If your computer runs slower than you would like, try speeding up your PC by following our tips. Think of it as a spring computer cleanup : emptying applications that you no longer use, removing temporary files that take up space on your hard drive are tasks that you probably would not want to do, but that can make a big difference on any PC or laptop.
Why is your computer slow?
PCs can become slow for a variety of reasons:- the material can overheat,
- some drivers may be out of date or out of date,
- your PC may be overloaded by running too many programs.
Create a system restore point before cleaning
Create a system restore point before making any changes or operations. To do this:
- open the File Explorer,
- right-click on This computer,
- select Properties,
- click System Protection in the upper left corner and create a restore point.
If there is a problem, you can always go back and return to all settings.
Speed up and clean your computer
Defragmenting your hard drive
clean-pcIf you have a mechanical disk, it will also suffer from a phenomenon called fragmentation. This means that the more programs and files you use, copy and move, the more bits and bytes on your disk become cluttered, and the more the read / write head must work to open or store your data.
Defragment your disk by opening your Start menu, typing Defragmenter and pressing the Enter key. Click Optimize to start the process - and be patient, it may take a while.
Optimize startup by modifying startup items in Windows Task Manager
Does starting your PC take a little too much time? He may be loading too many things you do not need right after turning it on. Check the list of things that run automatically using a hidden but effective method: The Windows Task Manager.
To scroll through the list, right-click on your Windows taskbar (this is the bar at the bottom of your screen where all your application icons are located) and select Task Manager. Go to Startup and look at the items listed in the Windows Startup tab in the Task Manager.
Update your drivers
Your PC comes with more than 100 built-in components. You have the Wi-Fi chip, the processor, the graphics card, the power button and dozens of other elements to make things happen. It's a complex system!
All of these components are controlled by device drivers. It is essentially small software that controls the operation of the various components. And like any software, the drivers can be defective (especially early versions) or not extracting the full potential of your hardware.
Free up space on your hard drive by removing large files
You download a massive file or a huge video from your phone - and you forget them! A good way to find the largest files on all of your hard drives is to integrate them directly into your Windows Explorer. To do this, open your browser and click in the search box. From there, click on Size and select Gigantic. All files larger than 100 MB will be listed.
Perform a disk cleaning
Every use of a PC, its programs, its browser or its games, leaves a plethora of digital waste. This is because all PC programs create some form of temporary files, files that programs need to work, but that we forget to get rid of once they are finished using them.
Examples:
- Temporary configuration and program files
- Old Chkdsk files
- Installation logs
- Update Windows and Upgrade Remaining Windows Files
- Temporary Internet Files and Offline Web Pages
- Windows error reporting files
To get rid of this clutter, you can use the built-in Windows Disk Cleaner tool that removes the basic clutter on your PC. To launch it in any version of Windows (including Windows XP, 7, Vista, 8 and 10), right-click on your desktop and select New / Shortcut. Type the following text:
SystemSystemRoot% \ System32 \ Cmd.exe / c Cleanmgr / sageset: 65535 & Cleanmgr / sagerun: 6553
Create a cleaning shortcut
Create a cleaning shortcut
Name this shortcut "My new PC cleaner" (or whatever you prefer). Is the shortcut created? Then right-click on it and select Run as administrator. Select all the files you find there or check the descriptions to find out what you are removing, but in most cases none if it is necessary for your daily life.
After a while, the superficial digital clutter should disappear and here are some deeper cleaning options:
Windows 10 provides another way to clean up old upgrade files. These can be huge if you went from Windows 7/8 to Windows 10 or from version 10 to a newer version. You can find it by clicking on your Start menu, then on the Settings icon and going into System. Under Storage, click your hard drive and select Temporary Files. This is where you can find a little more clutter, including the backups mentioned above.
Uninstall applications you do not need
You may have applications on your PC that you barely use or no longer need, which slows down your PC and wastes disk space. To get rid of it, go to your Windows Control Panel and click on Programs and Programs and Features. Browse the list and make sure things you do not need are uninstalled.
This was the uncomfortable method because in many cases you may not know if you need the program or when you last used it.
Test the integrity and health of your hard drive
Any file on your hard drive or SSD can be damaged if, for example, your PC loses power or suddenly breaks down. That's why it may not be a bad idea to check the integrity of your hard drives from time to time. To do this, click your Start button and simply type the letters CMD. The result of the search will appear at the command prompt. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.
A black command line will appear. Type chkdsk / f / r / r / b and press Return. Now, confirm that you want to scan your drive at the next reboot and reboot your PC! Depending on the size of your drive, this check and repair may take longer than one hour. But in the end, you either repaired hard disk problems or repaired critical files or at least you know that everything is fine.
Should you use a registry cleaner?
The web is filled with "Registry Cleaners" and tips on how to clean a registry to speed up PCs. The registry is a crucial part of your Windows operating system. In many cases, it contains hundreds of thousands of entries, probably thousands of which could be invalid or simply empty. Registry Cleaners look for them, and delete or repair them in some cases.
Most of the time the use of a registry cleaner has no impact on the performance of your PC. Of course, the registry is loaded every time you turn on your PC and is constantly being accessed, but this database is about 100-200 MB, which even a 10 year old PC can process in a split second. Deleting some entries does not affect speed.
Unless you encounter startup error messages, you do not need to use a registry cleaner.
Our advice: Leave the database alone. Windows does it well. And if you have an error, be sure to use a professional registry cleaner tool.
Look for a virus or malware
If your PC is running slowly despite your best efforts, look for malware. How viruses, Trojans, adware or any other form of malware affect performance
Viruses,
advertising software,
malware,
spyware,
Trojans,
are not just a major security risk, some of them reduce the performance of your PC. If your PC is running slowly, despite all your noble efforts, you may need to consider running an antivirus on your system because some viruses can eat all your processing power.
