Cheap or free ways to make your old computer faster

Has your old, trusty computer been running rather slow lately? Is the old workhorse starting to slow down in its old age? Why not buy a brand new PC  that’s exciting, cool and better? But new stuff also costs a whole lot of money. There are some helpful cheap or free tricks that can help make your computer run a lot faster:

Streamline your startup
So let’s start with the simple things first, if your computer is on a go-slow, too much software booting at the system start might be to blame. Before you go over the top, all you need to do is just clean up your startup. First open the startup tab in task manager if your have Windows 8, or type “msconfig” if your have Windows 7.

Spring Cleaning
It’s time to do some deeper cleaning, get rid of any programs you don’t actually use and run a security sweep while you’re at it. If you still have Windows XP and a traditional hard drive, try defragging it (a process that reduces the amount of fragmentation), all you need to do is type “Defragment” in search and the program should pop right up.

It would be ideal for you to clean out in the inside of your computer at least once a year, but let’s be honest almost all of us never bother to pry open the case and blow out all that dust! Over time all the dirt and dust will build up and mess with your computer’s temperature and performance, if you take the time to simply clean it out you’ll see your computer will no longer struggle.

Reinstall Windows
If your computer is STILL running slow after the first few tricks and you've never refreshed your PC with a fresh, new Windows install – now is the time to do it. Make sure to back-up all your critical system data and then your can slap a fresh copy of Windows on your computer.

Sometimes the best option you have is to just say goodbye to your old computer, it may not be what you want to hear, but if you try to make it run faster and you fail miserably, that’s a sign it’s time to get rid of the old box.

Do you need IT support in Cape Town or Centurion? Contact us at The Computer Guyz, we can offer you a wide variety of services ranging from general IT support and repairs to website and graphic design. 


Written By: Christine Romans
Copy Writer at The Computer Guyz Cape Town

Comments

Popular Posts