Keyboard It crunched through applications which left your old machine gasping for breath – but lately seems to have lost its edge.
Numerous factors can cause a PC to run more slowly - but running a few simple computer health checks can save you a good deal of time in the long run.
Before you start you should visit Windows Update at www.update.microsoft.com to ensure your system is running the latest software.
Step One
There are tools built into Windows for cleaning up and optimising your PC.
Disk Cleanup is a Windows utility that scours your computer for unnecessary files and deletes them.
In both XP and Vista, Go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup (see below)
Choose what you would like to be deleted and click ‘OK’.
Step Two
A neighbouring application to Disk Cleanup is Disk Defragmenter. Programme files steadily become spread around your hard disk - literally fragmenting. The disk then has to spend time searching for scattered files. Defragmenting reintegrates them and thus speeds up your machine.
In XP, under Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter click ‘Analyse’. When analysis is complete you will be able to defragment, if necessary. Vista will prompt you to continue when you open Defragmenter and offer you the option of scheduling the operation.
Alternatives include proprietary software, e.g. Norton Utilities or McAfee. Norton does a thorough job in my experience – although such software costs upwards of £30.
Step Three
A third Windows utility, Error Checking, will find out if sectors of your hard disk have gone bad. Go to My Computer ('Computer' in Vista) and right click on the C: drive. Choose Properties and click on the ‘Tools’ tab. Under ‘Tools’ click the ‘Error Checking’ tab. Check the box which says ‘Scan now and attempt recovery of bad sectors’ and click Start (see below).
Step Four
Infection by spyware can seriously slow your PC. Spyware behaves similarly to viruses, sneaking into unprotected systems and secretly monitoring the user's behaviour. Spyware can collect personal data, change settings and cause slow connection speeds. For many reasons it is strongly recommended that you should check for such programmes and remove them, if found.
There are two stages to dealing with Spyware: firewall and anti-spyware programmes – prevention and cure.
Windows has a built-in firewall. Go to Start>Control Panel and enter Security Centre. If your firewall is not on, activate it. Again there are third party alternatives, some free and some not.
Once firewalled, you need to scan for spyware. Windows Defender is bundled with Vista - XP users can go to www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/ default.mspxdownload for this free programme.
Once more, there are both free and paid-for alternatives which in my testing detected errors which Defender missed. Enter 'spyware removal review' in a search engine and you can choose which programme best suits you.
Step Five
Check your registry using a registry cleaning utility. Errors in the registry can cause various time wasting annoyances such as computer crashes, and programmes which freeze or fail to open. As with spyware, check some of the online products reviews and take your pick.