When computers begin to age they begin to slow down. It is frustrating to have to work on a slow PC but it also slows your productivity. There are many factors that can be the cause of a slow computer system.

One thing that you can do to tray to improve the speed of a slow running computer is to defragment the computers disk drive. If you have a hard drive that is large with a lot of date and you have never run the process it may take many hours for it to complete. But it is worth the time involves as it can significantly improve the speed of your computer.

When you defragment the computers hard drive it will take related blocks of data and place them back together. The process of saving files is one example of when files can become fragmented. Parts may be saved in different areas of the hard drive. This is especially true if your computer is running low on space. It will use whatever available free space there is to write the files to.

Once the files are arranged back together it will improve the speed of the system as it no longer has to scan the entire hard drive to piece back together the files.

You should run the Disk Defragmenter utility to organize your computers hard drive. This process should be performed weekly and whenever you add or remove large programs or files.

There some simple things you can do to maintain your PC and keep it operating at peak performance. Freeing up space on the disk drive will help speed up access to data, detecting and repairing disk errors and protecting your computer from viral infections from other mailware and using a ReadyBoost feature increasing the amount of RAM by using a MicroSD card.

Think of the hard drive like a bookshelf full of books or DVDs. Would finding a specific movie or book will be faster faster if the shelf is organized in alphabetical order and/or by genre? Like a bookshelf, a computer operates better when its hard drive is kept organized. Using a good defrag program regularly will ensure the hard drive remains neat and orderly thus making it easier for the computer to find files and programs.

The more programs and applications running at the same time, the more resources are required and the slower the computer will operate even if they are not immediately seen on the screen. Does the printer always need to be primed and ready for printing? Shut down programs not regularly used and/or remove them from the start up operation.

When you free up disk space it will ensure that the processor has the space necessary to write the temporary items that is required. If the capacity of your computers hard drive is over eighty-five percent full then be sure to run the Disk Cleanup utility. This is a tool scans the hard drive, finding all the things that are safe to delete. After performing this task then go to the add/remove programs and un-install any software programs you do not use.

Memory leaking can cause your computer to slow down. A memory leak is caused when a program or programs including the operating system stops releasing memory they do not need. Over time this will start a drain of available memory. Oftentimes memory leaks are not noticeable as they disappear before any problems arise. But, on occasion, it can cause your system to slow to a crawl or even turn into the “blue screen of death”.

To close a program that may be causing the memory leak can be done by holding the “ctrl+alt+del” keys open up the task menu then click on the “Processes” tab. You cn sort all processes by memory usage. Restarting your PC can sometimes help if closing down the program does not.

If you continue to notice that particular programs are causing memory leaks you should check to see if they have a more recent version or if any updates or patches are available. You can find this information on the manufacturer’s website. While some patches may be available for fee major updates may require you to purchase the upgrade.

Sometimes un-installing and re-installing software can resolve memory leak issues. You can perform this using the Add/Remove Program utility in the Control Panel. You should re-start your computer after you add or remove a program.

Memory leaks can cause your computer to slow down and most can be resolved by closing down the program or the PC.

If your computer used to be faster but now it has slowed down what can you do? Slowness is one of the most frustrating things about using a computer. There can be many causes of why your computer is running slower. Depending upon what you are experiencing there may be different resolutions to the root cause of your computers performance problems.

While backing up all your data, wiping and restoring your hard drive is guaranteed to improve your computers performance it is not the easiest thing you can do. There are many other tweaks you can perform and you may achieve the same results without the hassle of re-installing your operating system and all your programs.

Microsoft provides many tools that help you to optimize the performance of your PC. They will help you get back the speed you need. Your computer may be slow due to data and programs that are fragmented all over the hard drive. You may have a virus or hard drive errors. Perhaps you need to update some of the components of your PC. What ever the cause before you begin to use any optimization tool be sure to back up the important information on your computer to a USB or external drive.

The first step in optimizing your PC is to be sure that the operating system and other software are up to date. Updates will fix bugs and patch things that can be exploited and allow viruses and malware into your system. When you keep your computer up to date you can be sure that it has the most recent protections.

Many times computers are slow because of all the programs that run in the background. Selective startup can be used to fix these issues if you have a Windows XP computer.

To get into Selective Startup you need to click on the Start icon in the bottom left of your computer screen. Then click on the “run” icon. A small window will open. Here you can type “msconfig” then click on the OK icon. This will open up the System Configuration Utility screen.

There are several tabs in this utility: General; SYSTEM.INI; WIN.INI; BOOT.INI; Services, Startup, and Tools.

In the General tab is where you will find the Selective Startup up Radio Button. Choose this option and click all the bullets under the option as well. Next go to the Startup Tab. In this window you will find all the items that are starting up when your system boots up. Some of these items are essential to the operation of your PC and others are not. For example “aim” is AOL Instant Messenger and you can opt to disable this at startup. If you are unsure about any Startup Item you can research it online to see if it is an essential component needed for the operation of your computer.

Once you have unchecked any items that you wish to disable from automatically starting up you just click on “Apply” and then “Close”. You will have to re-start your computer for these options to be applied.

