Over the past few years, working in IT for various companies as a sysadmin, network administrator and help desk professional, I have written and learned about many ways to improve the performance of not only my PC, but many others as well. Computers on my networks from Windows 98 to Windows 10
In this article, I hope to compile a huge list of all the different methods and tricks I have used to get the most out of a slow PC. Whether you are using an older computer or the latest and greatest hardware, you can still follow some of these tips to keep your computer running faster.
Note that since I run two blogs, Help Desk Geek and Online Tech Tips, I have previously written about many of the productivity tips that I will link to below. If I haven’t written about it, I’ve added a link to a related article from my other favorite sites. There is no particular order in this list, it is just written in the order in which I could remember them.
There are probably many great tweaks and performance hacks that I missed here, so feel free to leave a comment! Enjoy!
Speed ??up computer menu
1. Defragment your computer’s hard drive using built-in Windows tools or third-party software.
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2. You should also defragment the Windows paging file and registry if you are still using Windows XP.
3. Clean up hard disk space occupied by temporary files, trash can, hibernation files, etc. You can also use a tool like TreeSize to determine what is taking up space on your hard disk.
4. Boot Windows faster with Startup Delayer, a free program that speeds up Windows boot time by delaying the startup of programs.
5. Speaking of startup programs, many of them are useless and can be disabled. Use the MSCONFIG utility to disable startup programs
6. By default, the paging file size is controlled by Windows, which can cause fragmentation. In addition, the paging file must be on a different hard drive or partition than the boot one. Read the guidelines here to help you get the best performance from your paging file.
7. In Windows, Windows Search Indexing Service is enabled by default for all local hard drives. Disabling indexing is an easy way to improve performance.
8. If you are not interested in all the fancy visuals in Windows, you can turn them off by going to Performance Options.
9. You can optimize Windows boot time using various methods, including updating the BIOS or disabling unnecessary hardware.
10. Clean up your registry by removing broken shortcuts, missing shared DLLs, invalid paths, invalid installer references, and more. Read about one registry cleaner that I recommend.
11. One of the main reasons for slow PC performance is spyware. Here’s my list of the best malware and spyware protection software.
12. If you have a more serious spyware infection, such as a rootkit, which is very difficult to remove, you may need an offline virus scan.
13. Remove unwanted pre-installed software (also known as unwanted software) from your new PC using PC Decrapifier.
14. Disable unnecessary third-party services that slow down your computer.
15. Customize Windows XP and customize Windows 7 or Windows 10 settings using free software.
16. Disable UAC (User Account Control) in Windows if you are an advanced user.
17. Change your mouse settings so you can copy and paste faster, scroll faster, move quickly while browsing, and more.
18. Remove temporary and unused files on your computer using a free program such as CCleaner. It can also fix problems with your registry.
19. Delete your Internet browsing history, temporary Internet files and cookies to free up disk space and increase privacy.
20. Empty the Windows preboot folder to improve performance if you are using Windows XP.
21. If you’re a Firefox user, check out my complete guide to speeding up Firefox.
22. Reduce the number of fonts that your computer should load at startup.
23. Is your computer slow to shutdown or freezing during shutdown? Read the article to learn about the fixes.
24. Transfer data faster over the network by forcing Windows to use a wired connection over a wireless connection.
25. Turn off System Restore only if you regularly back up your Windows machine using third-party software.
26. Move or change the location of the “My Documents” folder so that it is on a separate partition or hard drive.
27. Elimination of problems related to the slow display of the context menu when clicking the right mouse button in Windows.
28. Speaking of right-click context menus, you can also edit the right-click context menu and remove unnecessary items to increase display speed.
29. Is your Internet a little slow too? Here are some tips to increase your internet speed.
30. Also, a slow internet connection could mean that someone is using your Wi-Fi. Make sure no one else is using your Wi-Fi and Internet.
31. Increase the LAN data rate by updating your old router or modem to the latest version.
32. Have a lot of small files copied over the network? Windows can be slow, so try third-party quick copy programs.
33. Is your supposedly super-fast SSD slow to boot? Here’s how to fix slow boot times if you’re using an SSD.
34. Speed ??up your web browsing with an external DNS server such as OpenDNS or Google DNS.
35. Improve Windows performance with ReadyBoost, a new feature that allows free space on a USB drive to be used as a caching mechanism.
