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Speeding Up Your Computer - Research for The Geek

(23 posts)
  • Started 6 months ago by The Geek
  • Latest reply from afuhnk
  • Topic Viewed 3401 times

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thegeek
The Geek
Posts: 2059

I'm working on a book about speeding up your computer, and I'm curious about what types of things you think I should include in the book.

Things I'm already covering: Removing bloatware, scanning for malware, trimming startup items, running ccleaner and disk cleanup, killing browser plugins, disabling a few built-in Windows things, upgrading, and reinstalling. Also planning on talking about the myths about performance boosting that don't work.

So what else am I missing? Are there any good tips to include? Any bad advice that I should point out?

Posted 6 months ago #
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hatryst
hatryst
Posts: 3482

Soluto (for those who like it)
Refresh (Windows 8)
Image and do a clean install (for Windows 7 and others)
GET AN SSD and install more RAM!

Bad advice: registry cleaners, PAID programs to "speed up" your computer (CCleaner does the job for free)

EDIT: For a Mac, Disable excessive Login items

Posted 6 months ago #
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Straspey
Straspey
Posts: 556

One area which you did not mention above is memory - which is more of a hardware issue, but often lends itself to questions regarding the speeding up of a user's computer.

Some often, and not-so-often-asked questions which I've heard - (and even asked myself):

My computer can take up to 4 gigs or memory, but currently only has two, with two empty slots. Will adding more memory speed up my computer ?

There are certain programs which claim they can "defrag" my memory - resulting in a faster computer. Does that really work ?

My computer is xx years old. If I replace my old memory chips with new ones, will that help speed up my computer ?

I'm sure there are more - but those are the top ones which come to mind.

Posted 6 months ago #
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vistamike
vistamike
Posts: 10945

Are we talking win 7 or 8 specifically?

Bloatware, OEM is a pain but is manufacturer dependent, each load so much rubbish one can take a half day to clean it out!

Win 7, with a key, just load the iso, http://www.mydigitallife.info/.....oad-links/

get the drivers, image hey presto.

Win 8? Not sure on that one yet. Not seen a new 8 machine yet

Mike

Posted 6 months ago #
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thegeek
The Geek
Posts: 2059

This will be fairly generic, with advice geared at XP, Vista, 7, and 8, and then some specific stuff for speeding up 7 and 8.

Posted 6 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

Sometimes it is not the computer it is the internet speed. Many think that slow streaming videos ie. buffering are a slow computer but not always the case. Maybe make it known to blame the right culprit.

Posted 6 months ago #
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Xhi
Xhi
Posts: 6298

Yes, definitely running a speed test like speedtest.net to insure you are getting the speed you think you should be should be included. Running the malware checkers in Safe mode. How to run programs elevated as well as how to activate the hidden Administrator account when necessary.

For particularly hard cases things like the Windows Defender Offline, Kaspersky's Rescue Disk and TDSSKiller for root kits are also possibilities and ones I use.

Of course backup/imaging methods to be used before really messing things up should also be mentioned.

Posted 6 months ago #
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raphoenix
raphoenix
Posts: 14920

Computer Configuration

1. Disabling Non-essential Tasks

2. Disabling Non-essential Services.

3. How to Limit Non-essential Programs from running.

4. How to Read and interpret Event Logs.

5. How to run machines in pure Classic Mode for speed.

Posted 6 months ago #
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SarahJames
SarahJames
Posts: 6581

All the obvious things have already been mentioned, I only have a geeky one to add ;)
Some programs are compressed to save space (like Irfanview, Editpad and several others). Decompressing them often makes them run faster (hence makes the computer feel faster). I use Guipex to compress / decompress exe and dll files.