Over time the computers hard drive can develop bad sectors. This can be a result of system and software crashes as well as power interruptions. These bad spots on the hard drive can jeopardize the integrity of the files on your computer. They can also make it difficult and even impossible for your computer to write to certain folders or files. This could result in the loss of data.

You should run the Error Check utility weekly if you use your computer daily.

Before you run this utility be sure all files and programs are closed. Right click on your computers hard drive in the My Computer window and choose Properties. Then choose the Tools Tab. To run the utility select “Check Now”. The tool will scan for bad sectors. If any are found elect to fix them.

ReadyBoost is a feature of the Windows Vista and 7 operating systems. It can be used to increase the speed of your PC by adding virtual memory by using a USB memory card. This can help improve the performance of your PC without having to buy and install additional memory.

If you are on an older version of Windows consider upgrading to Windows 7. This can help improve the performance of your computer along with giving you more tools and features that can be used to achieve this goal. Be sure to run the Upgrade Advisor to see if your hardware can be upgraded.

If your system has been running slower you may have looked at the items on your hard drive and wondered what would be safe to remove. You might want to try to compress older files. This will leave all the items on your hard drive intact. If a file is found that has not been accessed in a certain period of time it can be compressed. Just know that if you do access this file at a later date it may take a bit longer for it to open the first time.

There are many types of files that are completely safe to remove from your computer.

Downloaded program files include Java applets and ActiveX controls that are downloaded from web sites. These files are considered ‘temporary’ however they are stored on the computer until you choose to delete them. These are not program or zip files.

Temporary Internet files are caches of web pages and are also stored on your computers hard drive. Cached web pages make browsing the internet faster. Deleting these files will not change any web settings not will it delete internet cookies.

Recycle Bin is where all things go that you choose to delete from your computer. They are stored here in case you made a mistake and want to retrieve the file. It is important to empty the Recycle Bin from time to time.

Temporary Remote desktop files are created when you use the Remote Desktop utility and can be safely removed along with Setup Log files. It is also safe to remove backup files for any previous OS if you have updated.

Spyware, adware, malware and viruses are nasty beasts that can cause your computer to slow down along with even more damaging consequences.

Spyware is a program that has a malicious intention to do something bad to your PC. They are usually installed without you knowing about it. They are commonly installed when you click on “I agree” automatically as most people do without reading all the fine print. Spyware will consume your internet bandwidth, computer memory and system resources and can grind it to a halt. It can even modify, delete and disable files, programs, folders, and even components and services that are essential to the operating system of the computer.

Trojans, worms and back doors can open up your PC to more intrusions by spyware programs. They can be installed on your computer making it a “host” or “bot”. This will collect, analyze and send data to anywhere in the world. They can use your PC to spread spam.

Malware can cause conflicts with your other software causing your PC to freeze up or even crash. They can even steal your information on your computer including credit card information, passwords and other personal data.

They will monitor your web activity and record the sites you visit, collecting this information and relaying it to companies.

As you can see this can be very damaging not only to your computers speed but to your confidential information. Having a quality malware prevention, detection and removal tool is key to a healthy computer.

While there are many programs on the market the claim to magically be able to boost the speed of your computer you should be wary before you spend good money on them. You can optimize the processing time of your computer and speed it up using mostly utilities integrated with the operating system or free downloads. The key to having a computer that performs well takes time and a bit of effort. But with many of the automated settings you can actually let the computer do the work for you. The important thing to remember is whatever method you choose that it is performed on a regular basis.

Still you might want to check out the program Perfect Optimizer from Miracle Technologies. This software is certified by Softpedia.com to be free from any malware. They offer live support and a product that will get your computer running at peak performance. There is a trial version that will allow you to test it out and see what you think. After that if you purchase you have ninety days to continue to evaluate and if you are dissatisfied you can get your money back. The software is user friendly and easy to use.

Perfect Optimizer while sounding too good to be true may be one of the jewels out there that will take the task of maintaining your PC and make it a breeze. You can always download the free trial as you have nothing to lose.

Not as much as tricks are required as mastering the tools that Microsoft provides for you to improve the speed and performance of your computer.

The MSCONFIG tool is commonly used and has many utilities that will benefit and improve the speed of your PC. Here you can find all the programs that are set to startup when your computer boots up. You are able to enable or disable their startup depending upon if you feel it is important to have them starting up and running. The fewer automatic startup programs you have the quicker boot time you will experience. Also all the programs that automatically startup run in the background and consume system resources as long as they are running.

At the Microsoft website you can use Windows Defender, a spyware tool, that will search and remove any malware that is discovered on your system. It may also be used as a startup manager as well.

CCleaner, while not from Microsoft, it a free tool that will help you keep the registry free from any issues that may be causing problems with the performance of your computer.

Adjusting the properties and setting of your PC can also help improve its speed. In the Advance system properties screen you can change these settings and turn off some unnecessary features that consume system resources. They may include sliding, drop shadow and fading and other visual effects.

The Disk Cleanup utility will find and allow you to remove all the temporary internet and downloaded files along with other files you do not need on your system.