36. Do you have many tabs open in your browser? Use keyboard shortcuts to switch between tabs faster
37. If your system is overloaded with a lot of programs, etc., it may be a good idea to perform a clean install of Windows.
38. Are your HD videos stuttering or stuttering on Windows? Here are a couple of remedies.
39. If you are using the Outlook desktop, here are some tips to reduce the amount of memory that Outlook uses.
40. If you are an overlocker, you may be interested in some utilities to tune your RAM, GPU and CPU.
41. Use a program called TeraCopy to speed up copying files in Windows.
42. While I rely on ads for my livelihood, you will definitely browse faster if you use the ad blocker extension in your browser. Just whitelist my site please!
43. Invest in a program like DeepFreeze if your computer is used by other people, especially children, who install crap on your system and slow it down.
44. Are you using an Intel Celeron processor in your PC? It might be worth paying attention to a Core i3, i5, or i7 processor. i9 is just ridiculous.
45. Install more RAM on your computer if you are running Windows with less than 2 GB of RAM.
46. ??Change power settings to maximum performance instead of balanced. It will take more power, but it will make your computer faster.
47. Try the Windows 7 and Windows 10 Performance Troubleshooter It does provide some helpful hints.
48. If you reinstall Windows, make sure you partition your hard drives properly to maximize performance.
49. Is your disk usage always close to 100% in the task manager? Here are some tips on how to fix this problem.
50. Convert your computer to a virtual machine using Hyper-V for free and visit dangerous sites or install unwanted programs, games, etc. on the virtual machine instead of the host operating system.
51. Do not clear the paging file during shutdown unless required for security reasons. Clearing the paging file slows down the shutdown.
52. If your XP or Vista computer does not use NFTS, make sure you convert your FAT disk to NTFS.
53. Update all drivers in Windows, including the chipset and motherboard drivers, to the latest versions.
54. Run Windows’ built-in Disk Cleanup utility from time to time.
55. Use the Task Manager to find resource-intensive processes running on your computer.
56. Remove unnecessary or old programs from the Add / Remove dialog box or Programs and Features Control Panel.
57. Using the program, click memtest86 or Prime95 to check for bad memory on your PC
58. Determine the BIOS version and visit the manufacturer’s website to see if you need to update the BIOS.
59. From time to time, remove dust and other debris from your mouse, keyboard, and computer fans.
60. Replace the slow 5400 rpm hard drive with a faster 7200 rpm hard drive, SATA drive, SSD, or SAS drive. Here’s how to check the rotation speed of your hard drive.
61. Changing from master / slave to cable selection in hard disk configuration can significantly reduce boot times.
62. Check your computer for viruses regularly. Here is a list of the most popular antivirus programs and some tips for protecting against viruses and malware.
63. Remove unnecessary toolbars from the Windows taskbar and from the Internet browser.
64. Disable the Windows Vista and 7 sidebar unless you are actually using it for something important. All of these devices take up memory and processing power.
65. If you have a SATA drive and are running Windows Vista or Windows 7, you can speed up your PC by enabling advanced write caching.
66. Learn how to use keyboard shortcuts for Windows 8, Windows 10, Microsoft Excel, Outlook, or create your own keyboard shortcuts
67. Disable Aero visual effects in Windows Vista and 7 to improve computer performance.
68. If you are tech-savvy and willing to take a little risk, try overclocking your processor.
69. Speed ??up the “Send” menu in Explorer by typing “sendto” in the “Run” dialog and removing unnecessary items.
70. Be sure to download all the latest Windows updates, service packs, and hotfixes as they “usually” help your computer run better. You can also update Windows without using Windows Update
71. Make sure your hard disk is free of bad sectors or other errors using the ScanDisk utility or chkdsk.
72. If you are not using any hardware on your computer such as floppy drive, CD drive, USB ports, IR ports, FireWire port, etc., then enter BIOS and disable them so that they do not use any power and do not need to be loaded at boot time.
