Computer Sales and Support

6 Tips To Speed Up Your PC

Posted on 25. Oct, 2009 by Jake Johnston in Software, computer repair, guest

Here are six simple steps which, if followed, will result in faster peformance and a more secure computing environment.

1. Use keyboard shortcuts! Seriously, if you try this a few times, you won’t go back to the old slower way. There are loads of shortcuts and most focus involve the Windows key. Windows Key + Tab cycles through the programs on the taskbar in Vista using its Flip3-D feature. Windows key + M minimises all windows immediately. Windows + L locks the computer if you have to leave your desk unattended.

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This might make your work go faster, but it will not improve your computer’s performance.

2. Most PC users are in agreement about the most pointless features of Windows Operating Systems. The delete confirmation dialog (’Are you sure you want to send this file to the recycle bin?’) is certainly in the top 10 of annoying and repetative time wasters. If you do happen to make a genuine mistake while deleting, you can always restore a file from the recycle bin, so this dialog serves no useful purpose. You should turn it off and start saving some time. Right click on the Recycle Bin and untick the option to display the delete confirmation dialog.

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Again, this might make your work go faster, but it will not improve your computer’s performance.

3. If you are using Vista, why not keep your hard drive in the best possible condition by scheduling an automatic disk defragment. Click start, type defrag and click enter. Tick ‘Run on a schedule’ box and then click modify. Here you can tell Vista exactly when and how often to run a defragment. Once a month would be enough to keep you performance levels high.

4.Keep Windows updated. Hackers constantly find new ways to attack your PC with viri & other attacks. Microsoft develops security updates and patches to fix them vulnerabilities in their software that are often exploited to install malware. The security fixes are available, but PC owners often don’t install them at all or in time. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you. Turn on Automatic Updates right away. An extra benefit of switching on Automatic Updates is that you will receive other software updates as well as secuirty patches. These will make your computer run better and faster or add extra functionality.

5. Create good passwords for all of the User Accounts on your computer. Many users choose to leave accounts wide open with no passwords. Even worse, is the Administrators account which exists by default on all Windows XP & Vista machines. This account gives total access to your computer system, and in most cases has never been password protected. Remedy this immediately by creating a fresh set of passwords for all of your accounts. Remember to use a mix of letters and numbers and throw in a couple of uppercase letters for good measure.

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This will prevent hacker’s gaining access to your system and better insure that they don’t damage anything. However, just doing this in itself will not increase your computer speed. The best solution is to install an  effective computer Internet security suite.

6. Install strong Antivirus Software. Do some research to satisfy yourself as to an effective antivirus software as some programs are decidedly mediocre. A good antivirus will form the mainstay of your computer’s security while on the internet. You can increase your security further with strong antispyware protection. A few years ago you might have got away with neglecting this issue, but certainly not today. Weak security will be quickly exploited by the latest rogues, trojans and rootkits.

Take these simple steps onboard and both you and your computer will be much happier tech travelers!

For more information on Virus Removal and Antivirus Software, goto http://www.virusremoval.org

For more tips on speeding up your computer see this PC speed up article.

Computer Doc Recommendations

Click here to find out all about computer Internet security in general and why I recommend an Internet security suite over a collection of different programs.

I have recently found the best Internet Security Suites to be Norton’s security products.
Save $30 via mail-in rebate PLUS get Norton Expert Installation Service FREE (a $40 value)!**

I personally use Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 and I have installed Kaspersky for some of my clients.Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 is basically a good product which doesn’t adversely impact system performance. It also has very good virus checking capabilities.

However, it has some weaknesses that need to be addressed. See my computer Internet security article for details.

I have also installed Norton for myself on another computer and for some of my clients. Norton provides 2 major products for the PC public, Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton 360 v3.0. Both of these products have undergone major upgrades. The virus scan learns as it scans so that it only scan items that haven’t been scanned before which speeds up virus scanning time tremendously. Norton used to be notorious for their heavy impact on system performance and their complex and difficult installations. Both of these problems have been totally erased and both Norton Internet Security 2009 and Norton 360 v3.0 are light on the system and very fast and easy to install.

Norton Internet Security 2009 is intended for those who are more technically oriented and want the ability to tweak some settings of their security protection. Norton 360 v3.0 is set and forget software for those who just want excellent protection and don’t want to worry about it. Norton 360 v3.0 also has built in backup and PC speed optimization.

Tags: antivirus, Computer, computer maintenance, computer performance, computer security, computer tips, Computers, computers and internet, internet, Internet security, Software, windows, windows tips