Please tell me that how can I make my PC run faster, I'm using windows XP Service Pack 2 on Pentium 4 2.40ghz, 40 GB hard Disk, 120 mb of ram and I have also install Mcafee Virus Scan but still it is getting slower and slower. There are a number of steps that you can take to attempt to speed up your system. Most require simply tweaking the software you already have, not adding more. However, if the information you've provided is accurate, the problem with your system is much more fundamental. "Windows XP loves RAM."
I just checked a Window XP with SP2 box, and Microsoft calls out a minimum RAM requirement of 128Meg. Not only are you below that, but I consider Microsoft's requirement totally impractical if you actually want to do anything with your machine. I would recommend a minimum of 256Meg of RAM, and ideally more. In machines that I've recently purchased, I've configured them with 1 or 2 Gigabytes of RAM. Windows XP loves RAM. If you have 256Meg of RAM or less, that would be the first place I'd turn to in order to increase your system's effective speed. The next place I'd look is at all the software that loads and runs automatically when you start your machine. If you've never adjusted it, and you've simply accepted default installations for software you've installed, it's likely there's a lot of software actually running that doesn't need to be. Unfortunately identifying what is, and is not, required can be a difficult process, since it depends on how you specifically use your computer. My previous article What's all this stuff running after I boot Windows? will help you at least identify what gets launched automatically when you log in. The article What's this program running on my machine? includes some of the steps I go through when I try to understand exactly what a program is, or what it's trying to do. (In short ... Google is your friend.) Windows Services is another area to examine, but unfortunately things get even more obscure. There are lists of services that you can review and determine for yourself if they are appropriate for your machine. Other things that can also increase your system's performance include:
There are, naturally, many many other tweaks of various and dubious value out on the internet, but these are the ones that I focus on as getting the most bang for the effort. I expect readers will add some of their favorite tweaks to the comments on their article, so be sure and read any of those that are present. Related:
Article 9617 | Posted December 26, 2005 |
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I reccomend lots of things. I have got a DELL LATITUDE CPx Laptop with 128MB-500MHZ. This may sound rubbish and it was when i got it second hand. Until i sorted it out. I recomend that you download Auslogics Disk Defragmenter and Auslogics Registry Drfragmenter. www.auslogics.co.uk/downloads. They are free. Regitry Defrag sorts out Windows and makes start ups and prosesses faster. Also clear Internet Explorer Cache each time. Also run disk cleanup every time your logging off, it takes 1-2min.
If this makes my laptop dead fast i think it will make your more advanced and more powerfull computers much faster
Thank You.... Daniel Palmer.
Posted by: Daniel Palmer at March 15, 2008 2:04 PMVERY USULL
I just got a new ram for my pc, and now it is doing nothing.
Posted by: Camille at March 25, 2008 10:58 AMTo speed up a mid-level config PC,
-Ensure the system is free from spyware and malware. These can seriously cripple performance.
-Add RAM. But note that anything more than 3 GB is useless on a 32-bit OS.
-Defragment the hard drives. The fragmentation disease affects every Windows OS, regardless of FAT or NTFS (FAT is worse!) and reduces performance. Especially for lower and mid-end PCs. Combat fragmentation with a good automatic defragmenter...no need to waste time by scheduling regular defrags; yet gain continuous benefit of defragmentation. The hard drive is the performance bottleneck in a PC, so keep it optimized always.
-Update hardware drivers to the latest manufacturer recommended versions. Especially with video cards, these can have a major boost.
-Don't mess with registry. Don't use any of these registry 'tuners' or 'optimizers'. They are usually trouble.
Posted by: Marty at April 2, 2008 6:58 AMWhat relly helps your pc work faster is installing the hole operating sistem that may sound rude but I have notice that after 6 month of using my pc It gets slow and I have to format it and there we go againg. It really works, try it.
Posted by: Ulises G at May 7, 2008 7:40 PM-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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Ulises: Yes, in fact that's so common there's a term for it:
"software rot". 6 months seems a little extreme, but
ultimately it depends on how you use your machine and how
often you install or uninstall software. If you do it a lot
then sometimes the best thing is to reformat and reinstall.
I find I do it about every year or two on my primary
machines.
Thanks,
Leo
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I have a dell 4600 upgraded the RAM 1 gig plus it has xp svc pack 3 the problem is that it is running very slow and when i connect it takes a long time plus the pages are very choppy and slow i am at my ends wit with this system PLEASE HELP
Posted by: Joseph Lowndes at May 26, 2008 4:06 PMThese are some great tips, I guarantee that if you follow these your computer will be running faster. I saw a site the other day that will show you videos and answers of these things, you should check it out!
http://computerht.com/archives/97
Posted by: Brooks at June 3, 2008 6:00 AMi just bought acer aspire one notebook...not up 2 two weeks now but the system is as slow as u cannever imagine. i dont know what 2 do, ive tried everything i could but didnt succeed. pls LEO tell me what 2 do.
Posted by: Valentine at August 7, 2008 7:40 AMI bought a HP Pavilion a1325a in 2005, and it has:
3.0Ghz CPU
1 Gig DDR2 RAM
ATI XPRESS 200 Series Graphics
XP Media Center Edition
Is this enough to play the latest PC Games?
Posted by: Xaio at August 24, 2008 1:59 AMFor example COD 4, TF2, Guild Wars.
Hi my computer was built for hi speed games videos and surfing then net ive increased ddr ram to 2G etc and was still slow. i day i decided to remove my Mcaffe antivirus and yay its fast as hell! Mcaffe is a [...] hot program but slows your system down!
Posted by: J Marriott at September 24, 2008 4:47 AMHope this helps ppl!