Dave, this is driving me crazy: when I first got my computer it was snappy and applications launched in just a second or two. Now, a year later, it’s like someone poured molasses over the hard disk without me noticing, because everything just seems to take forever. Why is my computer slowing down and how can I speed it up again?
One of the stranger aspects of computers is that they do indeed suffer from old age, as you are noticing. Oddly enough, the longer you use a computer – particularly a Windows PC in my experience – the slower it ends up running. It could be a plot forcing you to always buy newer and faster systems, but more likely it’s just that as you use the system, you put increasing levels of demand on the hardware with different helper apps, more running in the background, animated desktops, flashing icons, custom cursors, RSS readers and stock tickers, and even programs helpfully checking for updates at random intervals. It all adds up.
One strategy for improving things is rather draconian: back up your computer files, reformat your hard disk, then reinstall the OS from scratch and the key applications you use. Total time lost? Probably a couple of days by the time you get everything restored, but it’s really a pretty good annual task for PC users, in my experience.
There are also a variety of specific steps you can take to try and isolate the resource hogs on your system and give them the proverbial boot too, and Bob Rankin has generously granted me permission to reproduce his amusing recipe for accomplishing just that.
Here’s Bob’s recipe for Making Windows XP Run Faster:
I have this theory that sludge builds up inside a computer over time, much like an automobile engine. After a while, it doesn’t start right up like when it was new, it stalls unexpectedly, and performance is sluggish on the (information) highway. Is there something like engine cleaner we can pour into our personal computer to restore that “like new” performance? Actually, yes!
Here’s my special recipe to clean that icky goo out of your computer’s pipes, so Windows will start quicker, run more reliably, and go faster on the info-superhighway.
INGREDIENTS: Cyber Sludge Remover
1 tbsp Windows Updates
2 cups Virus/Malware remover
3 lbs Software Cleanup powder
2 tbsp Hard Disk Scrubber
1 slice Defrag
1 tsp Startup Weeder
1/2 cup Registry Shavings
2 cups Virtual Memory Sanitizer
1 Extraneous Services Remover
DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredients together in large bowl
Sprinkle over monitor, keyboard and system unit
Click to restart
If only it was so easy! But actually, it’s not so hard to take action on those items I listed above. Here’s the scoop on how to implement each step.
Apply Windows Updates
If you run Windows and you use the Internet, you simply MUST stay up to date with the system patches that come out in response to the privacy and security exploits that are discovered every week. Failure to do so is an open invitation to hackers and crackers to invade your privacy and enslave your computer in a spam spewing network. To get the latest fixes and configure your system for automatic updates, open Internet Explorer, click on Tools, then Windows Update.
Clean out Viruses and Malware
Are you running a good anti-virus program, with automatic updates? Have you scanned your system for spyware, adware and other unwanted pests? If not, see my articles How can I avoid computer viruses? and Spy, Counter-Spy for details on how to protect yourself from those risks. Viruses and malware can slow down your system a LOT, because they use your resources to generate popup ads, send spam, and often interfere with the operation of good programs.
Remove Unnecessary Software
You may have a bunch of software packages on your hard drive that are no longer needed, or they were gratuitously installed when you downloaded some other package. Toolbars, file-sharing programs, free email enhancers, online shopping “companions” and download managers are notorious for this practice. These uninvited guests can put a big drag on your startup time, cause web pages to load slowly, and generally bog down your computer. Go to Control Panel, then Add/Remove Software to see what packages are installed. Remove the ones you know you don’t need, and do a web search to learn about the ones you’re not sure about.
Scrub That Hard Disk
Both Windows and application programs tend to leave temporary files lying around on your hard drive, taking up space needlessly. A hard drive that is close to being full can cause Windows to act strangely, and will slow down or interfere with efficient disk access and virtual memory operations. And if you surf the web a lot, your temporary internet files folder can become quite large, causing Internet Explorer to slow down or malfunction. Cleaning up unneeded files, scanning for disk errors and defragmenting the hard drive can help to restore some zip to your system.
