Its is very common that windows slows down over time and here are some recommendations to increase windows performance.
1. Clean
your system
Uninstalling
programs often leaves remnants because many uninstall tools don’t work
properly. If you uninstall only a few programs, you can do that manually by
checking the hard disk, especially the Programs folder, and by searching in the
Registry for the program names. Another option is to use a professional
cleaning tool like the free CCleaner.
It will help you to get rid of many unnecessary junk on your disk.
2.
Defragment the hard drive
Defragmentation
physically reorganizes your hard disk by storing files closer together. This
can speed up your system when you launch applications or when a program has to
load further components. To defrag the hard disk under Windows XP right click
on “My Computer” in the Windows Start Menu. Then go to Disk Defragmenter and
click on defragment. Under Vista, this is usually not necessary because it
defragments the hard disk automatically by default once a week. If you want to
check the settings and parameter on your computer just enter “defrag” in Windows command prompt.
3.
Uninstall unused programs
The number
one reason why Windows gets slower over time is that you installed too many
apps. So the first thing to do is to check what apps you really need and
uninstall all the rest. Go to the control panel and then to “Add or Remove
Programs” (“Program and Feature” in Windows 7) and remove any unused programs.
You also have to check the start menu and the programs folder on your hard disk
because some applications might not show up in Microsoft’s uninstall tool.
Always use the uninstall feature that comes with the program to make sure that
everything is removed from the disk.
4.
Remove unnecessary auto-starting programs
It’s a bad
habit of many software vendors to launch parts of their apps when Windows boots
up. In many cases this is not necessary and it only occupies valuable system
RAM. This can slow down your computer significantly if your PC doesn’t have
enough memory. There are many free tools available that give you an overview of
auto-starting programs on your computer.
5.
Locate malfunctioning programs
Sometimes a
computer hangs even though there are no performance consuming tasks running. In
such cases a malfunctioning program might be the reason. Often it is obvious
which application causes the problem, but sometimes further research is
necessary. Tools like Microsoft’s free Sysinternals Process Explorer and Process Monitor can help you to track down the miscreant. Sometimes
it is only a wrong setting that lets an app wait too long for the response of a
system component or another application. Finding the cause of the problem can
often be time consuming and requires much experiences. It could be faster to
check if a newer version of the program is available or replace it with another
tool that is more reliable.
6. Get
the latest system drivers
If your
system slows down every time you access a certain device, then a badly
programmed system driver might be the reason. Go to the hardware vendor’s
homepage and download the latest drivers for this device. If you’re uncertain
which device causes the problem, you might try the Device Verifier tool that
comes with Windows. It can help you to locate problematic drivers. But this is
only something for professionals. Please read the documentation first.
Under Windows XP, you can start the Device Verifier on the command prompt by
entering “verifier”. Under Vista you can use the Start Search prompt.
7. Add
system memory
When you bought
the computer, its memory was probably enough. Even though you didn’t change the
operating system since then, you certainly installed new applications. Newer
applications tend to occupy more RAM than their predecessors. To verify that
lack of memory is your problem launch the Windows Task Manager by right
clicking the Windows Taskbar whenever your system slows down. In the status bar
at the bottom you can see how much Physical Memory is occupied. If you are
close to 100%, you should consider buying new RAM.
8. Use a
second hard disk
In some
environments a second hard disk could improve the performance. If you work with
applications that use the hard disks heavily, it could help if you install them
on a second disk. For example, if you have virtualization software like VMware
Workstation or Huper-V installed, it will improve performance when you install
the virtual machine on another disk other than the system volume. If you have a
laptop you could get an external disk drive. If performance is an issue, you
should make sure that the drive supports eSATA. eSATA controllers are available
for the Express card slot.
9.
Replace system files with their original version
Some
applications replace Windows system files during the installation procedure.
This can cause compatibility issues and it can also be the reason why the poor
performance of your system. With the sfc command
(System File Checker) you can make sure that you only work with the original
system files. Note that some of your programs might not work properly anymore
afterwards. So you should take this option only into account when you are
already quite desperate.
10.
Reinstall Windows
And if you
finally messed up your system after following some of the tips above you might
as well reinstall Windows as the ultimate solution. Starting from scratch with
a fresh system will rejuvenate your computer. You’ll be surprised how fast it
will be afterwards. If you go this way, I recommend that you completely erase
the system partition during the Windows setup process. Don’t forget to backup
your data before.
