Windows 7 computer housekeeping How to speed up your computer

Windows 7 computer housekeeping How to speed up your computer

Windows takes forever to start, and when it finally does your computer creaks and groans through basic everyday jobs. 

Sound familiar?

Use our 15 tips to speed up your PC. By following our guide you will learn to:

• remove unwanted programs safely
• switch off unwanted Windows components such as Gadgets and Indexing
• limit the number of programs that start when Windows does
• clean up your hard disk, and defragement
• tidy up Windows and peripheral devices
• get an easy memory boost
• update and switch to faster programs and versions

1.Uninstall unused programs

Programs can slow down your PC by clogging up its hard disk and by running tasks in the background. 

 

If there are any programs on your PC that you no longer need, it's good practice to uninstall them.

In Windows 7 and Vista, click Start > Control Panel > Uninstall a program. In Windows XP, click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs.

In all cases, you will see a list of applications that are installed. Click on a program you want to remove, then click the Uninstall or Remove button.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation.

Go to Remove programs in Windows 7 for an advanced look at purging your PC of unwanted apps.

2.Turn off the Windows Sidebar and Gadgets

Windows 7 and Vista allow you to have small always-on applets known as Gadgets running in the background on your desktop at all times. These can sap power, so it's worth turning them all off if you need an urgent speed boost.

In Windows 7, hover your mouse pointer over the top right corner of each Gadget and click the white X to close it.

In Windows Vista, right-click in the Sidebar area and select Properties. Take the tick out of the box next to where it says 'Start Sidebar when Windows starts', then click OK. 

Now right-click on the Sidebar again and select Close Sidebar.

3.Install the latest Windows updates

Microsoft periodically releases Windows updates. These are important because they often patch security flaws, but they can sometimes address performance issues too.

In Windows 7 and Vista, click Start, type updates and click on the Windows Updates link that appears. 

Click on Check for updates on the left for the latest updates or on Change settings and make sure the 'Install updates automatically' option is selected.

In Windows XP, go to Start > Control Panel > Security Center and click the Automatic Updates link at the bottom of the window. 

Make sure there's a check next to Automatic (recommended) and click the Windows Update Web Site link to instantly download the latest updates.

4.Limit startup programs

Many applications you install will configure themselves to run whenever you start Windows. In the case of your antivirus or security software, this is a good thing.

But limiting the number of other programs that attempt to launch at startup will speed up Windows boot time (how long it takes your computer to start up when you switch it on) and give you much better all-round performance.

One way to do this is to check your Notification Area (bottom right of the Taskbar). There will be a series of little icons here (and clicking on the arrow will display more). 

Hover over any you don't recognise to find out what they are. If you don't need them to launch at startup, then right-click and choose the options or preferences setting, if offered. 

There should be an option to disable auto start, run on startup or similar. 

5.Clean up your hard disk

Freeing up hard disk space can often help to speed up a slow PC, so use Windows' Disk Cleanup tool to safely delete unnecessary temporary files.

In all versions of Windows, click Start > (My) Computer and then right-click on your system drive (usually the C: drive) and select Properties. 

Under the General tab, click on the Disk Cleanup button. 

If prompted, select the 'all users' option. Windows will calculate how much space can be freed up and will eventually present you with a list. 

It's safe to tick all of the items here, though you can uncheck any you'd prefer not to delete. Click OK, then Delete Files (or Yes in XP).

Keep your files safe. Read our guide to Recovery and Backup in Windows 7.

6.Tidy up your desktop

Another often overlooked way to speed up your PC, particularly at startup, is to spend a bit of time tidying up your desktop. 

Most of us dump loads of files and shortcuts on our desktop until it becomes cluttered with dozens of icons. 

But your PC has to refresh these icons every so often and this can cause a temporary slowdown. 

Rather than delete them all, you could create a single folder on your desktop called, for example, 'My Icons'. 

Then, drag and drop everything from your desktop into the new folder, from where they can be accessed any time you need them.

7.Turn off visual effects in Windows 7 or Vista

The graphical effects that make Windows look pretty can also drain resources and slow down your machine. Disabling them might make your desktop look a little drab, but can give you a big speed boost.

In Windows 7, right-click on an empty area of your desktop and select Personalize. 

Scroll down and select Windows 7 Basic – this will turn off most of the snazzy effects. 