First, open My Computer, right-click on the C: Drive icon, select Properties, then click on Disk Cleanup. (Optional: Select the More Options tab to find and remove even more unwanted files.) To run a defrag, open My Computer, right-click on the C: Drive icon, select Properties, then Tools. Click the Check Now button to scan your disk for errors. When the scan is complete, click the Defragment Now button to run the defrag, which reorganizes your hard disk so Windows can find and access files more efficiently. (It’s highly recommended that you close all running programs and disable your screen saver before running a defrag. Otherwise, updates to your files may trigger defrag to restart endlessly.)
Okay, Now Take a Breath…
We’re more than half-way done with the process of cleaning the junk out of your computer. The rest of the steps may seem a little more geeky, and you can skip any or all of them if you don’t feel comfortable digging a little deeper into the workings of the Windows operating system. But there is definitely bang for the buck here. Some of peskiest Windows performance problems can be solved by giving attention to these areas.
Slim Your Startup Selections
There are certain programs that Windows will start every time you boot up your system, and during the startup phase, they’re all jockeying for a slice of your CPU. Extra or unwanted items in the startup list will defintely increase your startup time, perhaps by several minutes. To manage the list of startup programs, click on Start / Run, then type MSCONFIG. Press Enter, then select the Startup tab. If you see items in the list you know you don’t need to run at startup time, UNcheck the box(es) next to them and press Apply. Some common examples are things related to AOL, RealPlayer, Napster, instant messengers, and video managers. If you’re not sure about an item, no big deal. You can turn it off, restart your PC, and see if everything seems to work. If not, you can always go back and re-enable an item in the Startup list. This helpful list may help you decide what to keep or drop.
Clean Your Registry
The REGCLEAN utility from Microsoft, though no longer officially supported for Windows XP, cleans your system registry of unnecessary entries that are created when you install or remove programs on your computer. Sometimes an “orphaned” registry entry can confuse Windows during startup and cause a delay. And in general, slimming down your registry will make Windows run faster. Note: This program is no longer officially supported by Microsoft, but many users report that it works fine on Windows XP systems. You can also try RegSeeker which is a highly rated registry cleaner.
RAM and Virtual Memory Settings
When you run out of physical (RAM) memory, Windows will use a check of your hard disk to create virtual memory. This is a nice feature, because it allows application programs to access huge amounts of memory. The only problem with virtual memory is that it’s a lot slower than real RAM. So installing extra RAM on the system board is a good idea because it’s pretty cheap and easy to pop in. Find out how much your system will accommodate and install the maximum amount.
Extra RAM will probably do more to boost your overall system performance than anything else!
But getting back to Virtual Memory, it’s wise to let Windows manage the amount, unless you are a Wizard, with a capital W. Go to Control Panel / System / Advanced, then press the Settings button under Performance. Click Advanced again, then press the Change button under Virtual Memory. If System managed size is selected, you’re all set. If you want to fiddle with the Custom Size options, be my guest!
Turn Off Extraneous System Services
We’re heading into uber-geek territory here, so be forewarned. Windows doesn’t know exactly how you’re going to use your computer, so it starts a whole bunch of system services that manage network connections, database access, error reporting, remote access and other nerdy-sounding things. You may not need all these services, and disabling some of them can reduce your startup time and system overhead. But choosing which ones to nuke is a bit daunting, unless you are an expert on Windows operating system internals. Here’s my advice… look at these explanations and advice then disable only the ones that you’re sure about. If you encounter a problem, you can always go back and turn a service back on.
Thanks for your terrific recipe, Bob! For those of you that don’t know Bob Rankin, he’s one of the two guys who have been driving the Internet Tourbus for many, many years, and runs Ask Bob Rankin (now why is that kind of domain name so familiar? Hmmmm…)
Cheers Bob,
Your clear and concise guide really helped my Laptop shed all its unwanted guests.
Awesome tips Dave, you’ve covered every important step in an easy to understand way.
can you give me your tellphon become i need help on my com.
You are right about PC Optimizer Pro. It would always crash and hang up my computer
hello, i am deaf from nigeria like to join with you but i do not have my own laptop or computer i use to cyber business sometimes or every months. i need your help me free old laptop. i am poor members of family. please send me nn 28 29 constutution road, p.o. box 458 kaduna. i am still s-expecting your favourable assistance. thank you for your undersanding and cooperation. God bless you.
