Tips to make your computer run faster

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

Also you could switch to linux.. if you don't play games it's the best way to improve the way your computer functions...

I'd use Ubuntu if you are a linux newbie.

 

[Scoobydoo 5,000+ posts]

The only thing I have is a hardware firewall(i.e. a router) and that has served me well for years. I have only had one really bad virus/malware that cause popups continuously, it was my fault for looking for a crack for a program on some really shady sites, but a reinstall solved that in 30 minutes.

I have used Norton and McAfee in the past and I will never make that mistake again. They take over your pc and if you dare try to unistall them they leave crap everywhere. Same with programs like Quicktime, Real Player, ITunes, etc. They are not worth the hassle to use IMO. They all try to integrate too much into the OS and they always seem to screw things up sooner, rather than, later.

The easiest is a reinstall and the easiest way to do that is to make sure Windows is installed on a seperate partition from everything that needs to be kept or backed up, that way you dont need to worry about backing things up everytime.

30 minutes to install, another 15-30 minutes to reinstall all your programs that you use frequently and your as good as new

If a reinstall isn't an option I have had good luck with Ashampoo products:

http://www.ashampoo.com

 

[mtlhead 10+ year member]

My XP pro install is 4 years old now. Only problem I have is a file on my desktop that doesn't exsist...so it's not deletable //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

try renaming a bullshit file that, and then delete it?

 

[SocMunky 10+ year member]

run/msconfig/startup and uncheck everything you dont need to startup on boot
clean the temp files and registry every week

defrag every week

switch from a normal drive to a 10k rpm raptor

reinstall your OS every 6 months

Pretty much nailed it right there.

 

[hzsogood 5,000+ posts]

Hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete.
Go to the "processes" tab.

In the bottom left there is a number of running items.

Windows only needs like 13 to function. Try to get that number to 20-35 range by doing what Scoobydoo said, or deleting programs you no longer use.

I've seen poor bastards with like 80 running processes, that'll zap most of your performance.

i have around 40 on avg... How am i supposed to know what is what the image name doesnt relly have a descriptiion

 

[SocMunky 10+ year member]

Also you could switch to linux.. if you don't play games it's the best way to improve the way your computer functions...
I'd use Ubuntu if you are a linux newbie.

Heck, even thats beginning to be less and less of a problem due to wine/cedega. I play World of Warcraft just fine on my Debian box.

Edit: In fact, the only place I really use windows now is for work. Once you get used to linux its really not much harder these days than using windows. Less crap to fall victim to as well. Desktop Linux has come leaps and bound over even the last 5 years or so.

 

[mtlhead 10+ year member]

Get it some good shoes

psh, that only works if its black (im not racist...i just exploit stereotypes)

 

[Megalomaniac 5,000+ posts]

meh im lazy. i have partiotions setup. one for system and one for music/vidz/apps. whenever i see windows failing i just reformat and pick up from where i started from. lately i havent had any issues so woot for me.

on my Apple i dont seem to need to format ever

 

[Beat_Dominator 5,000+ posts]

try renaming a bullshit file that, and then delete it?

Yeah I've tried everything. Except spending a dozen hours or so looking for it in the registry //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

As far as windows knows, this file doesn't exsist, it's even partially see-through because it's a "hidden" file.

i have around 40 on avg... How am i supposed to know what is what the image name doesnt relly have a descriptiion

Ah, the slow but sure way is to search them on the internet. Like searching svchost.exe and there will be a few hundred sites that can tell you what it is.

What you want to look for are ones that are like..... iTuneshelper.exe .... then you ask yourself.. "hey I sold my iPod 3 months ago, I'll keep iTunes but I don't need it all the time." so you close it, or do as Scoobydoo said and turn it off by running msconfig.

.......OR you can do it the way I did, close a bunch, and when.....say, your mouse stops working, then you closed one you actually need //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

1/2 the time you will not even be allowed to end a process. Which is good because that's windows protecting you from yourself //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[twisztdauthorit 10+ year member]

besides upgrading ram and such what are some simple things i can do to make my PC run faster?

reformat and reinstall windows?

 

[Nukedsodapop 5,000+ posts]

run/msconfig/startup and uncheck everything you dont need to startup on boot
clean the temp files and registry every week

Where are these in os x?

 

[kombat96 10+ year member]

run/msconfig/startup and uncheck everything you dont need to startup on boot

how do i know what NOT to start up, and yeah im a moron

 

[dumple 5,000+ posts]

take all movies and music off of your main harddrive that windows is installed on try to keep the windows drive just for windows, IE get another hard drive just for media. My computer came with a 120 gig hdd and has like 6-8 partitioned off just for windows and the components it needs to run the other part is used for programs and what not. But i still store all media pictures movies music documents and that nature on a 320gig usb harddrive.

ps whats the run command to change user privileges for some reason its saying that i do not have administrative privileges to use msconfig

nvm

control userpasswords 2

 

[regal8r 5,000+ posts]

Where are these in os x?

theyre not there, hence the reason apple SUCKS //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[phyphoestilic 5,000+ posts]

Make sure u have at least 21% free space on every hard drive. Defrag all the time.