Tips And Advice For Keeping Desktop PC Running Well?

[planenut]

Go to Start / Control Panel / Internet Options / Browsing History / Delete / next item will come up with Browsing History again, hit Delete, that should get rid of some rubbish;

then go to Start / Help and Support / then Tools / left hand side - Disk Clean Up / when done, Defragment

on home page delete Waste Basket

 

[Door7000]

Add more RAM
That is the biggest speed increase you can do in-situ. The hard disk is the slowest device in your PC. More RAM will help prevent it from thrashing around.

Install an SSD drive
These are much cheaper and more reliable now. Ideally you would want to reinstall the O/S on it but you can still see a big boost by adding it as a second disk and reinstalling your apps onto it and moving your data onto it. Leave the existing disk purely for the O/S

Uninstall Crap
Most ready made PCs come preinstalled with bloatware. Uninstall them. Also look out for crap that came with free software that you may have installed. If you only use a program once a year then uninstall it and install it once a year!

Get rid of anything by Adobe, Java, and free internet security suites such as McAfee, Norton, Symantec, which are supplied / bundled with other apps.

Adobe is a big hog. Certainly get rid of the PDF viewer and use one of the more lightweight free apps. The only Adobe app you need for browsing is Flash Player.

Java is the biggest risk to security in your PC. If you don't use any apps that require Java then ditch it. If you visit a website that requires Java then seriously, find another website.

Uninstall toolbars, which are added as freebies. Uninstall all the fluffy bunny guff that comes with printers.

Take a look at the start tray icons next to the clock. Ideally you only want a firewall and AV icon there. Anything else will slow you down at startup and whilst running.

Change Browser
Dont' use Internet Explorer. Use Firefox, with add-ons such as FasterFox for optimisation, and other add-ons such as Flashblock, ghostery, adblockplus and other anti spyware / adware add-ons.

Try Google Chrome or Opera. You can install them all at the same time if you wish.

Services
Take a look at what services are running at startup. Search for guides on which services you can safely disable. Note that you need the correct guide for your O/S.

Turn Off Restore Points
This is stupid. Install a proper full backup program like Macrium Reflect. Windows System restore is more hassle than it is worth.

Turn Off Screen Effects
Try changing settings to Performance rather than Quality. This means turning off things like shadows under mouse pointer, viewable windows whilst dragging etc.

Clean PC
Dust is a big problem. It can block heatsinks and cause fans to be less efficient. If your CPU is getting too hot then it will slow down in order to reduce heat. Regularly clean all dust from inlet and outlet fans as well as the CPU fan. Caution advised when doing that.

 

[Blagard]

PC's slowing down is I think mainly to do with simply how you use it and in particular what you put on it.

I always found my work PC's continue to run the same all the time i.e. they never appreciably slow down - The simple reason the software installed tends to be static and changes very rare.

Home PC's were a different matter especially the wife's! - What happens is that over time more and more applications and add on's get installed and each one takes up resources. Removing/Uninstalling software is often not 100 percent clean so your PC continues to load or look for defunct bits of programmes.

I don't use any software to look after my PC on a weekly basis. What I do is when I notice it is starting to slow I embark on a general clean up.

First I inspect the list of installed programmes to see what I have and to decide what is not used - what sneaked in with some other programme or otherwise should not be there. Toolbars that get installed with other programmes because you miss unchecking a box are a pet hate!

Once I have removed the programmes I don't use I then use CCleaner (Free) to search out and remove the remaining debris. I reboot and will run it again to make sure bits that could not be removed on the first pass get caught.

There is no software that can stop you installing too much rubbish, that is really down to you to keep the PC lean and clean.

While defragging and the like used to be useful I find it has far less impact on modern PC's so really its a long process with very little gain.

If you are a poor manager of your PC then skhudy has the best idea, reinstall and start afresh! Backing up the fresh install of your basic installation and applications can really speed things up. You can use Seagate tools to clone the hard drive once you have updated all your basic stuff for a really fast re-installation!