Tips on Keeping Your Windows PC Running Fast
As the neighborhood computer nerd, I end up being the recipient of everyone’s old, “broken” computers. What’s shocking is that the vast majority of the time they aren’t broken at all. While there’s nothing physically wrong with most of these computers, the software their manufacturers so graciously installed and the habits of their users have rendered them useless. By following a few simple guidelines, you can greatly extend the time between necessary reinstalls of Windows.
First, as a general rule of thumb, only put software that you will need on your computer. That Bonzai Buddy might seem like a great idea at first, but keep in mind that most free programs up for download on the Internet fall into the category of “malware,” or malicious software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer without the owners informed consent. Keep in mind what you use your computer for-most people need one office suite, one CD/DVD authoring program, one graphics editing program, one IM program, one browser, a firewall/virus control program, and one media player. Choose one of everything that you like and stick with it. Before you install something, do a search for it on Google and see if any articles come up referring to it as spyware, adware or malware. Tying into this, choose an Internet service provider that doesn’t require any additional software installed to use. AOL is probably the best example of an ISP whose software can cause numerous PC problems: entire articles could be and have been written on the problems it causes.
Microsoft Office is generally the standard for office suites. When installing it, make sure you do a custom install and only select what you need. Depending on which version you use, the options might be somewhere different, but FindFast, the animated helpers and Office shortcut bar are all completely unnecessary. For CD and DVD burning, I recommend Nero for a variety of reasons including its lack of malware and ability to burn almost any kind of disc you could possibly dream of. If you use more than one instant messenger program, gAIM is probably the software for you. It’s malware free, works with AIM, ICQ, MSN and every other major protocol out there. ZoneAlarm is the best software firewall suite I’ve found and includes antivirus/antispyware in its most recent incarnations. If Windows Media Player isn’t cutting it for you, give WinAmp or VLC a try. Again, these are suggestions: the underlying guideline is to install only the programs you need and seek out the ones that include only what you need.
Finally, clean the existing unnecessary software off of the computer. This is a matter of damage control and is often the most difficult step. If you purchased a computer from any of the major brand names, it probably came with a lot of software you do not need included. You can see a list of everything installed on your computer by going to the Start menu, then to the Control Panel and then “Add/Remove Programs.” Anything you do not recognize or isn’t labeled as a driver or Windows update can go. Much software of this sort affects a computer’s performance by causing a program to run every time it starts. You can see everything that’s running at startup by going to the Start menu, to Programs, and then Startup. Unfortunately, many of these programs are very good at hiding themselves and some will not show up under Startup. For a complete list of what’s starting with your computer, go to the Start menu and click “Run.” In the text box, type “regedit,” hit enter, and browse to hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run using the folders on the left. The right will now display every program running at startup. Again, you can use Google to search for everything running and determine whether it’s necessary or not. Finally, you can turn off some unnecessary (and sometimes dangerously insecure) portions of Windows. This can be done by once again going to the Start menu, to Run, and this time typing in, “msconfig” and hitting enter. Clicking the Services tab will show you a list of everything else running at startup. The following services are unnecessary (if you use them, you’ll know not to disable them) and may be unchecked: Alterter, Computer Browser, Clipbook, Error Reporting Service, Fast User Switching, Help and Support, Messenger, Net Logon, NT LM Security Support, Remote Desktop Help, Remote Registry, Telnet, Volume Shadow Copy, Portable Media Serial Number. If you use Windows XP Home, some of these may not show up-this is one of its disadvantages over Windows XP Professional.
By following these simple guidelines, you can extend the time between reformatting and installing the operating system on your computer considerably.
Tags: Hardware, Software, Windows, windows vista, windows xp
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Elvis Honkey on 23 Feb 2007 at 9:49 am #
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / Software/Microsoft / Windows / Current Version/Uninstall. This is also a good place to see what you have on your PC and remove what you don’t want or need.