35+ Easy Ways to Quickly Speed Up your Slow PC

by Stefanos Ioannou, Sr



  Contents:

  Introduction

  Hardware and Software

  i.Structure of the hardware

  ii.Application of the software

  Why do computers become slower

  i.Reasons behind the computer becoming slow

  ii.Summary

  Let’s start with the Start-up

  i.What does the computer do during Start-up?

  ii.What to do?

  iii.Summary

  How to make your computers faster

  i.Solutions

  ii.Laptop Heating

  iii.Tips for Windows 7 users

  Conclusion

  Appendix

  i.A few important tools that you can download.

  ii.A few latest laptops you can get your hands on.

  INTRODUCTION

  Case 1: An employee, while replying to his boss’ e-mail, is forced to write: “I’m afraid that I will not be able to complete the assignment given to me within the stipulated deadline. My computer is running very slow. I’m working extra time, but I find that will not be enough.” Just pick a guess how comforting the boss’ reply could be.

  Case 2: A high profile marketing executive is in the middle of an ongoing presentation in a very important seminar. Suddenly, the slides’ flow turns slow, even slower. The executive faces a very embarrassing situation in front of his rivals, bosses, fellow colleagues and the targeted audience. The simple technical difficulty could ruin his career. A part of the audience is giggling and wondering, “Couldn’t he take care of his laptop, at least before the presentation?”

  Case 3: An aspiring student is sitting for an online test for a lucrative offshore academic course. It is a time-bound test. The speed of the computer, needless to mention, is an essential factor. But as the famous proverb goes: it gets dark when you fear the most. The computer turns slow, and half the chance of the student is spoilt due to no fault of his.

  The situation may not have been so serious, but you may have faced such crisis yourself too, where you have suffered due to the slow speed of your laptop or computer. If not yourself, then you certainly must have seen others of your knowing to do so. The incident may be as simple as the computer slowing down while you are downloading songs, movies etc from the Internet. And the look of frustration in all the cases is the same, where the promised efficiency is not delivered.

  Internet or the system of the computer itself slowing down, defeats the sole purpose of building the computer itself- to make your life easier, and get your work done faster. The world, as we know it now, is based on technology, to say the least. Starting from the mobile phone, the coffee maker, the annoying alarm clock to the better and better modes of communication has filled in us a habit of getting used to technology. We are advancing, and with us our technology is constantly being developed to solve real age issues of the growing complex needs of the mass.

  Though, with all this talk of advancement, I do feel pity for the persons I talked of earlier. Can’t we do anything that might help those poor souls? Maybe. But before you start having that feeling that “Thank goodness, at least I am protected…”, think again. You are connected to the world by that sleek gadget sitting on your lap, or your desk. Starting from your social life, your economic life, your office, your home- in short, everything is connected through your laptop or computer. So if they are in problem, you are not far from it.

  Before this feeling of insecurity drives you to desperation you must know that this is not a supernatural problem, or anything beyond your control. It is just a machine, and like every other device, it needs proper maintenance and care. Our laptops and computers are maybe the most used appliance in our whole house, so the early wear and tear is very natural. Remember, you make your computer work and the reason for it to run slow is somewhere unintentionally you had done something in the computer to make it run slow.

  When I say, that a child from roughly five to six years of age starts to use a computer, it does not mean that he or she is a perfect computer wizard. In fact, even my grandmother can have the knowledge of a few popular uses of the computer, but it is impossible for her to know each and every minute detail of this complex machine. You have to admit that it is the same case for most of the computer users.

  It is really not that a big crime to not know much about computers and laptops, keeping in mind the changes and developments that happen frequently in the vast field of computer science. You just need to be aware. As I mentioned before, you make your computer work. So, if anything has gone wrong for your doing, then you can fix it as well.

  Frightened? Feeling inconfident? Some of you might reject my idea right at this point. The cause maybe, that you have already invested a lot of money and wasted a lot of energy behind computer professionals, who have given you expensive support. They must have been telling you that from how many dangers they have saved your computer. And if, by any chance, you have a laptop, then I guess you know the amount of time that a service center takes to fix an entire problem, however small it may be, and the memories of the giant crater in your pocket afterwards, must be still afresh.

  If you have done so much only to return home and find the problems in your computer still prevailing, then I think there is only one person to solve your problems. That person is you. Do not worry. You are not alone. And that is the main purpose of this book: To be with you all the way, while you yourself can fix the small problems inside the computer. I am not trying to give you any bombastic solutions to the difficult problems in your computer, neither am I giving you expert teaching to the complex architecture of the computer circuitry. And no! This is not a hand-guide to make you a computer engineer.

