Keeping your computer running quickly and efficiently is an important part of not only maintaining your PC, but also makes using it less frustrating and more productive to use. Here are some great tips for making your PC run faster!

Step 1: Cleanup your Hard Drive

The easiest way to speed up your PC, and also at the same time free up some disk space on your computer is by giving your hard drive a cleanup. There are a few ways that you can perform this including deleting files you no longer use, backing up files and media that you don’t often use, and uninstalling programs that are no longer useful or that have newer versions installed. You can also use the Windows Cleanup Tool. To use this handy tool…

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup

This will open the Disk Cleanup window. You can safely select all the file types to delete, but at the very least you should select the Temporary Internet Files. Performing this cleanup on a regular basis will keep your PC disk space free of any unnecessary files that may be slowing your computer down.

Step 2: Disk Defragment

The more you use your PC the more space in your hard drive you are likely to use, and since the actual configuration of your PC is constantly changing, even from minute to minute, running the Disk Defragmenter is a good way to make sure that your PC’s disk space is clustered in the most efficient way possible. The Windows Disk Defragmenter tool rearranges your hard drive so that the amount of fragmented disk space is reduced. Fragmented disk space is one of the main reasons why your PC may be functioning slowly. To run the Disk Defragmenter

Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter > Defragment Now.

If you haven’t done this in a while, or especially if you have never run this tool before, the process may take several minutes.

Step 3: ReadyBoost

ReadyBoost is a feature found in both Windows Vista and their new operating system 7 that allows users to use an external storage device such as a USB drive or external hard drive to act as a dick cache for their PC’s hard drive. It is just the latest function that Microsoft has created to help its operating system users get the maximum performance from their PCs. To use the ReadyBoost feature in Vista or 7

1. Plug in a device that offers at least twice the memory of your PCs RAM.


2. The AutoPlay window will open. Under the General tab click Speed up my System, if the device is Ready Boost compatible.


3. A new window will open. Click the ReadyBoost tab.


4. From here you can turn ReadyBoost on or off for that device, and select the amount of space you want to use for this function.


5. Click OK

Like all computer maintenance, performing these tasks on a regular basis will keep your PC running quickly and efficiently, and will make the process less time consuming and frustrating.