Have you noticed that your computer does not run as fast as it did when it was new?
A slow PC is one of the primary complaints of most computer owners who currently run Windows XP. Memory gulping start-up programs, greedy anti-virus applications and a hard drive that has not been defragged since...who knows when. All these issues contribute to degrading your computer's performance.
Are you ready to get back up to speed? If so, the first and most basic task is to run defrag on your hard drive. Few people do this anymore because they think Windows XP does it automatically - it does not. So let's get started.
Task #1
Click "Start", then "All Programs", then "Accessories". Now go to the "System Tools" folder and select "Disk Defragmenter". When it opens, select your primary "C:" drive, then click "Defragment".
If you have multiple drives you can defragment them after you have done your primary "C:" drive.
Task #2
Visit the Startup Inspector website.
You will find an excellent tool that allows even novice users to manage Windows startup applications.
Here's the link: http://www.windowsstartup.com/
This helpful utility allows you to:
- scan all programs that are in the Windows Startup Folder and
Registry and provides you with background information about the program. - remove harmful programs like spyware, virus, and dialers, thus making your system healthier.
- remove unnecessary programs like reminders and monitors. This helps improve your systems performance.
The Startup Inspector is freeware and costs nothing to download. Download it to your desktop, double-click on it and select "Run".
The best thing about this handy little utility is the Startup Programs Knowledge Base. This is the database source for Startup Inspector. If you see an unidentified process on your computer you may find some information about it here. There are currently over 6500 entries in the database, but it grows daily as users add new entries.
When using Startup Inspector always use extreme care when removing and disabling startup processes.
Task #3 Power Tips
Your next task is to enable DMA if it's not currently enabled.
DMA is a mode that allows your hard drive to bypass the CPU and access memory directly from RAM (random access memory). When DMA is enabled your CPU does less work - so it works faster when handling other processes.
To enable go to "Control Panel", open the "System" folder, select "Hardware" and then "Device Manager". Look for the "IDE ATA Controllers" section, click the plus sign (+), then double-click "Primary IDE Channel, select "Advanced Settings" and make sure the DMA option is selected for both Transfer modes. Click "OK" and repeat for the "Secondary IDE Channel".
While you are still in "Device Manager" go to the "Ports" section and disable "COM" and "LPT".
DO NOT disable "COM" if you are using standard dial-up to access the Internet.
DO NOT disable "LPT" if you are using a parallel printer.
Lastly, if your drive is still configured to FAT (File Allocation Table); you will want to convert it to the faster more efficient NTFS (New Technology File System).
Just go to "Start", then "Run" and type in "cmd". When you get to the prompt, type "convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs" without the quotes. Press enter.
Some WARNINGS about converting to NTFS (if you're in doubt about any of these points - hold off until you get any issues resolved):
- Some DOS and older Windows apps can't read NTFS drives, although there are utilities to help overcome this limitation.
- Once converted to NTFS, you cannot convert the drive back to FAT.
The conversion process takes some time, so take a break and slow down while your computer system speeds up.
