Fix your slow computer.
Computers just keep getting faster and faster, yet the faster they become, the more applications that will appear to slow them down.
There are several ways to fix a slow computer without having to buy costly software.
The first, and easiest to use, is msconfig. Msconfig allows you to select which programs will load on the startup of your computer. When you install an application, it will often install itself in your startup folder or tray, so that each time the computer loads, that program loads with it. Even if your task bar is completely empty, you could have numerous programs running in the background.
Windows 2000 and XP
To get to msconfig, go to your start menu and choose run. In the run box, type “msconfig”. Once the msconfig box comes up, choose the startup tab. Now it will look a bit overwhelming to see all these applications with odd names, but by going though this list and selecting what you want to keep and what you want to remove from startup you will greatly improve the speed of your computer.
Obviously, you do not want to start going through the list, removing checkmarks on random programs. While Windows prevents you from doing real harm, you can cause yourself several annoyances by removing programs you may need to use.
To help you know which programs to remove, go to: http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php?filter=&letter=
This site allows you to search for the name you see in the list and it will tell you whether it can go or stay. If you want to remove the program, just remove the checkmark. Once you have removed all the applications you do not want loading on startup, click OK and choose to restart. After it reloads a dialog box will appear saying changes were made, simply hit OK and you are done.
Windows Vista
Things are a little different in Vista compared with 2000 and XP. In Vista, go to your start menu and search for “msconfig” using the search tool. Once the program is found, click the link for the file and it will open the System Configuration window. From here, it is similar to the previous windows versions and you can simply select the Startup tab and then choose which files you want and which you want to remove.
Another excellent and free way to speed up your computer is by removing adware. Adware programs are those that may have downloaded on your computer, often without you realizing it, through various means. Often, you will have so many of these applications running behind the scenes of your computer that it will slow it down drastically. Thankfully, these horribly annoying applications can be removed with an amazing program that has been available on the internet free for years now.
Ad-Aware can be easily downloaded at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
Once you have downloaded and installed this application, it is an easy task to do a system scan. Ad Aware will find the adware that can be removed from your computer and let you choose whether you want to remove it or not. It also tells you when the last updates were done, allowing you to download new updates to keep on top of the ever growing adware universe.
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