Three tips to Speed up and Clean your PC

These past few weeks I had been avoiding my laptop because it had gone crazy slow. Programs would take ages in opening up and the system would freeze up in minutes. Since it's the weekend, I decided to finally sit down and dive in. In less than an hour I was done, and my laptop is back to normal again. All in three steps:

1. Run CCleaner

This isn't quoted repeatedly on every website without reason. It's light on space, quick startup and cleans up all the hidden mess on your computer in no time. Not only does it do the usual like emptying the recycle bin & clearing your browser history & cache, it clears your recent documents, recent run commands, applications' caches.. in one click.

2. Uninstall programs which you don't use/need

Over time, the list of installed programs build up. Removing unnecessary ones, not only frees up space on your hard drive it also helps free up memory. I've tried and tested this method on XP and Vista, and noticed a huge improvement in the computers' speeds after uninstalling unused programs.

To uninstall, go to:

Control Panel> Programs> Uninstall a Program

When going through the installed programs list, you should scan for these programs for uninstallation:

• Programs you simply DO NOT use. Just get rid of them.
• Unused programs which come pre-installed on your computer. Usually trials & other software you never use.
• Programs which you don't remember installing. These usually are installed along with other programs of the same developer. Or it's been so long, you've forgotten.
• Complements to programs you no longer use.
• Programs which you rarely use. You can always download it again off the internet in minutes. 

Parts of old programs you no longer use

Get rid of all the pre-installed programs which you've never used nor will you

Why keep programs, which you'll never use?

3. Lessen the Startup Programs

When your PC turns on, it can take ages for it to have fully started up. Blame the delay on your startup programs. Do you really need to use Skype, MSN, bittorent each time you turn on your computer? Not really. To check what programs startup by default and to change that, go to:

Control Panel> Programs> Change Startup Programs 

Go through the list of startup programs. Disable the programs you know about and don't feel its need to open up at startup. Many of the programs are updates. You can disable minor ones like Adobe or Google updates. They usually check for updates anyway when you open up that application.

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