In part one we discussed to good methods to speed up the running of your PC or Laptop. We will now discuss some other methods to give it another turn of pace.
3. Run your anti-virus software.
If your PC is running very slowly you might just have a computer virus. Viruses, Trojans, worms and spyware all take up valuable system resources. Assuming you have some Anti-Virus software, open it up and let it perform a check. Follow the instructions if it detects anything.
In many cases Anti-virus software itself is the cause of a slow running PC. Let me tell you something about Anti-Virus software because I used to work at a major AV company. If you only have one PC, your exposure to viruses and other malware is very small. You are wasting your money by buying any commercial AV software for your personal PC. McAfee (worst), Norton, Panda, Trend, Kaspersky (better) - they are all a waste of money. They use a ridiculous amount of the resources of your PC for what they achieve. Which most of the time is very little. Use free AV software such as AVG or Avast. They are much lighter and effective anyway.
So, to get some more speed out of your PC, uninstall your paid for AV program and install a lighter version.
4. Install more random access memory ( RAM ).
Random Access Memory or Ram is the short term memory your computer uses for running programs and saving information temporarily to enable it to perform a task. As you'll find RAM on a chip, it has no moving parts - and this makes it extremely fast. However, when Windows uses up all of the available RAM, it writes information onto the hard disk in a temporary file. Hard disks physically spin and therefore are much slower at recording the information.
So, increase the RAM and speed up your computer. It's a straight forward process and RAM a relatively cheap. Go to your PC manufacturer's website for further information on how to install new RAM.
5. Dust and clean your computer.
Heat is a major problem for computers. In fact getting rid of the heat is a major headache for computer chip manufacturers - but that is a technical discussion beyond our remit here (or my intelligence!). The noisiest part of your PC is the fan. The fan dissipates the heat generating by the CPU. Your computer will be slow and sluggish if it's overheating. So once you have unplugged the PC and ideally earthed yourself, remove the cover of your PC and give the inside a good dusting. You can use a can of compressed air - if you have one - or a hair dryer - just don't put it too near the components and melt them.
Your PC should be positioned in a cool place and its air vents should not be blocked.
6. Finally.
There are several other things you can do to increase the speed of your PC. Update your hardware drivers, replace and upgrade your graphics card or even run diagnostic software such as www.processlibrary.com. If you're a real speed nut you can get involved in CPU over clocking and water cooling kits. But if you follow steps 1 to 5, that's where you'll see the major increases in the speed of your computer.
Remember, computers and laptops get old quickly. Unfortunately software gets bigger, more unwieldy and uses more resources every year. So, it may very well be that the new version of Adobe Air will use a lot more system resources than the last version, thereby slowing down your computer.
Personally I think most PCs and Laptops are obsolescent after 2 years and that's when I upgrade mine. I don't usually purchase expensive high grade Laptops or PCs for that reason. Unless you are in a job with high system requirements such a video editing or graphic design, using your PC for gaming, are very rich or someone else is paying - don't spend more than £400 on a laptop or £500 on a desktop. You'll never get to use most of its resources anyway.
Author Resource:
This article does not cover everything, but hopefully I have given you an insight in to what is involved. There are plenty of ebooks and such stuff on the internet. I always go to a company called Data Recovery London . They don't only repair computer systems, they also provide IT support as well, and they are always helpfull if you get stuck on anything.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")