If you are constantly finding that your slow computer is causing frustration, stress and lost productivity – it may be time for you to look into ways of speeding up your Windows computer.  Fortunately, there are a number of “little things” that you can do to improve your computer’s performance, speed, and efficiency.  In order to help you out, we have put together a list of four methods that you can use to speed up your Windows XP computer.

Speed up XP #1 – defragment your hard drive

When the files on your hard drive become fragmented, your computer has to work extra hard when you are opening up certain files and programs, which can lead to a slow PC.  By defragmenting your hard drive, you are essentially “cleaning house” and allowing your computer to operate more efficiently, therefore speeding up your computer by putting things back into order.

Speed up XP #2 – clean your temporary files

While an overabundance of temporary files aren’t a always the major culprit when it comes to sluggish behavior with your PC, they can cause your web browser to lag and they will cause performance issues if your computer is low on hard drive space.  Programs such as Crap Cleaner (www.ccleaner.com) can clean up those temporary files and restore hard drive space where it was lacking.

Speed up XP #3 – reboot often

Many computer users fail to recognize the importance of regularly rebooting their computer, but it can play a significant role in your PCs efficiency and speed.  Some people leave their PCs running for days or even weeks on end - through memory leaks and applications that do not close properly; your system’s available memory is being “eaten up”, so to speak.  By rebooting your computer on a regular basis, you are eliminating the effects of excess memory usage, which tends to be a major contributor to the slow computer problem.

Speed up XP #4 – use a registry cleaning tool

When your Windows registry has been used over a period of time, it becomes filled with obsolete, redundant and even invalid information.  These problematic entries can lead to sluggish behavior and a wide array of other problems.  By eliminating the errant and unnecessary registry entries, you can restore your computer to its optimal running state and therefore improve its speed.

In many cases, improving your PCs performance can be achieved through a few simple steps.  By following this tutorial, you should be able to speed up Windows XP, regardless of your computer experience level.

Your computer is slow, sluggish or just lags tremendously; your programs will not load, startup is slow and computer shutdown is even slower - you just want a cure.  All you want to know is how to speed up your PC - and we have a couple of tips in mind that may just do the trick for you.

Common problems that cause your computer to run slowly

While there are a number of PC problems that can lead to a slow computing experience, many of these problems arise due to one, or both, of these two circumstances:

1. You have spyware, Trojans, viruses or other malware running on your computer
2. Your  hard drive is heavily fragmented

The good news for you today is that all of the above problems have easy solutions, regardless of whether you are a PC expert or a complete computer novice.  Both solutions are free, and all you really need to do is invest a little bit of time on computer maintenance and you may be able to speed up your PC in a few easy steps.

Why defragmenting your hard drive will speed up your computer?

When your computer’s hard drive is fragmented, it means that certain files, which are stored on your hard drive, are saved in various locations on your hard drive instead of in one location.  When your computer has to retrieve these files, it has to work harder in order to pull all of the pieces together, thus it can cause your computer to run more slowly.

Moreover, if you haven’t defragmented your hard drive in a long time (or ever!), chances are your computer is running much slower than it should be simply because you likely have an over-abundance of fragmented files on your computer.  All Windows computers have a built-in defragmentation utility, and by just running this program, you may see an improvement in your PCs speed.

Spyware, viruses and malware - your PCs worst enemy

Spyware and viruses abound online, and it’s about as easy to get an infection on your computer as it is to pick up a cold or the flu from sitting in a hospital waiting room.  Many times, we do not even notice the malware running on our computers until it starts to cause problems, such as error messages, computer crashes, or just sluggish behavior from our PCs.

Any type of malware, whether it is a virus, trojan horse, or spyware, can rob your computer of its resources and can cause the common slow computer startup problem and slow PC performance issues.

AVG Antivirus offers a free virus and spyware-cleaning tool that will help rid your computer of malicious programs that eat away at your computer’s resources.

Taking action to improve your PCs performance

Now that you know how to speed up your PC, all you need to do is take a little bit of time to implement the tips we have outlined above.  These tips are super-easy and best of all - they will not cost you anything but a few minutes of your time to see real improvements in your computer’s performance.