  In this article I have tried to collect a few shortcuts, to keep your computer healthy and running fast. You need not be a computer engineer to use common sense, and that is the exact thing necessary while using these techniques. But just in case, if you happen to be a computer engineer, then also I suppose you have common sense in abundance. So, feel free to keep your computer healthy. Judge the methods while applying them and to do that, just read on...

  HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

  Let us see at first, what is that is actually inside the computer that might need our attention. At the early stages, when the computer was just a mathematical and mechanical computation device, the things we had to do to operate it, was simple. And the computer was just a rigid machine consisting of some mechanical levers to operate it. The parts may have changed, but the concept of rigid hardcore machinery necessarily remains the same.

  Hardware: The mechanical, rigid circuital instrumentation part of the computer can be said to be the Hardware of the computer.

  Then as the computer became complex in structure, more and more commands were required to operate each portion of the mechanical circuitry- a program was needed for each logical function. With the complexity of working of the computer increasing, the algorithms of the programs became more complex. A separate machine programming language was required to systematize and co-ordinate the operations of different portions of the Hardware.

  Software: The commands, jointly with the languages and the algorithms, to operate and co-ordinate the different parts of the Hardware, construct the Software of the computer.

  Structure of the Hardware

  The internal structure of the computer is basically based on the concept of the IPO (Input->Process->Output) cycle. The structure consists of some input platforms friendly to the user interface. Then there is the processing part, where the computer translates the input into machine language, processes it according to the user’s needs and translates it again back to the user-friendly
language. Next, there are output platforms which display the processed result done by the computer.

  Peripherals:

  The parts additionally attached to the processing portions of the computer, are called peripherals of the computer. There are three types of peripherals:

  (a)Input peripherals

  1.Keyboard

  2.Mouse

  3.Microphone

  4.Touch-screen etc.

  (b)Output peripherals

  1.Monitor

  2.Speaker etc.

  (c)Input, Output Device

  1.CD drive etc.

  Processor:

  The processing part of the computer consists of a number of components:

  Motherboard

  Memory

  SMPS (the power supply required for the electricity requirements inside the computer)

  Micro Processor

  Motherboard:

  The motherboard is the host of the main processor and other peripherals of the computer. It consists of a large integrated circuit board with openings in its layout to connect other input and output devices.

  Memory:

  There are two types of memories inside a computer:

  Primary memory

  Secondary memory

  The secondary memory inside the computer is the memory where data gets stored temporarily, and gets ready for execution by the processor. Here, the data stored is volatile memory, and can be erased and re-written. Example of secondary memory: RAM (Random Access Memory).

  The data from the secondary memory goes to the primary memory. Here it gets stored permanently and cannot be erased even after switching the power off. The data stored here is of the form of non-volatile memory. Example of primary memory: Hard Disk Drives.

  Data can be transferred from one computer to the other using different Removable Mass Storage Devices, such as: Pen Drive, CD, DVD etc. These are external memory storages of the computer.

  SMPS (Switched-Mode Power Supply):

  Every electrical circuit needs a power supply for the electric current to flow. The digital chips need a power supply to make their logical circuitry functional. The minute electricity hence required for the digital IC (integrated circuit) chips to work is supplied by the SMPS (Switched-Mode Power Supply).

  Micro Processor:

  The main processor of the computer is a small chip (micro-processor) located on the motherboard. This is the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The CPU contains an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) which is responsible for all the mathematical, numerological operations. The CPU is also equipped with a an analog-to-digital and a digital-to-analog converter which helps in translating the user command into machine language while processing, and back, while showing the output. Example: Intel processors (Pentium, Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 etc.).

  Application of the Software

  The application of the software is mainly in running and coordinating the hardware of the computer. Though, there is some functional difference between them, still. Following these differences, the software can be classified under three categories:

  1.System Software

  2.Programming Software

  3.Application Software

  System Software:

  The software required to run all the basic functions of the hardware properly, is called the System software.

  These are sets of instructions stored in the form of computer programs in the driver software, generally released by the manufacturer of the corresponding hardware. These are required to install the hardware in the computer platform and ensure better connectivity between the different parts.

  Programming Software:

  The assisting software inside the computer which act as the launching platform of the other applications and programs are called programming software.

  This type of software provides the user interface for the computer. It helps to maintain and support the different type of applications and programs running inside the computer and co-ordinates them to perform the functions. The Operating System is a programming software.

  Application Software:

  The set of instructions or programs which channelizes the computer’s potential to do a specific work inside it, are called application software.