Select Windows Classic for even more of a speed boost.

In Windows Vista, right-click on your desktop and select Personalize. Choose Windows Classic from the options, then click Effects and clear the bottom two options. 

Click OK and OK again.

8.Turn off visual effects in Windows XP

It's possible to make similar changes to Windows XP's appearance for a comparable performance gain. To do so, right-click on the desktop and select Properties. 

Under the Themes tab, select the Windows Classic option from the drop-down menu and click Apply. Now click on the Appearance tab, then on the Effects button. 

Take out the ticks from the boxes next to the following three options: 'Use the following transition effect…', 'Show shadows under menus' and 'Show windows contents while dragging'. 

Click OK, then OK again to apply the changes.

9.Defragment your hard disk

Your PC can become slower as data on your hard disk becomes fragmented over time. All versions of Windows have a Disk Defragmenter tool available from Start > All Programs > Accessories > System tools. 

Windows 7 and Vista should run the tool on an automatic schedule, but you can also run a manual defragmentation yourself.

In Windows 7 and XP, highlight the drive you want to defragment from the list (usually the C: drive), then click the Defragment disk/Defragment now button. 

In Windows Vista, click, select your drive from the list (usually C:) and click OK.

10.Adjust power options

This one is for laptop or netbook owners. Many portable computers are configured to reduce the PC's performance where possible in order to save on power consumption and, therefore, help the battery pack last longer. 

If you're plugged into the mains or not worried about how quickly your battery runs out, then it's possible to make some speed gains by adjusting the computer's power options.

In both Windows 7 and Vista click Start, type power options and click on the Power Options entry that appears above. 

If the Power saver option is selected, change this to Balanced. There's also a High performance option that you can try (Windows 7 users will need to click on the down arrow next to Show additional plans for this).

Does your laptop keep dying? Read our laptop reviews and netbooks reviews to upgrade to a new Which? Best Buy laptop.

11.Change indexing options

Windows indexes your hard disk to help speed up searching your PC, but background indexing can also slow down overall operation, so it's worth considering disabling this feature if your computer is really dragging its heels.

In all versions of Windows, go to Start > (My) Computer and right-click on your system drive (usually C:). 

Select Properties. On the General tab, untick the box next to the indexing option at the bottom of the window and click OK. 

In the confirmation box, make sure the option to apply changes to subfolders and files is selected and click OK.

12.Switch to faster security software

As mentioned above, software running in the background can have a big impact on your PC's speed and that includes antivirus and other security programs you have installed. 

Naturally, we don't recommend disabling these, but you might be able to obtain an overall speed increase by switching to less resource-hungry security software.

Read our security software reviews and find a fast, easy to use Which? Best Buy.

13.Switch to a faster browser

The speed with which you are able to browse web pages is largely down to how fast your broadband connection is. But it's possible to make a significant speed increase by switching to a faster web browser. 

If you're still using an older version of Internet Explorer to view web pages, for example, then you will almost certainly notice a big difference by upgrading to the latest version, Internet Explorer 9 (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/products/ie/home). 

And by switching to Firefox (www.mozilla.com/firefox) or Google Chrome 

(www.google.com/chrome) instead, you might get even more of a speed boost when browsing.

They're all free, so why not try them out to see which one is best – and fastest – for you?

14.Get an easy memory boost

A very quick way to get a speed boost on a Windows 7 or Vista PC is to use a USB memory drive. The drive must be larger than 256MB and conform to Windows data read/write speed requirements. 

Plug it in and select the Speed up my system option from the AutoRun menu. Windows will test the device's suitability and, if it passes muster, you’ll see a ReadyBoost dialogue box. 

Put a check next to Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost (Windows 7 only) or select Use this device and adjust the slider to select how much free space you want to assign to ReadyBoost. 

The remaining space can be used for storage as normal. Click OK to finish.

15.Unplug USB devices and remove discs

External drives, devices and discs can all slow down your machine's performance. For instance, when your computer starts it will always check to see if there's a CD or DVD in your drive. 

If there is, it will take the extra time to spin the disc up and identify it. Similarly, power and other system resources can be drained by an external USB drive. Even printers, wi-fi adaptors and TV cards can sap performance if they're plugged in. 

To maximise your PC's speed potential, unplug all but the most essential devices from USB sockets and make sure you eject any CDs or DVDs when you're finished with them.