Thank you very much Dave! i have great Respect for you. for your solution.
plz…
tell me when start my laptp acer4530
install windows xp then hang for 5 min..not work any function fully hang and show vitrual memory full plz tell right solution to increase spee of my lapi….
Hello David,
Newbie here, I just wanted to say that as well as finding your information useful & easy to follow, your Humor was downright refreshing!
I’ve got you in my “favorites”, sir…just keep up the good work!
Very good answer to a very common computer problem.
Great overview of essentials. Recently came across a
video about Glary Utilities on YouTube, free downloaded it and found it to be a great suite of tools for cleaning:
broom, mop, dustbin, windex etc. – all you need for a really good scrub. Found no complaints about it…..
is there no way to register this software free?
please tel me ttge regestar code for speed up my pc 2010
Thanks for your helpful tips.
My 2 months old Toshiba NB200 netbook crashed after I installed WinRar. I used the recovery disk to bring it back to the as purchased state. Unfortunately, I can only access the C drive (~80GB) of the two logical partitions. The D drive is not accessible at all it is listed as 0GB.
The real pain is that the system is very very very slow now. Practically useless. Is there any hope? Can you do anything to help? While I save to buy a new PC
Thanks and best regards,
AKINLADE
This is a question about a cell phone. I don’t know if you can help me but I thought I’d take a shot at it. My son locked his phone and forgot the code to get in. The code was put into his phone not his sims card. The AT&T store where we bought it can’t help. Our phone service provider can’t help and the manufacturer of the phone can’t help. The phone is a Sony Ericsson W350. Can you help? Thanks so much!
I plan on getting a new computer soon. The one I have at present is an hp pavilion with 1.75 GHz and 256 MB of RAM. I work with a lot of graphics and different apps. The computer I have now seems to be very tired and is very slow a lot of the time. It does freeze up a lot and complain of low memory. I have tried some of your advice on how to speed it up a bit and it seems to have helped some. What advice can you give me on the type of computer I should look at that would make me happy and keep me from getting so frustrated. I need a computer that can keep up with me.
I used all these tip along with Reg Cleaner RegInOut and results were great
Hi: I do spybot on my computer and it always comes up with — Microsoft Windows.Security internetexplorer settings (registry change, nothing done) what does this mean?
HE HAS EXCITING METHODS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING PC ERRORS. I AM VERY THANKFUL TO HIM AS HIS RECEPIES WORKED A LOT TO ME
my pc start very slow and its program too.
My pc cofrigation is
processore-pentium(R)4 1.80Ghz
Ram-256Mb
Hdd-40gb
So what can i do for start it fast please help me.
thanks dave
dear, sir
sometime my computer detech the present of antispy . what should i do? please suggest.
Just thought i would say that you would have to make sure it have any statick as you clould zap the CUP and other conponents on the mother board as i have found out the hard way .
hi dave
my question is this
i have a compaq computer with 64 meg ram running windows ho addidion updat version it runs slow on net how can i recieve more power and run my computer fastere short of adding mor ram
also i have a ibm think pad 770
and some one put a boot password on bios and errors of 161 and 163 show up
it gives me three tries to check password my sister in law thaught she was a computere guru and went in compoutere and changed the password but forgot it
so my question is this how do i get the bios password off computere i have pulled out the battery for over 24 hours and replaced it with a new battery and still the same errors come on at start up and the boot password was not removed waht could cause this i thought if u removed the battery the computere wold not hold infor after 25 minutes and password would be removed when i place a new battery in computer and started it up waht to i do
s9igned chris
a stressful friend
Wicked tips! Thanks Dave 🙂
Hi, my Windows XP has been infected by Dialer Generic. Unfortunately, Norton cannot fix this problem. I have been informed that it does not affect those on broadband ? However, I would like to delete this file. Can you help ? Thanks.
I cann’t afford to buy/ to register. Is there any clean up soft ware which is for free
How can I get MsMpEng.exe to calm down so that it no longer uses 98 – 100% of my CPU continually?
when m starting my computer it dispalys a message that virtual memory low /memory could not be read
Thanks for the hints. I’m currently formatting my laptop but I’ll try them out the next time it starts to become sluggish.