Posted 6 months ago #
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feinui
Posts: 99

Some more questions to include: Does de-fragging the registry works? How big is the difference in performance between solid state and "regular" computers? Is it quicker to have smaller Excel spreadsheets than one large one in terms of response time for the program? What I mean is one workbook with 15 worksheets or two workbooks with 10 and 5 worksheets each? There are lots of "helper" programs, such as an alarm clock which I use. How do you know how much speed it takes away from the computer by letting it run in the background? What do I look for to show how much RAM it uses etc. Does it slow the computer to keep the computer "on" for long periods of time or does daily rebooting help speed? You gonna have a big book. these are just questions off the top of my head. Also, make sure that you write in a way that novices can understand. Things obvious to a sophisticated user may be a complete mystery to people like me. I had to post a question on what a SDHC reader was and it is supposed to do coz I had it as a present and didn't know what to do with it.

Posted 6 months ago #
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feinui
Posts: 99

Another topic for you to consider: When buying a computer, what should I look for in terms of speed? Ram? CPU?

Posted 6 months ago #
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Scott
Scott
Posts: 5618

On a New PC, I think if all unnecessary programs are removed from starting up and a few services are disabled, you're 90% there. Other methods may make subtle differences, but are hardly discernible by the user. Having a system with the right CPU is helpful and for RAM 4GB (3.3gb om x86) should be sufficient to run a real fast machine.

Posted 6 months ago #
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mu-tron
mu-tron
Posts: 7

I personally use Revo Uninstaller Pro because when i get rid of installed programs there is still a lot of leftover files and soon as i get rid of them my pc seems to speed up. It also allows you to choose what programs automatically run when booting up.

Features Include -

Real-Time installation monitor
- for complete uninstall
Forced Uninstall
- remove stubborn programs
Advanced scanning for leftovers
- remove remnants of programs
Multi-Level Backup System
- safe uninstall of programs
Junk Files Cleaner
- remove unnecessary files
Autorun Manager
- control Windows startup
Windows Tools
- useful Windows tools in one place
Browsers Cleaner
- clear Internet browser history
MS Office Cleaner
- clear Microsoft Office history
Windows Cleaner
- remove junk files from your Windows
Evidence Remover
- erase permanently confidential data
Unrecoverable Delete
- erase permanently files and folders

Posted 6 months ago #
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usman8001
Posts: 1

Yes, definitely rite it is not the computer speed it is the internet speed. lots of think that slow downloding videos ie. but may not always the case.you installed program in computer is to much .I think if all unnecessary programs are removed may be its working done god

Posted 6 months ago #
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Ruja
Posts: 230

PC Decrapifier works great for uninstalling the large collection of bloatware included with new computers:
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto.....-computer/

It is a great alternative to a fresh reinstall, although I actually prefer a fresh reinstall.

Posted 6 months ago #
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StringJunky
StringJunky
Posts: 2454

On a pc with a mechanical HD I think keeping the OS partition fairly small and not storing your data on it keeps it fast as the heads don't have so far too travel and the file index is smaller so it's quicker for the system to search. About 50GB for a W7/Vista C: partition that isn't storing significant amounts of personal data. Mine's 41GB with 20GB free.

Tony

Posted 6 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

Computers that are left on for weeks or longer can sometimes be speeded up by just a reboot.

Posted 6 months ago #
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SaladOfDoom
Posts: 1

Slow hard-disks can also be a culprit, especially if you are low on memory (swapping) and don't regularly defragment the drive.
when looking at a harddisk speed, it's important to remember that a 7200 RPM drive is twice as fast as a 5400 RPM one, and a 10,000 RPM drive is 4 times as fast.
SSD's have a really fast seek time and lower throughput than a fast drive with platters, so unless you're doing something like video editing, an ssd will be much faster than a regular harddisk, but also a lot more expensive.
For laptops especially, the harddisks wear out. Errors & retries can really slow things down, and you don't always see error messages when the disk is getting errors.

This isn't a speed thing, but sometimes laptops run the fan a lot, not because the CPU is being hammered, but because the air path is clogged. If the fan is running but the cpu isn't pegged, use canned air to blow the dust out & make sure the vents aren't covered. Overheated laptops slow down & crash.

Posted 6 months ago #
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owen123
owen123
Posts: 800

Perhaps something about readyboost, and page file sizing.

Posted 5 months ago #
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ProstheticHead
ProstheticHead
Posts: 3281

Some good stuff on here, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Go Faster Stripes, or LED cooling fans.

Posted 5 months ago #
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