how can i speed up my computer?

Question

i have 2 computers and one of them is insanely slow b/c i have had it for a very long time and i was able to play warcraft 3 lan with no lag but i tried to play it recently and its so laggy i cant even play a simple map i have tried to clean it up with c cleaner but it didnt do anything is there something els i can do????????????

Answer 1

Without knowing more about the PC, it is hard to give specific answers, but in general:

1) Reload OS from scratch

2) Add as much RAM as will fit...



The most effective way to speed up a machine is to max out the RAM! CPU is speed is not even as important, and usually is cheaper at that point to replace the entire machine!

Answer 2

If your virus/spyware free, there are a couple things you can do get your computer working faster. If you using your computer for normal stuff and not gaming. You don't always need more RAM you just need to perform a few maintenance task.



First, if you haven't cleaned your registry in a while. This is necessary. Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, un-installs etc. Each one of those events produces a key. That key needs your PC's resources and free space. So, if you clean your registry, you make more resources available for speed. Do a registry scan if you got more than 20 errors you should clean it.

http://www.delete-computer-history.com/what-is-the-best-registry-cleaner.html



2. Clear your Windows cache files, this is your temporary file. It can grow up to a large volume and stop your computer from using RAM properly. In a sense slow it down by preventing it from using free space.Here is how:



1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser

2. Click Start, click "Control Panel", and then double-click "Internet Options".

3. On the General tab, click "Delete Files" under Temporary Internet Files.

4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the "Delete all offline content" check box , and then click OK.

5. Click OK.



3. Manage your startups. Your excess CPU usage is due to too many programs running in the background. You can cut these to barebones by alter your msconfig. Here is how:



1. Open your Start menu.

2. Click Run

3. In the command screen type "msconfig.exe"

4. In the "system configuration utility",click either "service" or "startup" tab

5. Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using.

6. Click "OK"



Other great tip is increasing your virtual memory to simulate more RAM. This will give you a bit more resources for multiple program use or CPU heavy programs.

Hope this link helps. Shows you how to do everything step by step. You should get a least 60-120% more resources and speed

if you follow the tips.

Answer 3

For running slow there are many causes:

Microsoft Registry Problems = Slow Computer!

Spyware/Adware

RAM

De-Fragmenting

Etc.



Below can help you speed up your pc:



For IE, click Tools, Internet Options delete files (offline files) clear history (set days to save to 0 if you want) click o.k., and Restart



For Firfox, press ctrl+shift+del, and click clean private data.



Manage your startup:

Open your Start menu -> Click Run -> In the command screen type "msconfig.exe" -> In the "system configuration utility", click either "service" or "startup" tab -> Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using.



De-Fragmenting

1. Right click of C Disk.

2. Click properties.

3. Click tools tab.

4. Click "Defragment now".

5. Click Defragment.



You can search which process full use you cpu, and end the process.



Under steps:

1. right click on the TaskBar.

2. click the Task Manager.

3. click the processes tab.

4. double click the CPU.

5. find if the "System Idle Process" is max.

6. if not right click and click end process.



Learn "Why Is My Computer Running so Slow?" and "How to Speed it UP":

http://downloadlk.net/WhyIsMyComputerSlow.htm

Use the tool: http://downloadlk.net/themosteffectiveregistrycleaner.htm

Answer 4

Using a registry cleaner can clean up your computer and then make your computer faster,Why?the reason is that there may be some regsitry errors and remnant,corrupt files and temp files in your computer to cause "computer slow".

Everytime you install and uninstall software on your computer and surfing online you create junk in the computer registry.over time, the registry can grow to enormous proportions, especially if the various programs you've installed do not do a good job of deleting and/or updating it's Registry entries.You need to scan and clean your computer with registry cleaner to make it fast.Good Regisry Cleaner will improve your computer and Internet performance dramatically!

There are some comparison and review of TOP 5 registry cleaners.

http://www.make-computer-faster.com/

You can download and scan your computer for free.

Answer 5

get rid of uneeded applications and software. spamware and malware also slowes down your computer. also if you have Limewire or something like that, get rid of it and use itunes or rhapsody. yes they cost money, but in the long run, you will be much better off and save extra than having to get your computer fixed. $500 worth of music or to fix a computer...you tell me whats worth more

Answer 6

Do you ever format your hdd? That's an easy way to clear everything out. I just got adaware 2008 today and it cleaned my windows out. My computer runs better now.

Answer 7

When you let a computer sit it goes bad, just like a car. If it has been a while since you have used the comp you may need to run defrag or even format it. You could always try uninstalling the replaceable programs and deleting old data and defragging then reinstalling the software. Hope this helps :)

Answer 8

This is what I personally use:



1 Ad-Aware 2008, its free and pretty effective, and simple.

http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2008/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?hhTest=1



2 Spybot - Search & Destroy, its a little out of date but it works.

http://www.download.com/Spybot-Search-Destroy/3000-8022_4-10122137.html?hhTest=1



3 SpywareBlaster, blocks potentially damaging applications and programs from running.

http://www.download.com/SpywareBlaster/3000-8022_4-10196637.html?hhTest=1



4 Simple File Shredder, it isn't an anti spy, but it shreds unnecessary files including cookies and it speeds up system performance.

http://www.download.com/Simple-File-Shredder/3000-2092_4-10301332.html?hhTest=1



5 MRU-Blaster, detects and cleans MRU (most recently used) lists on your computer. By looking at these MRU lists, someone could determine what files you opened/saved/looked at, what their file names were, and much more! (And, in many cases, the lists are displayed in drop-down menus automatically.) (From website.)