73. While this may sound silly, you can actually install faster software on your system. For example, Google Chrome is much faster than Firefox and IE IMHO. If you’re using Adobe Photoshop, you can accomplish the same tasks using Paint.NET. Use LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office. You get the idea, right?
74. If you have dual boot installed, you can shorten the boot menu timeout so that your OS boots faster.
75. Although less secure, you can always configure Windows to automatically log in so that you boot straight to your desktop after a reboot.
76. I already mentioned reducing visual effects, but in the same dialog there is also an option for scheduling the processor. You can choose Programs or Background Services.
77. If you have a lot of files in one folder, it can slow down Explorer. Your best bet is to create multiple folders and organize your files into folders.
78. If you have files that are usually large on a particular partition, you may want to consider increasing the NTFS cluster size to 16KB or even 32KB instead of 4KB. This will help speed up the opening of files. For advanced users only.
79. OneDrive comes bundled with Windows 10 and consumes resources even when you’re not using it. Disable or uninstall OneDrive if you don’t need cloud sync.
80. Disable unnecessary features in Windows by going to Control Panel, selecting “Uninstall a program” and then clicking “Turn Windows features on or off.” You can turn off Remote Differential Compression, Tablet PC Components, DFS Replication Service, Windows Fax and Scan, Windows Conference Room, Media Features, IE 11, and more.
81. If you’ve enabled hibernation in Windows 10, you should also make sure Fast Startup is enabled for faster boot times.
82. Completely uninstall programs and applications using a program such as Revo Uninstaller This will get rid of the leftovers left over from normal deletions.
83. If you know what you are doing, you can install multiple hard drives in the machine and configure them in RAID 0, RAID 5, or other RAID configurations. RAID 0 is the fastest.
84. If you are using USB 1.0 or USB 2.0 ports, upgrade to USB 3.0 ports. Or just buy a new expansion card and install it in an empty slot.
85. Remove drivers for any old devices that might be hidden in Device Manager that you no longer use.
86. A more extreme option is to choose a faster operating system. If you think Vista or 7 is slow, upgrade to Windows 10 You can also upgrade to Mac OS X or Linux.
87. If you are not interested in the Live Tiles in the Windows 10 Start menu, disable them to improve performance.
88. Upgrading the CPU can be tricky, but this is not the case for GPUs. Upgrading your GPU can improve the performance of your PC, even if you have an older processor.
89. Disconnect any unused USB devices from your computer. They will slow down the Windows boot and login processes.
90. If you have a desktop background, make sure it is a small and simple bitmap and not a fancy picture from the Internet. Your best bet is to find a really small texture and mosaic it out.
91. Change your privacy settings in Windows 10 so that your computer doesn’t always try to connect to Microsoft servers.
92. I already mentioned virus scanning, but it’s worth mentioning that Windows Defender is usually sufficient and you should uninstall any third-party antivirus product as it will slow down your system. I still recommend using an anti-malware program in addition to Windows Defender.
93. If you have your own computer or a PC that was previously used, be sure to check the BIOS for optimal settings such as enabled CPU caches, correctly set the IDE / SATA transfer modes, memory timings, updated drivers, etc. You can also enable fast / fast loading if you have the opportunity.
94. If you’ve been using a single local account for a long time, it may be worth the effort to create a new user account with a clean profile. You can later delete the old user account.
95. While this is sometimes useful, if you want to improve performance, you can turn off thumbnails in the taskbar and turn off thumbnail previews in Explorer.
96. For advanced users, you can disable the Program Compatibility Assistant, which checks each program at runtime for compatibility issues.
97. If you don’t use Cortana digital assistant in Windows 10, you can save a lot of resources by turning it off completely.
98. If you are using 32-bit Windows, you need to upgrade to 64-bit as soon as possible, even if it means updating your hardware.
99. Buy a new computer !!! 😉 Pretty simple, huh?
Wow! If you’ve read this entire list, I’m very impressed! Not all tips apply to everyone, but there was literally nothing on the Internet that I could add to this. If I missed a good performance tip, be sure to comment. Enjoy!
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