There are five things that are easy to do that can improve your computers performance. In summary they include: removing malware, adware, and spyware; finding and fixing errors on the computers hard drive, freeing up space on the hard drive and adding additional virtual RAM.

Spyware, adware, viruses and all sorts of malware can cause significant degradations of your computers performance. You can find good programs to scan for and remove these threats on Microsofts website as well as from third parties.

Use registry fix programs. The computer registry can be described as the database that contains all of the settings and options for 32 bit versions of Microsoft Windows (including Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, XP, and 2000.) It also contains all of the settings for the hardware, software, users, and preferences of the P.C. Whenever a user makes changes in the Control Panel settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected in the computers registry. Many times a registry error occurs and this causes files and data to be inaccessible. If there are numerous minor errors (which is usually the case) a registry fix program will get the data back in accessible sequence and a slow computer will be speeded up with this fix.

Removing as much clutter and junk from your PCs hard drive and freeing up space will go a long way to improving your computers performance. There are several utilities that will help you do this but the main one people use is the MSCONFIG tool. Once you have created more space on your hard drive the computer has more room to use it as virtual memory.

Techies are ask all the time how to speed up computers. They would answer that there are many factors that have an impact on how fast or slow a computer runs. They would also tell you there are many things you can do to help speed up your computer. The first thing they would suggest would be to perform maintenance, updating your hardware and optimizing the settings of your system. While most new computers are powerful and fast enough for most applications an older system may need to be tweaked in order for them to handle the newest software without experiencing a reduction in speed. Some of the tweaks might be upgrading some of your hardware components or it may be other software and setting tweaks.

One thing you can do is to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows. This process lets you begin with a clean slate. Over time you may have installed and removed programs but they may not be completely removed and you may have other software installed and running on your system that you do not know about. Spyware and adware install programs and apps on your system that run in the background. A system restore is a good, albeit time consuming, way to really clean out your system and begin a new.

As this process is not easy to perform and you have to be sure you will have available all the drivers you need when you reinstall the software to make your hardware work. Therefore, you should do this if nothing else has helped your system speed.

Sometimes PC users are left with the option of upgrading their RAM to improve PC performance. It is necessary to explore this option also especially if you have been regular with your scans and registry cleaning or defragmentation activities.

You can choose RAM that is compatible for your PC configuration. Make sure the memory latches all the along the memory slot. To remove the old memory, switch off your PC and unplug it completely. Now, take out the cover of the desktop PC. You will haven to take out all the screws attached to the cover. Now locate the motherboard that houses the old memory. Remove the latches that are securing the old memory tightly in place. You will find them at every end of the memory. Now slowly remove the old memory. Pull it out from the middle portion.

Now, take the new memory from its package and line it up right above the motherboard RAM slot. Place it into the slot where the old memory was installed earlier. Push the new memory firmly onto the slot on the motherboard till you hear a snap.

Now out the cover back into its original position and plug in the computer. As you start the PC, observe carefully if there are any errors. If there are none then you can be sure that the memory has been placed correctly. Try opening any application and you will now observe a considerable change in the PC speed.

The usual methods of freeing up space, running disk cleanups and fragmenting the hard disk may not work with some people because it is possible that they require good performance immediately. In such cases, you should be prepared for spending some money too. There is a drive called the SSD drive or SuperSpeed XP that allows the PC to perform in the fastest manner possible.

It might turn out to be an overkill for some but PC users who want a quick fix can opt for SuperSpeed. The moment it is installed the drive partitions are copied onto RAM that gets created from the internal memory. To Windows it resembles the hard drive. It is faster than any other hard drive and files can be accessed and copied or transferred with lightening speed!

People who run businesses where time is a critical resource can truly benefit from SuperSpeed. Suppose you cannot afford the price of SSD then you can also opt for a hard drive with better speed. The speed can be as low as 5,400 rpm and as high as 10,000 rpm. Contact a hardware expert to assess the capability of your PC and then work out a plan. Whatever is your requirement compared to the current situation choose the speed that suits your line of business or work. The affordability factor can take care of itself with a new hard drive which won’t be too expensive. Along with the hard drive the usual cleanup should also be performed every now and then.