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/mrublaster.html



These will speed up your computer.

Answer 9

To fix a slow computer you can go to http://www.regcleandownload.com .

Download reg clean for free.

It can clean your computer and restore your system to optimum performance.

It works very well for me.

Hope that can help you.

Answer 10

Check http://www.pcoptimizerprodownload.com

With pc optimizer pro you can safely clean, repair and optimize your computer.

It will help improve your system performance.

Answer 11

Maintainence ! Maintainence !! Maintainence !!!



Here are some tips that will help you improve the performance of your PC. These tips work on every PC no matter if it's old or new.



Give them a shot.



A major cause of slow PC's is fragmentation of the hard drive. You need to defragment the HD at least once a week if not more depending on how much you use your computer, and what you do with it.



One way is to use the defragment utility built into Windows XP. It is slow but does the job rather well. Go to:

Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools and then click on System Defrag to run the tool. It may take several hours, so let it run overnight or simply walk away from your PC for a few hours.

A great program for defragging automatically is Diskeeper Home. It costs $30 but is well worth it. Go to http://www.download.com and search for Diskeeper. Read the Publishers Description and the Editor and User reviews. It can be scheduled to run automatically as the program deems necessary, and if you are using your PC and the program launches itself, it will take a backseat to whatever you are doing and give you the priority for CPU usage. I think you'll agree it's a good program to have. It precludes your needing to remember to defrag at regular intervals.



Another major cause of a slow PC is programs that are running in the background. Software manufacturers write ".exe" files that help launch a program faster when you click on the icon. These .exe files are running all the time unless you shut them down, and they eat up your RAM and can leave you with precious little RAM to run your PC. The best thing to do is to shut down all the unnecessary programs that are running unless you specifically NEED them to be running "in the background". If you can wait another 2 or 3 seconds for a program like Word, or Adobe, or whatever to open then don't allow some of these ".exe" files to run. Each one you shut down, saves you RAM to help run your PC more efficiently. The following program, Autoruns, will allow you to control what runs when you boot up your PC.



Here's a really good Microsoft tool. It’s called Autoruns and it was written by SysInternals who were recently bought up by Microsoft. Before you download the program create a folder under program files called Autoruns. Leave Windows Explore open. Launch Internet Explorer and go to the following Microsoft web page. http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/autoruns.mspx

Go to the bottom of the page and download the Autoruns program. After it downloads unzip the file (You'll need WinZip or WinRAR to do so). You will see 4 files. Drag and drop those 4 files to the Autoruns folder you created under Program Files.

Once you have the 4 files in the C:\Program Files\Autoruns folder you can double click on the file titled “autoruns.exe” (not the autorunsc.exe) to launch the program.

This will bring up a window with several tabs at the top. Click on the “Logon” tab. It will list the programs that are running on your PC and eating up resources. Look them over carefully and turn off any that don’t absolutely have to be running. Simply click on the “check mark” in the little box beside the program name. Clicking on it will remove the check mark. Look for any program that your are not using at this moment that has a check mark in the box. Look for programs such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, etc. Once you have edited the Startup list, click on Apply and then on OK.

NOTE: Look in the publisher column and leave items that show Windows; System 32; Program Files; etc. alone. Also leave things that mention Audio, video, etc. alone. Shutting them off may cause some things not to work. Once you have exited the window, reboot your PC for the settings to take effect.

WARNING: Don’t go into the other tabs and start deleting/unchecking things. You will probably give yourself major headaches if you do that. Stay focused on the “Logon” List only. If you happen to shut off something that you didn't intend to, you can relaunch the Autoruns program and simply put the check mark back in the appropriate box, and then reboot the PC. The "program" will be reinstated to run at boot up.



Regularly clean up your browsing history, files, cookies, temp files, etc. A good program to use is Ccleaner and it is FREE. Get it here: http://www.download.com



Also, you need a “registry cleaner”. The registry can get “defragmented and clogged” with various data that you simply don’t need. The only effective way to clean this massive list is to use an automated cleaner. Go to http://www.download.com and you can search for Registry Cleaners. There should be several FREE ones there for you to use. One I've found to do a good job is named Registry Distiller.



Another good thing to have is a little program called FreeRAM XP Pro. It is free and is available from http://www.download.com This program puts a little RAM meter on the System Tray and shows how much RAM you have remaining that you are not using at any given time. I think you may be surprised at how little RAM you have to run other programs. Also, once it is installed you can right click on the little meter, then click on RESTORE and it will open the RAM display window. You can tweak the settings so it will display your CPU usage also. Then just click “Minimize” and then “To System Tray” to return it to the Task Bar.



What happens when you run out of or run real low on RAM is that the OS recognizes the low or no RAM situation and starts using a section of your hard drive as memory. This is called virtual memory, or a swap file. The PC is constantly writing and reading from your HD. Comparitively, it is a very slow process. Check your motherboard manual and determine how much RAM each slot can hold. It will also tell you what type of RAM you need. You can also go to http://www.crucial.com or http://www.4allmemory.com and run their analysis utility to determine what kind and how much RAM is installed in your PC. Depend on your MoBo manual to determine the RAM limits of each slot though.



Hope this helps!!!

Answer 12

what the hell is a c cleaner?



I would download adware and spybot and run those. And add ram to it. good as new.

Answer 13

Can you post your PC specs (processor, RAM, etc.)

Answer 14

Download more RAM.