Upgrading your hardware to speed up your PC
Update the RAM of your computer
There are two major limiting factors to any desktop or laptop: its RAM and hard drive.
The first limitation is the physical memory available on your PC, the "RAM" or Random Access Memory, where your programs are run once you start them. In other words, it is the short-term memory of your PC.
Nowadays, the standard is 8 giga to run a PC.
Google Chrome is known for being greedy in RAM. Load 10 of your most popular sites: you will see the use of RAM skyrocket. This leaves hardly enough room for Windows itself, let alone any other program.
Result: As your PC needs to mix things in and out of its short-term memory, things get very slow. That's where all the boring loading times come from. If you have less than 8 GB, add RAM.
Two sticks of RAM
Unless you play games or work with incredibly large files, 8 GB should be enough. RAM is cheap nowadays. If you have a laptop, make sure it is scalable.
To upgrade RAM, open the enclosure and find the location to add or replace your existing memory module with a larger one. Check the specifications of your PC to make sure the new bars are right for your machine?
Upgrading your hard drive to an SSD
The second most important limiting factor is the long-term memory of your PC: the hard drive! This is where Windows, your programs and all your personal files are stored. Every time you load something, the hard drive should look for those bits and bytes and transfer them to your RAM.
More than 80% of PCs still have what is called a hard disk needle. This is a turntable which is accessed by a mobile read / write head. Unlike all other PC components that process your data, this mechanical approach is very slow. Your RAM or CPU can wait for the disk to complete its task, which slows down the entire system.
If you can, invest in what is called a Solid State Disk (SSD). An SSD should increase your reading and writing speed by a factor of at least 10. Windows will load faster, your files will open instantly and your programs will work much easier.
Make sure your laptop or PC can be upgraded. A 250 GB SSD can be obtained for a reasonable price.
Moving from a mechanical disk to an SSD also reduces power consumption and increases the battery life of laptops.
A better graphics card if you are a gamer
Are you a player, a designer or a video editor? Well, then RAM, hard drives or even the CPU (Central Processing Unit) are not your main concern. It's your graphics card that is responsible for how your PC handles video editing or plays games. If a lague game is often because of your graphics card.
On laptops, you're out of luck because the GPU (graphics processor) is soldered to the motherboard. No chance to improve that. Desktop PCs can be easily upgraded.
The two leaders in the GPU market, NVIDIA and AMD, have various cards tailored to the budgets and needs of players.
Overclocking your CPU or GPU?
Your processor and graphics card operate at specific clock rates. For example, a Core i7 6700HQ runs from a base of 2.6 GHz and boosts up to 3.5 GHz. The GeForce Titan X (p) runs at a little over 1500 MHz. The clock frequency determines how many operations per second your hardware can perform. Overclocking is a method of increasing these frequencies to obtain higher clocks.
Overclocking increases the heat for your PC's hardware. Proceed with caution.
Overclocking is not as dangerous as before. In most cases, your CPU or GPU turns off and Windows crashes before damage occurs. Nevertheless, overclocking increases the temperature of your equipment and should only be done when you know what you are doing. If you do, it's at your own risk.
Overclocking the CPU
Unless you do a lot of CPU-intensive tasks like multimedia editing or running countless applications at the same time, you will not feel the difference of an overclock. For those who want absolute maximum performance, try the Extreme Tuning utility from Intel. With, you can very easily adjust the speed of the CPU clock, but we advise you to increase it in steps of 50 MHz, then test the stability of the system in your extreme scenarios (editing, games, etc.). ), before improving it again.
Overclocking the GPU (only for players)
Your gaming performance depends primarily on the power of your graphics chip - even more than the amount of memory you have or the speed of your processor. In almost all cases, your graphics chip is the bottleneck that causes stuttering of the game. To improve performance, you can use the graphics card beyond its factory speed setting - or in other ways terms: overclocking!
In the GPU world, you can overclock both the processing chip and the speed of memory using various tools like MSI Afterburner. Now, on our gaming PC (with two Titan Xp graphics cards), we have managed to synchronize the 200 MHz GPU and the 500 MHz memory before things get unstable. However, the benefits were perceptible: Gaming performance increased by another 15% and guaranteed the best frame rate and the best picture quality possible even on the most demanding games.
All chips are not created in the same way and therefore react differently to overclocking. In addition, your cooling solution is another limiting factor. When working with a traditional fan, you may experience thermal problems much earlier.
Measure your overclock
Note to laptop users: Overclocking is also possible if you have a dedicated graphics chip, such as the GeForce GTX 965M (above) or a Radeon Pro 460. However, thermal problems are even more important here because the heat is less likely to dissipate in these small enclosures. This is why, in many cases, you will not be able to push the clocks beyond 100 or 150 MHz. In addition, because of the increase in power consumption, the battery life will certainly suffer.
Physical cleaning of your computer
With your PC or your laptop's fans blowing air in and out of the system for years, chances are there will be dust in your device. These slow down or even shut down your fans, which traps heat and leads to poor performance or frequent accidents.
That's why frequently open your PC Tower and your laptops to use a gas sprayer to catapult dust with compressed air (keep a vacuum cleaner on hand).
Conclusion
You should do this on a regular monthly basis these most important adjustment and cleaning steps. Here are some good habits that should reduce the maintenance you need to do to keep a PC healthy:
Before installing any software, think long and hard about whether you really need it or if you plan to use it regularly. If you only need it once, do not forget to uninstall it.
Review the list of all your installed programs and decide if you still need all these programs.
Create full backups of your PC after cleaning, installing and configuring my PC. If something goes wrong, return to the previous state.
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