6 Ways to Improve Your Systems Performance
It goes without saying that your system at some point will start to run slower. As you install more programs on your system or as programs and applications become more demanding, they can have a negative effect on how your system performs. The version of Windows you have running, and whether or not you’ve opted to upgrade to the latest iteration of Windows, will also take its toll.
While, there are some upgrades that you can do to your system, that will make it faster, there are some things that you can do, which are fairly straightforward and cost effective. These little tweaks and adjustments, may not seem like much, but when you combine these tweaks with other tweaks, it can end up having a massive effect on how your system functions.
There are also programs that you can invest in, that are designed to free up clutter on your system. This is done using many methods, including, uninstalling programs that you no longer use. These maintenance programs can also notify you when a program is consuming considerable amounts of system resources.
That said, below you will find 6 ways that you can make your system run faster.
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Restart your PC
This is probably a more obvious step, however, despite that fact, many people make the mistake of leaving their systems on for weeks at a time. If your system has been left idle for some time, then Windows 10, for example, will put it into sleep mode, however, processes that were running prior will continue to run. All these processes can slowly eat up system resources over time, slowing the computer down.
One way you can get around this, is by shutting your system down at the end of each day. To do that, just click on the Windows button, then select Power, then shut down.
Just be sure to close any running programs, and save anything you’re working on, before you proceed. If your computer has frozen, or is running so slow that you can’t shut it down, then you can hold down the Power button, on the system case, and it should power down after a couple of seconds.
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Remove Bloatware
A clogged up system will adversely affect its performance regardless of its age. New computers oftentimes come with a large amount of free software preinstalled. This software can range from propriety services and tools, but can sometimes include third-party programs, that are preinstalled, due to some kind of distribution agreement between both companies. It doesn’t matter what term you use to describe it, whether it be Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUP), bloatware or crapware, this software can have a negative effect on your computers performance.
These programs can consume large amounts of processing power and system memory, while taking up hard disk space that could be used for something more meaningful. There are some tools and programs like Dropbox or Microsoft Office suite that are very useful, but it’s more than likely you’ll have one or more programs that you’ll never use. For that reason, it’s worth spending at least a little amount of time, going through all the preinstalled applications and removing those that you don’t envision ever using.
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Add RAM
When it comes to memory usage, Windows 10/11 use up considerably less memory than prior versions, but, adding more RAM to your system is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your system run faster.
If you purchased a detachable laptop for example, then it’s likely you’ll have to settle with whatever you got, coming out of the box. However, there are some gaming and business laptops that make it possible for you to add additional RAM, but the process can be quite complicated.
Desktop machines tend to be much easier to upgrade, especially when it comes to adding more ram. It’s also considerably cheaper. Anyone that has at least a basic idea of the various components that make up a desktop unit, should be able to add more RAM to their system, within a couple of minutes, to an hour, at the most.
And if that proves too much for you, then you can hand it over to a professional, who can install the RAM for you. If you have any worries about doing it yourself, then you can ask someone you know, that is familiar with how to do things, just to watch over you, to ease yourself of any worry.
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Use SSD
Solid State Drives or SSDs use flash memory, which is similar to the memory found on USB sticks. This allows for considerable faster access and writing times, when compared to your more traditional mechanical drive.
The downside is in the area of cost. SSDs cost more per GB than your mechanical drive. However, if cost is no issue for you, then the improvements you’ll get, in terms of file access times, boot time and overall system performance, makes it well worth it.
If you’re interested in acquiring an SSD for your system, then you’ll need to ensure you purchase the correct size. 3.5” for desktop units and 2.5” for portable solutions. You’ll need to use cloning software to copy the contents of your old drive to your new SSD. But that process shouldn’t be too difficult, providing you find the right program to do it.
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Run System Maintenance
Windows 10/11 come with their own built-in utilities which you can use to carry out a range of maintenance tasks, such as scanning your system for Windows updates, removing malware and defragmenting your hard drive.
All of these tasks can be set to run in the background, when the PC is in an idle state, however, if you notice a toll on system performance, then you can run the tools manually.
To get started, make sure you’ve booted into your computer as an administrator, then press Windows Key + R, to bring up the Run box. Then type Control Panel into the run command line, and click on OK.
When Control Panel loads up, Type Maintenance into the Search Control Panel box, then click on Security and Maintenance.
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Remove malware
It’s so easy for a system to become infected with a virus nowadays. A system could get infected through an email attachment, drive-by download, or watering hole attack. Having malware on your system, won’t necessarily make it unusable. However, in many instances it can stay on your system for years, spying on whatever it is you do while on it, leaking confidential data. It could also slow the system down, and unlike programs, can be rather difficult for you to identify.
The good news is that there are lots of programs you can use to fix it. There are many free security suites that are good enough to protect your system from most threats. Just configure it to run, at least once per month and it should be fine. Alternatively, you can opt for a paid solution, if you’re looking for something with more capabilities and features.
–AUTHOR INFO—
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk.
