How to effectively speed up your computer

There are several ways to effectively speed up your computer. If your computer becomes slow, read this article.

Steps

Step 1. Use the command line

From the command line, you can control your computer: send tweets or instant messages, play mp3 files (via mplayer), browse the web (via Lynx or Links2), torrent (rtorrent), edit images (ImageMagick), read news (raggle), use chat (irssi), manage downloads (axel, wget), etc. It is very easy to use the command line on Linux and BSD, but it is not so on Mac OS X and Windows.

Action	Windows / DOS	Windows Powershell, Mac OS X, Linux, BSD etc.
list files / folders	dir	ls
clear console	cls	clear
copy files	copy	cp
move files	move	mv
delete files	del	rm
create a folder	md	mkdir
delete folder	rd	rm -rf
change current folder	cd	cd
current folder	cd, chdir	pwd
Search	find	grep
change access rights	chmod	chmod
display text	echo	echo
add user	net user	adduser

If you prefer using a graphical interface, proceed to the next step. But the benefits of using the command line are undeniable.

• If you need to move all folders ending in "photo", it is very easy to do it on the command line, but very difficult to do it through the graphical interface.
• Command line completion also speeds up computer management.
• In Linux it is possible to abbreviate commands and their sequences.

Step 2. Remove unnecessary and unused programs

To do this, click "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Remove Programs".

Step 3. Run the Disk Cleanup utility

To do this, open the "Computer" window, right-click on the local disk to be erased and select "Properties" from the menu that opens. On the General tab, click Disk Cleanup.

Step 4. Defragment local drives

To do this, click "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories" - "System Tools" - "Disk Defragmenter".

Step 5. Empty the Prefetch folder

Go to C: \ Windows \ Prefetch and delete all files and folders there, then restart your computer. Do this monthly. Do not delete the Prefetch folder, but delete all of its contents.

Step 6. Increase the paging file

To do this, right-click on the "Computer" icon and select "Properties". In the window that opens, click "Advanced system settings". In the Performance section, click Options. Go to the "Advanced" tab and click "Change". Increase the size of the paging file or check "System selectable size". Then click "Set" and restart your computer.

Step 7. Right-click on the Computer icon and select Properties

In the window that opens, click "Advanced system settings". In the Performance section, click Options. On the Visual Effects tab, check Provide Best Performance. This will degrade the visual appeal of Windows, but will improve system performance.

Step 8. Right click on the desktop, select "Screen Resolution", then click "Advanced Options", go to the "Monitor" tab, and under "Color Quality" select "High color (16 bit)"

Step 9. Boot into Safe Mode before the next step

To do this, when turning on the computer, press the F8 key several times and select "Safe Mode" in the menu that appears.

Step 10. Remove malware

To do this, use the following programs: Malwarebyte's Anti Malware and Avast Anti Virus. Step 11. Restart your computer.

Step 12. If you want to speed up the system boot, click "Start" - "Run", in the window that opens, enter MSCONFIG and press Enter

In the window that opens, go to the "Download" tab and mark "No GUI".

Step 13. Go to the "Startup" tab and uncheck the boxes for all programs or processes that should not (in your opinion) be loaded along with the system boot

Attention! Disabling the process used by Windows may lead to system instability! Before shutting down a process or program, make sure you know the exact purpose of the process or program.

Step 14. Before the next step, display hidden files and folders

To do this, click "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Folder Options". Go to the "View" tab and check "Show hidden files, folders and drives."

Step 15. Then go to C:\ Documents and Settings \ UserName \ Local Settings \ Temp. Delete all files in this folder. Do not delete the folder itself, but delete all of its contents.

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  Step 17. If you rarely search for files on your computer, disable search indexing

  To do this, open the Computer window, right-click on each local drive and select Properties. On the "General" tab, uncheck the "Allow indexing the contents of files …" checkbox.

  

  Step 18. Remove unnecessary Windows components

  To do this, click "Start" - "Control Panel" - "Uninstall Programs" - "Turn Windows features on or off." Attention! Disconnecting the required component can lead to unstable system operation! Before disconnecting a component, make sure you know exactly what it does.

  

  Step 19. Delete your Internet history

  In most browsers this can be done in their settings.

  

  Step 20. Clean up the registry (this is one of the most effective ways to speed up your computer)

  You can find many free registry cleaning programs (registry cleaners) on the Internet. You can also use Registry Defragmenter to defragment the paging file and registry.

  

  Step 21. Do not use desktop editing / customization programs such as Stardock or Fences

  These programs can slow down your computer, especially if it has insufficient RAM.

  

  Step 22. Increase the amount of RAM

  The minimum recommended RAM for XP is 512 MB, for Vista / 7 - 1 GB.

  

  Step 23. Update Windows or install the latest service pack

  

  Step 24. If your computer has slowed down so that it is impossible to work on it, format the hard drive and reinstall the operating system

  Advice

  Always restart your computer after changing the paging file, registry, or bootloader

  Warnings

  • Always be careful when making changes to the operating system. If you do not follow the advice given in this article, you could damage your operating system.
  • The methods described are for Windows 7. They may or may not work in Windows XP / Vista / 8. Neither method will work on Mac OS or Linux.