free up hard disk space
There should be at least a few gigabytes free under all circumstances, whatever the hard disk size is. Windows itself is very hard disk dependent, and “panics” if it’s running out of disk space. This means constant hard disk activity, which is not good for speed. The hard disk is the slowest part of the PC. (Well, the slowest part that’s always in use, anyway.)
3. De-fragment the hard disk
This is a way of putting things in order so Windows can find them faster. Kind of like tidying the wardrobe – you find things faster if everything’s in its set place, don’t you? Google for more info. Do this after tips 1 and 2, ideally.
4. Check resources in use
Start “Task Manager” by pressing Ctrl, Alt and Del at the same time. Check the entries under “Applications” and see if there’s anything you can close. Also check if there’s anything you don’t recognize. Close them.
Check the “Performance” tab for pretty graphs. If memory and CPU usage is often close to the maximum, consider closing more Applications (and points 5-7 below).
5. Consider a “clean” re-installation of Windows.
Still slow? “Clean install” is geek lingo for putting Windows on a completely blank hard disk, while wiping all the old data and old settings. This ensures a fresh start and a new, clean registry. You’re PC will be as fast as the day you bought it (or faster, if it came with bundled software pre-installed, see below).
Ideally you want a stock Windows CD or DVD. A “restore” media from your PC’s manufacturer will often auto-install bundled software, which defeats the whole idea.
You want to back up your data beforehand, obviously. Use CDs, DVDs, thumb drives, network connection to other PC or an external hard drive.
6. Have Windows Vista? Get rid of it.
Shops have made a killing out of removing Vista.. and rightly so
Be it an upgrade to Windows 7 or a downgrade to Windows XP, you’ll be better off. Think of Vista as a unfinished version of Windows 7, or a bad joke, whichever you prefer. 
It’s bloated with new and unpolished features that are always on by default. A memory hog, Windows Vista is the epitome of “slow” and an epic failure of Microsoft. It’s done more to boost the Apple Mac’s user base than anything Apple CEO Steve Jobs has come up with. Both Windows XP and Windows 7 are significantly faster and will give you more life out of your current hardware.
If you have at least 2GB RAM memory and a dual core CPU, go for 7. If not, go for XP, or upgrade RAM and CPU if possible. Usually it is, even on a laptop. Consult a pro, or drop me a mail if in any doubt. (If you have a Vista PC with 1GB ram – an unworkable configuration, but a lot were sold in the early days of Vista – upgrade the memory to 2GB or more and put Windows 7 on it. It’ll work fine.)
7. The Ultimate Solution: No More Registry Repair
For your next PC, why not dispose of registry errors altogether? Get an Apple Mac running OS X, or a PC with Linux – they use configuration files instead of a registry, eliminating the issue completely. Yes, a new system takes a while to get used to, but I firmly believe it pays off. Go for Mac over Linux if you’re not technical. (All Apple Mac computers can run Windows software so there’s an escape route.)
