By following a few simple guidelines, you can maintain
your computer, help increase your PC speed, and help keep it running
smoothly. This article discusses how to use the tools available in
Windows 7, Windows Vista, and
Windows XP Service Pack 3 to help make your computer faster, maintain your computer efficiently, and help safeguard your privacy when you're online.
Some of the tools mentioned in this article require you to be logged on
as an administrator. If you aren't logged on as an administrator, you
can only change settings that apply to your user account.
1. Remove spyware, and help protect your computer from viruses
Spyware
collects personal information without letting you know and without
asking for permission. From the websites you visit to user names and
passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at
risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your
computer's performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider
using the
PC safety scan from Windows Live OneCare. This scan is a free service that helps check for and remove viruses.
Download Microsoft Security Essentials
for free to help guard your system in the future from viruses, spyware,
adware, and other malicious software (also known as malware). Microsoft
Security Essentials acts as a spyware removal tool and includes
automatic updates to help keep your system protected from emerging
threats.
The
Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool
is another utility that checks computers running Windows 7, Windows
Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003 for infections
by specific, prevalent malicious software, including Blaster, Sasser,
and Mydoom, and helps remove any infection found.
2. Free up disk space
The
Disk Cleanup tool helps you to free up space on your hard disk to
improve the performance of your computer. The tool identifies files that
you can safely delete and then enables you to choose whether you want
to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:
- Remove temporary Internet files.
- Delete downloaded program files, such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets.
- Empty the Recycle Bin.
- Remove Windows temporary files, such as error reports.
- Delete optional Windows components that you don't use.
- Delete installed programs that you no longer use.
- Remove unused restore points and shadow copies from System Restore.
Tip:
Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space
because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.
To use Disk Cleanup:
Windows 7 users
Windows Vista users
Windows XP users
3. Speed up access to data
Disk
fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files
are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk as a file is
opened (to piece it back together). The response time can be
significantly longer.
Disk Defragmenter (sometimes shortened to
Defrag by users) is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files
and folders on your computer's hard disk so that each occupies a single
space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end to end, without
fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.
When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals
(weekly is optimal), there are other times you should run it, too, such
as when:
- You add a large number of files.
- Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.
- You install new programs or a new version of the Windows operating system.
To use Disk Defragmenter:
Windows 7 users
Windows Vista users
Windows XP users
Running
Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter on a regular basis is a proven way
to help keep your computer running quickly and efficiently. If you'd
like to learn how to schedule these tools and others to run
automatically, please read
Speed up your PC: Automate your computer maintenance schedule.
4. Detect and repair disk errors
In
addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the
performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files
stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.
As
you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow
down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file
saving) difficult or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans
the hard drive for bad sectors and scans for file system errors to see
whether certain files or folders are misplaced.
If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.
Run the Error Checking utility:
5. Learn about ReadyBoost
If
you're using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to
speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it
allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a
memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional
memory.
6. Upgrade to Windows 7
If
you try all the previous remedies and your computer still isn't as fast
as you would like it to be, you may want to consider updating to
Windows 7.
3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3770 Processor 
