How do I speed up my computer - working methods to actually increase the speed of your computer

Over time our computers can become bogged down and become very sluggish and slow. This article will show you some tried and true methods of unclogging your computer and quickly speeding it up. Whether you're on a Pc or a Mac computer, these tips will help you easily speed it up and get it running like new!

How can I speed up my computer?

Tip 1: Remove all unneeded desktop icons.

I often help people speed up their computers, and when I do one of the main issues I always see is tons and tons of icons on their desktop. Too many desktops icons can drastically slow down your computer by putting a strain on your systems RAM (Random Access Memory). Your RAM is essential to keep your computers speeds up, and when too much of your RAM is being used to render all the icons on your desktop you will see a performance decrease. So delete any icons you do not absolutely need and keep your desktop clutter free.

Tip 2: Free up some hard drive space.

The hard drives in our computers are what store all our data (files, folders, pictures, music, etc.) on. When a hard drive becomes too loaded with files it can often cause your computer speed to slow to a crawl. Keeping your hard drive clean of unnecessary files helps to keep your computer running at it’s best. So try to go through your computer and delete anything you do not need. Backing up your files to a cloud hosting provider like Google Drive can be a great way to clear some space. Storing your files in the cloud on not on your computer will help keep things organized and running nicely.

Tip 3: Get some more RAM

Like we talked about earlier, RAM is the stuff computer speed is made of. Having too little RAM will send your computer into snail speed. Random access memory is what you use for just about everything on your computer, without it our computers couldn’t “think” or operate. Today most computer run with an average of 4 gigs or ram or more. As programs become more and more advanced, more and more RAM is needed to run them. So if you are experiencing slowness on your computer, then by all means purchase a few new sticks of RAM.

Tip 4: Scan for viruses

Viruses and malware are notorious for slowing down computers. Even if you think you are completely safe from malware you can still have some hiding out on your computer. Some crafty viruses are fully undetectable by most anti-virus programs. And Mac users do NOT think your immune to get a virus! There are plenty of Mac viruses out there that can do harm to your computer, so do yourself a favor and run a virus scan, you may be surprised at what you turn up.

Tip 5: Defragment your hard drive

Data on your hard drive is stored in small sectors. As we download programs, delete programs, and move programs, we are fragmenting our hard drive or causing the sectors to become out of order. When these secotrs are out of order, it takes your computer longer to do things with the information. This can caus a sluggish computer. Defragmenting your hard drive is a way of rearrange the data or sectors in a way so that your computer can quickly and effortlessly access the information. This will greatly increase the speed at which your computer operates.

Conclusion: Did that help?

Well after trying these tips you should see at least SOME kind of spread increase on your computer. All these steps combined work together to give your computer a huge boost in speed. If you want some more tips and to see some great software for cleaning up your computer check out some great software available to clean your machine.