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  1. Default How to speed up your computer


    First thread :)

    Hooray!
    Anyway...lets get down to business.

    Q)My computer is slowing down! Why? How do I fix it?

    A) This can be caused by a large number of things

    -Scan your computer for Spyware. If you need help on what to use to scan for spyware, try Spybot:Search and Destroy
    To avoid having spyware come back, be careful about what you download and don't visit sites that aren't safe. Generally, unsafe sites have lots of popups and ads.

    -Defragment your hard drive (And do so every month or 2)

    -Clear useless files and/or programs that you don't use anymore

    -If you haven't cleaned out your computer in a while (if ever), open up the side and blow the dust off the components and vacuum the dust that falls to the bottom of your case. Then use canned air to blow any caked in dust that may have accumulated in your CPU's heatsink. Then suck the dust you blew out.
    How does dust slow your computer? Processors since Pentium 4 throttle (lower "ghz") when they reach a certain temperature in order to prevent burning.
    Sometimes the dust buildup causes so much heat that your computer can automatically shut down (thanks HiiEN)

    -Use disk cleanup (Right click your C drive in "My computer" and select "Properties"
    There should be an option for disk cleanup.)


    -CCleaner is a great program to use (Thanks Greg)

    -Check your disk for errors (Thanks Lyssa)
    http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...ips/kbtip.mspx

    Quotes galore.

    Spoiler


    Hopefully, your computer will be faster after you do these things.

    Taking suggestions for more things to do to speed up computers
    Last edited by Cardboardsnail; 2008-08-10 at 11:05 AM.

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    Start > Run > type in services.msc > disable any unnecessary programs.

    Use Google for more information so you don't pineapple up.

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    start>run>msconfig
    and then you can disable any programs you don't need your computer to automatically run on startup, it helps restarts go alot faster.

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    Default


    In my experience XP and Vista don't really need disk defragmentation as much as older OSes such as 95, 98, and ME.

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    They still need defrags once in a while

    I had a 20% fragmented drive that just KILLED my loading times (Heck, even 5% fragmentation is pretty bad)

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    Cleaning the dust out of your computer actually makes it run better? As in.. speed wise?

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    Dust creates heat (or traps heat). Heat leads to many things, one being a slower system due to the many of the other things heat can cause.

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    I know that in my vista laptop, it tends to store a s@#tload of system restore data, like 40 GB in a month.

    I used Tune-Up Utilities 2008 to get rid of it...as well as any other problem on my computer.
    It's not free though. =[

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    Man, I should try to clean out my desktop then, maybe that's why it's so darned slow.
    :x

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    JKdefrag and learn how to let it run as your screensaver :D

    Performance decrease is usually from fullblown trojans though, small things like these are almost never noticeable

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    Realy? Trojans can slow your comp?

    For a while I was getting some >__>

    Thats why my comp is so slow >:O

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    Dust insulates heat and restricts airflow through the heatsink of the CPU.
    Heat can cause your processor to overheat, which in processors since Pentium 4, causes the processor to throttle clock speeds (lower your "Ghz") to prevent burning

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    Not to mention all the RAM usage during the period the computer was on.
    RAM, combined with the heat, slow down your computer.

    You might recall that many people always "restart their computers" before doing anything that requires some time and a smoother interaction.

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    Just want to throw in that overaccumulation of dust can not only slow it down greatly, but it can also affect it to the point where it can automatically shut off due to the buildup in heat.

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    WHAT?! You can't do that! Putting a vaccuum to your computer could cause static electricity which could potentially damage hardware components.

    The best thing to do is buy a can of aersol and blow air into the computer. best to do so outside, so the dust isn't everywhere in your house.
    Last edited by viperxuat; 2008-07-09 at 03:28 PM.

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    Not directly to the computer components
    Blow the dust to the bottom of your case and suck it from there


    Thanks for catching my poor wording :p

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    Why on earth would you go outside to do this? >_> Just vacuum the room after you're done blowing the dust around.

    Also, AdAware is a nice program for a more in-depth scan of your HD for spyware and other junk. I've used it along with SpyBot on all of our Windows boxes.

    http://lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php <--official download link, though I have heard the 2008 edition was giving people issues earlier. Not sure if that's been resolved or not.

    Also, perhaps include info on checking the disk for errors, if it's running slowly? A damaged drive doesn't work as well as a fully healthy one ;]

    ~Lyssa


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    If you use a laptop like I do, a notebook cooler is a godsend. It prevents the components from getting too hot by circulating air around it.

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    The 2008 version is more trouble than it's worth, and when it does work, it only seems to find tracking cookies o_o (At least, from my experience)

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