How To make your Computers run Faster
Is your computer slowing down, whizzing and whirring as it tries to keep up with you? Before you spend hundreds or even thousands on a new computer, you may find it only takes a few simple steps to make your Windows or Mac computer run faster.
Steps
Before You Begin
1
Back up your computer. Many of us have what feels like our entire lives stored on our computers--photos of cherished memories, the evolution of our musical taste, school work, tax returns and, more and more, everything we need to do our work . Before making any major changes, it is always a good idea to back up essential files.[1]
Purchase an external hard drive that is larger than the hard drive you want to back up.[2] Inserting the USB of the external hard drive should automatically prompt your computer to give you the option to use the drive for back up. If you need more help, read the wikiHow article about how to back up a hard drive.
If you are worried about losing or damaging an external hard drive, you can back up important files online. Subscribe to a secure back up service (like Carbonite or SOS Online Backup). You can set your computer to back up to the cloud on a schedule or even every time you make a change to a file.[3]
You can always back up onto CDs or DVDs, but keep them in a safe place so they are not scratched, broken, or damaged.
2
Restart your computer. This can temporarily speed up a slow computer by refreshing the memory. Restart, or completely shut down the computer, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on.[4]
Make sure you save any projects you are working on before turning off your computer!
Method One of Two:
Windows
1
Check your hard disk space first. Go to My Computer, right-click Local Drive, then click Properties. There you'll see a pie chart of your free versus used space. If the disk is mostly full, you will need to remove programs and files; if there's still plenty of room, there may be something wrong with your operating system.
As a rule, you want to keep at least 15% of the hard disk space free to keep the computer running smoothly.
If you find you simply need more space, consider buying and installing a Solid State Drive (SSD) to complement or replace your hard disk. They are faster and much more secure than hard drives.
Most laptops don't have the space to add an SSD.
2
Remove any programs you do not use. Go to Control Panel, then click Add or Remove Programs (or "Uninstall a Program", depending on your operating system) to find a master list of programs installed on your computer. Some things will strike you as useless immediately, in which case you can remove them right away. Others won’t look familiar to you and may require some research.
It may help to see how often you use the program. If you right-click one of the column titles above your program list, you should be able to add additional characteristics by which to organize your programs. Check Last Used On and a column displaying the last time you used each program will appear. This will quickly show you which programs you use frequently and the ones you haven't used in years.
Don't forget to empty your recycling bin.
3
Prevent unnecessary programs from starting when the computer boots up. Some programs may start as soon as you turn on your computer, running in the background so they will load quickly when you open them. Open the Start Menu and run a search for "msconfig". Click on Startup to see a list of all the programs that run when you boot up your computer and uncheck anything unnecessary.
You can also check the taskbar to see which programs are running on start up (be sure to click Show Hidden Icons so you don't miss any).
4
Change the power plan of your desktop computer to High Performance. Go to the Control Panel and select Power Options. You will find a list of power plans, usually Balanced, Power Saver, and High Performance. These settings control how your computer uses power--either by lowering per
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