Slow PC performance is a major pain – a pain that is inevitably felt by computer owners everywhere from time to time.  It’s a hassle; there’s no doubt that slow PCs can be stress-inducing and headache-producing annoyances; annoyances that need to be fixed ASAP.  However, what can the average computer user do when they’re faced with the slow PC dilemma?

Do nothing and just deal with it

Yes, we know – this isn’t really a solution.  However, you may be surprised by the amount of people who choose inaction over a little bit of action and some effort.  In many cases, slow PC performance can be fixed with minimal effort and little out-of-pocket expense, if any.  Some people, for whatever reason, don’t take the initiative to fix their problems, though.  As we said before – this really isn’t a solution.

Upgrade your computer’s memory

We’ll leave the lazy people alone for a minute and get serious.  Quite honestly, a simple (and cheap) computer memory upgrade may be all that stands between you and a better performing PC.  Websites such as NewEgg.com sell computer memory at very reasonable rates, and swapping your computer’s memory is about as difficult as putting a spare tire on your vehicle. However, if you’re not technically inclined, maybe you have a spouse, sibling or even your kid may be able to handle this for you.

Perform routine maintenance on your computer

Your computer is like your automobile in some respects; namely, your vehicle requires regular maintenance in order for it to operate in the way that it was intended to.  It’s quite the same with your computer – it requires the occasional defragmentation, registry cleaning and temporary file cleaning in order to run efficiently.  It’s also a good idea to run a virus and spyware scan from time to time as well, just to clean out any stray critters that may have snuck into your system.

Remove excess programs

A major culprit in slow PC performance is having too many applications installed – if you’re the type of person to install a program, use it for a day and then leave it installed, maybe it’s time to take a trip to the Add and Remove Programs interface to weed through and remove the programs that you know you’re not going to use anymore.  If you find a bunch of games with a “Last Used On” date of a year ago or more… it’s time to clean house a little bit.

Dealing with slow PC performance can be daunting, but in reality, improving your computer’s speed doesn’t have to be all that difficult.  One more thing – we weren’t really poking fun at lazy people above, but it’s important to note that ignoring your PCs slow performance may cause more issues that are more severe in nature in the future.  If you’ve noticed that your computer has been getting slower – you really need to take action right away, if for nothing else than the sake of your computer.

Computer technicians all around the world hear variations of this time and time again – “fix my slow computer”, “my PC is too slow” and the ever-popular “HELP!!!”. Slow running PCs are a problem today – but before you dismantle and lug your heavy desktop to the computer repair shop or part ways with your laptop for a few days, here are a few tricks that you can try to improve your PCs speed, even if you are completely clueless when it comes to computer repair.

Are you defragmenting your computer’s hard drive?

If you don’t know what this means – don’t worry, it’s not something that is overly complicated.  Your computer’s hard drive stores all of your files and programs, and over time these files will become “fragmented” through general use and relocation. By running a defragmentation program, which is conveniently pre-installed on your Windows PC, you can improve your computer’s speed and efficiency quite a bit.

You can access the defragmentation tool on your computer by:

1. Clicking on the start button
2. Double clicking on “My Computer”
3. Right-clicking with your mouse on “Local Disk”, generally C:
4. Clicking on Properties >> Tools >> Defragment Now

Once the defragmentation tool loads up, just click on the start button – that’s it. If you haven’t defragmented your computer in a while, the defragmentation process may take a long time. However, it’s well worth the time investment.

Do you use your computer’s search function?

If you don’t already know it – your Windows PC includes a built-in search function where you can look for files and programs. Now, if you do not regularly use this built-in search function – you can turn off Indexing to improve your computer’s speed exponentially. By default your Windows PC indexes your files and stores this information in your computer’s memory to increase the speed of the built-in search tool. But – if you’re not using this tool on a regular basis, there is no need to waste your computer resources on a service that you’re not really benefiting from.

To turn off indexing, just:

1. Click the start button
2. Double click on “My Computer”
3. Right click on “Local Disk” (usually C:)
4. Click on Properties
5. Uncheck the option “Allow indexing service to…”

That’s it.  Now, unchecking this option will not disable your Windows search option, though it may run a bit slower. However, in terms of helping a PC that is running slow – this little fix can give your PC a huge speed boost.

Are you using a registry cleaner?

If you’re a novice computer user, chances are pretty high that you aren’t using a registry cleaning tool.  However, especially when combined with our other tips here – you’ll likely enjoy a faster-running and smoother-running PC.

See, your computer’s registry is like the brain of your computer – it stores information on nearly every program you’ve installed and every process that your computer runs in the background that allows you to do whatever it is that you do with your computer. Over time your computer’s registry will get bogged down with empty entries and outdated information; this can cause your PC to run slowly and in some cases, cause errors with certain programs.  A registry cleaner essentially cleans up your registry and helps your computer to run more efficiently and thus faster.

Now, your Windows PC does not have a registry cleaning tool pre-installed, but we suggest that you try RegCure’s registry cleaner – we’ve been using it for a while and it’s been a godsend that has enabled us to keep our computers running smoothly for the last year.

You don’t have to say “my PC is running slow” anymore!

Before you take the time, effort and costly step of taking your PC to a computer repair shop to fix your slow PC problem, try the steps above.  In the majority of cases, defragmentation, cleaning your registry and disabling Windows’ indexing service will give you the speed boost you’ve been looking for – with a really small price tag to boot.