  There are various kinds of work that a computer can do. The instruction or the set of instructions that can direct the computer to utilize its resources and do a specific type of work are application software. The possibilities of these types software are huge. Starting from the normal Word, Excel to the different accounting software, research software, games, education, administration, defense- to do any kind of job in any field, there is specific application software for each field, for each type of work.

  Bugs:

  Malicious software, resulting out of glitches in the programming mainframe, are called bugs.

  Generally, if there is any unnecessary instruction in a set of instructions i.e., a software, it may slow the computer down. This results in the formation of a bug. Even if the set has too many instructions or the step-to-step-following of the instructions are too complex, many times the unnecessary follow-up of different instructions has various meanings, resulting in forming the bug.

  # What is a Virus?

  Bugs, if purposefully crated, to harm the user’s or any other’s computer, then it is called a Virus.

  Example: Trojan horse, Worm, Spyware etc.

  # What is an Anti-Virus?

  The program created to stop the action of the virus, is called an Anti-Virus.

  Example: Norton, AVG, Quick Heal, Kaspersky etc.

  Internet:

  Internet was initialized as a military program, developed for keeping contact between battle points, by the U.S. military forces. The concept became a rage among the normal mass, and now, it connects almost the whole world through a huge network. Though, highly useful for spreading information fast, malicious software, once released over the Internet, can also cause potential hazard to the persons using it. It is one of the main reasons behind the spreading of viruses across the world.

  WHY DO COMPUTERS BECOME SLOWER

  Here I have used the word ‘computer’ in the entire text, but the general implication is to both ‘laptops’ and ‘computers’, unless mentioned otherwise. Allow me to start with the problems in the normal Windows computer.

  Reasons behind the computer becoming slow:

  1.Abysmal storage process:

  The process of writing a file in the Windows file system is based on the amount of free space you have in your hard disc drive (HDD). The more you have space, the more the pieces the file will be divided into. It also depends on the size of the file which is under consideration. Suppose, you have a Green Day American Idiots album file of the size 50MB. This file will approximately be divided into 17 pieces while it is getting stored inside the computer. It will obviously depend on the empty storage space there is on your hard drive.

  So, whenever you try to open, edit or save the file on the computer interface, your computer will try to:

  retrieve the different pieces,

  combine them to form one whole memory, and

  finally, divide them again into different pieces while saving.

  This obviously takes extra time.

  2.Insufficient memory:

  Though you store your data in the primary memory of the computer, but you do your work in the secondary memory of your computer. The RAM (Random Access Memory) deals with all the functionaries that you are operating currently on your computer interface. So, if this memory is not sufficient to do all your work or it is not that updated, then it is certain, that while multitasking, your computer is bound to slow down. Complex or lengthy tasks are going to take a toll on your laptop or computer efficiency.

  Insufficient memory can result from three reasons:

  (1)Installing of large and complex software: Suppose, you have installed a 2 GB RAM card and trying to install a game of 4 GB or 5 GB on your computer. Commonsense can tell that it is go
ing to take time. Now, if your computer is teeming with such huge memory consuming programs and they auto-load themselves every time your computer starts, then just imagine how much slow your RAM is going to work when all these programs would be working at once.

  (2)Outdated RAM: The RAM is an integrated circuit also, governed by some driver software instructions. The companies are advancing their technology to device better efficient and faster working RAMs. The other software manufacturers are also keeping in mind this updated technology and designing their programs and peripheral instructions accordingly. Hence, if you are trying to work in a new gadget using an outdated RAM, the efficiency is bound to be hampered.

  (3)Unmaintained temporary file registry: While you are working in your computer, there are millions of commands and instructions you generate in just one sitting! These may be formed by hitting one key on the keyboard, or even just a mouse slick to signal a position on the computer interface - but each of these is an instruction, none the less. The few mistakes we do, generally, may create an excess or unnecessary command that is stored somewhere in the computer as temporary files. The place where these files are stored is called the temporary file registry. With time, the temporary file registry keeps on filling up and takes unnecessary space in the computer and makes the computer slow.

  3.Malwares attacking:

  Even if you manage to keep all your computer internals to stay in order, there is always a chance of external malicious software to get inside it through multiple sources. So, the places from where these dangerous software spread, are mainly:

  Internet: The internet is a place where millions (now billions) of people interact every day, sharing data in the form of pictures, music, movies etc. Business transactions also take place online, where banks, different government and non-government concerns share the information of transferring huge amounts of money. Vital information like national secrets is also transferred discreetly through the Internet. Since, internet is open to everyone; the sharing of dangerous files is also easy. In fact, the internet has become a pool of malicious software, and also the most common way of receiving such harmful bugs.