All computers are made to be slower and slower each passing day. Temporary Internet Files, Downloaded Files, Windows Registry becoming full cause of installation and un-installation of files, Hard Drives having bad clusters, driver incompatibilities and a lot more reason.
A PC tune up is mandatory, after removing malware infection on a computer. In many instances malware damages system files as well as the Windows registry, and can cause computers to be extremely unreliable.
So let us begin with a few step by step details that are needed to perform a successful PC tune up!
1.) Speed up the hard drive by disabling "search indexing"
Navigate to My Computer.
Right click on the root drive - the hard drive that contains your installation of Windows.
Choose Properties
Uncheck the box that refers to "Indexing" or "Search indexing" etc.
Click Apply and wait for the drive to scan and make the changes!
2.) Speed up the program menu by editing the registry (more noticeable in XP)
Go to the Search box (Windows Vista and 7) or the Run box (XP and prior)
This "box" can be found by clicking on the Windows icon on the left lower side of the desktop
Type: regedit and hit Enter (the registry editor will appear)
Double click on: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Click on Desktop.
On the right hand pane, navigate to Menu Show Delay and Double Click it
Under Value Data, change the value to1 (it should have been 400 previously)
Click OK
Click on File, then choose Exit in the Registry Editor
Restart the PC, and the program menu should load much faster!
3.) Prevent drive fragmentation - turn on auto defragment
Go to the Search box (Windows Vista and 7) or the Run box (XP and prior)
This "box" can be found by clicking on the Windows icon on the left lower side of the desktop
Type defragment and press Enter. The Disk Defragmenter utility will then pop up.
Click on: Configure Schedule and choose the desired schedule (time/day) preferred to auto-defrag the drive.
Click OK when done, then close!
4.) Clear saved browser cache etc
Clearing the cache will increase the browser's load time, and can help troubleshoot various internet browser problems. This is a vital step in performing a PC tune up, due to the fact that a high percentage of computer usage is online surfing and as more temporary files are stored, the browsing experience suffers significantly.
Mozilla Firefox Users:
Click Tools
Go to Options
Navigate to the Privacy tab
Choose Clear All Current History
Internet Explorer Users:
Click Tools
Click on Internet Options
Next, click on the General tab
Under Browsing History, click on Delete (see next page for diagram)
Make sure everything is checked, except Form Data, Passwords and "InPrivate..."
Click Delete...all done!
5.) Keep video/music/picture files all separated by folders
A good way to minimize hard drive fragmentation, which in turn will speed hard drive access time, is to separate files by categories. For instance, ALL music files should be kept in one folder that is labeled (named) accordingly; and the same applies to video files, pictures, bookmarks, documents etc.
Windows has default folder locations for files such as: "My Documents", "My Pictures", "My Videos etc, which work perfectly in separating and centralizing these file types. A PC tune up is not only needed to restore performance, but to also prepare a computer to prevent data loss.
6.) Scan for malware (viruses, Trojans, spyware etc) using your favorite antivirus software
Many computers that have recently "slowed" or are no longer reliable often have some type of malware infection. If a PC tune up has been performed, but a virus or other threat remain on the computer, a PC tune up will do very little good, because the malware will soon slow the performance of the computer all over again! Use your favorite antivirus and antispyware software to check for threats such as viruses and trojans. Remove any threats that are found.
A PC tune up should ideally be performed after removing infections, so be sure to scan for viruses prior to doing any type of optimizing on your computer!
7.) Remove unneeded programs and toolbars
We all love to install new software. Unfortunately, many people don't realize that every time software is installed on a computer, (as well as taking up more hard drive space), it creates an entry into the "Windows Registry." As the registry gets updated with program installation entries, it becomes cluttered.
A PC tune up is mandatory, after removing malware infection on a computer. In many instances malware damages system files as well as the Windows registry, and can cause computers to be extremely unreliable.
So let us begin with a few step by step details that are needed to perform a successful PC tune up!
1.) Speed up the hard drive by disabling "search indexing"
Navigate to My Computer.
Right click on the root drive - the hard drive that contains your installation of Windows.
Choose Properties
Uncheck the box that refers to "Indexing" or "Search indexing" etc.
Click Apply and wait for the drive to scan and make the changes!
2.) Speed up the program menu by editing the registry (more noticeable in XP)
Go to the Search box (Windows Vista and 7) or the Run box (XP and prior)
This "box" can be found by clicking on the Windows icon on the left lower side of the desktop
Type: regedit and hit Enter (the registry editor will appear)
Double click on: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Click on Desktop.
On the right hand pane, navigate to Menu Show Delay and Double Click it
Under Value Data, change the value to1 (it should have been 400 previously)
Click OK
Click on File, then choose Exit in the Registry Editor
Restart the PC, and the program menu should load much faster!
3.) Prevent drive fragmentation - turn on auto defragment
Go to the Search box (Windows Vista and 7) or the Run box (XP and prior)
This "box" can be found by clicking on the Windows icon on the left lower side of the desktop
Type defragment and press Enter. The Disk Defragmenter utility will then pop up.
Click on: Configure Schedule and choose the desired schedule (time/day) preferred to auto-defrag the drive.
Click OK when done, then close!
4.) Clear saved browser cache etc
Clearing the cache will increase the browser's load time, and can help troubleshoot various internet browser problems. This is a vital step in performing a PC tune up, due to the fact that a high percentage of computer usage is online surfing and as more temporary files are stored, the browsing experience suffers significantly.
Mozilla Firefox Users:
Click Tools
Go to Options
Navigate to the Privacy tab
Choose Clear All Current History
Internet Explorer Users:
Click Tools
Click on Internet Options
Next, click on the General tab
Under Browsing History, click on Delete (see next page for diagram)
Make sure everything is checked, except Form Data, Passwords and "InPrivate..."
Click Delete...all done!
5.) Keep video/music/picture files all separated by folders
A good way to minimize hard drive fragmentation, which in turn will speed hard drive access time, is to separate files by categories. For instance, ALL music files should be kept in one folder that is labeled (named) accordingly; and the same applies to video files, pictures, bookmarks, documents etc.
Windows has default folder locations for files such as: "My Documents", "My Pictures", "My Videos etc, which work perfectly in separating and centralizing these file types. A PC tune up is not only needed to restore performance, but to also prepare a computer to prevent data loss.
6.) Scan for malware (viruses, Trojans, spyware etc) using your favorite antivirus software
Many computers that have recently "slowed" or are no longer reliable often have some type of malware infection. If a PC tune up has been performed, but a virus or other threat remain on the computer, a PC tune up will do very little good, because the malware will soon slow the performance of the computer all over again! Use your favorite antivirus and antispyware software to check for threats such as viruses and trojans. Remove any threats that are found.
A PC tune up should ideally be performed after removing infections, so be sure to scan for viruses prior to doing any type of optimizing on your computer!
7.) Remove unneeded programs and toolbars
We all love to install new software. Unfortunately, many people don't realize that every time software is installed on a computer, (as well as taking up more hard drive space), it creates an entry into the "Windows Registry." As the registry gets updated with program installation entries, it becomes cluttered.
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