The first thing I do is run ProcessLibrary.com’s ProcessScanner.
It tells you exactly what’s running, what each process does, which program it’s associated with and if it’s resource-heavy.
http://www.processlibrary.com/processscan/
the program Regseeker that was mentioned is extremely efficient in windows XP. I did a scan and found about 1600 instances were a mistake a few months back left 2 whole partitions corrupted but with system partition intact. Regseeker fixed all the commands that were dead ends from the corruption
How can i clean my pc virtual memory day to day
what is the command to clean the Virtual Mermory
http://www.tuneup-software.co.uk/download/
This program offers a few things that at speed up your computer(30 day trail)
also after manging the programs that start up , it can help to delete the prefetch file (makes programs load quicker, but often gets filled with programs that you never use, this will make the next start up a bit slower but seems to helper after)
click Mycomputer>Cdrive>Windows>Prefetch
delete the files in there but make sure its the “prefetch” folder
Wow, this was quite a helpful guide. For the hyperactive people, a great video: http://www.5min.com/Video/5-Ways-to-speed-up-your-computer-7060
yes the above information is really helpfull and i found that my xp is now smoothly working.
thanx..
Thanks Dave! for your suggestion but I wanna ask you, If we use Untilities like Tuneup untilities 2007 & C Cleaner, what are the factors against the processing speed?
I use these tools. Amazing these tools cleans junkies from my speed but I am unable to boost my system as well. These tools almost cleans the system but I am sorry to explain the speed of system is still poor but little bit faster than before.
What’s you comment???
Dhanu Saud
Nepal
Thankyou for helping me Dave, i found you Supprt Blog during one of my ICTlessons a school and though i would use it. I used to own an old Packard Pell iMedia model, it was so slow (well it was 7 years oldand I never opened it up), i used you advice and it sped up a bit. We now have a new PC (thank god), but this imformation is still used to speed up my mums’ Laptop
Delicious recipe, Dave! I have just found a similar article, hope it can be useful for my fellow askdavetaylor.com readers.
http://www.tipskey.com/computer/speed_up_computer_without_paying.htm
Thank you Dave! My computer is much faster now.
Hi, thanks for these tips : my XP PC starts up (and runs) ALOT faster now. Unfortunately however, when I open my Excel files, the program opens… but no data! That is, the application is open, but there is no sheet showing. I returned to normal start up mode, but still no data.
Help!
Thanks!
Regards,
Lane
How Can I avoid my PC Screen SSVICHOSST.EXE?
Mark, you raise a good point. I don’t know much about it, but I would imagine that if you have the computer *unplugged* during the operation and then ground it by touching the internal metal chassis of the computer and something else metal in your space to discharge any possible built-up static, you should be fine. Definitely don’t do it if you have super-low humidity and/or carpeting too…
just a question Dave..”stevek” posted about vacuuming the inside of your tower..I’ve heard before that doing that is kinda risky because of the static electricity that the vacuum creates..have you heard anything along those lines?
This article is so helpful I printed it out so I could go step by step. However, it didn’t mention how to get to RegClean utility. Click by click instructions would be helpful here. Thanks.
Wonderful advice, strange but powerful receipt by Bob.
I am a techie, was just browsing the web for other peoples’ opinions on slow machines.
Be blessed in the Lord Dave.
As a matter of fact, physical sludge (house dust) actually collects on top of the cooling fun and inside the aluminum grid that sits on top of the CPU. As a result the cooling process does not work as efficiently and the CPU heats up faster. A little known fact is that CPUs have a temperature sensor and when they exceed a certain (and rather low level) temperature then they start skipping CPU cycles. (They do not change frequency, they just introduce null cycles). This then slows down the CPU and therefore, the whole PC. So, open up your PC and use a vaccum cleaner to remove the dust around the CPU cooling. The result will be a quiter and faster PC.
How do i speed up my internet connection?
Dear Dave,
It was a great pleasure for me to go through your help page. I always faced problem in troubleshooting slow system and the way you have written everything is very easy to get and understanable. I appreaciate alot.
Thank you,
Varsha
Thanks Dave! I’ve meaning to do this. My daughter complains that the desktop machine is sluggish all the time. My laptop is too, but well, that’s another story!