There are a number of reasons that your computer may be running slow and causing you frustration as you perform everyday tasks. Sometimes it may just be that your PC runs naturally slower than you’d like it to, especially in terms of it’s startup speed. No matter what the reasoning behind making your computer run faster is, there is a large variety of simple optimizations and tune-ups you can perform to improve the efficiency speed of your PC.
At PC Autotune, our team is dedicated to providing you the tools and knowledge needed to keep your computer running smoothly with proper PC maintenance, as well as optimizing your computer to better fit your needs. Our advanced software automatically finds and optimizes many of the causes for a slowed down computer so that you don’t have to worry about it. Contact our team at PC Autotune to learn more, or download our software to start speeding up your computer today!
Limit Startup Processes
Many programs are set to automatically start every time you turn on your computer. You may not realize that these programs then continue to run in the background as you are using your PC to complete other tasks. By limiting the amount of programs at startup, you can increase the startup speed, as well as overall speed of your computer. To perform this optimization, follow the steps provided below for your specific version of Windows.
Windows 7
1. Click the “Start” button.
2. Type “msconfig” in the search box and press “Enter”.
3. Once the System Configuration window is displayed, click the “Startup” tab.
4. Uncheck the box beside any unnecessary programs listed.
5. Click “Apply”, then click “OK”.
5. When prompted, restart your PC to finalize the optimizations.
Windows 8 and 10
1. Open Task Manager (Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc).
2. Click the “Startup” tab.
3. Right click on any unnecessary programs and disable them from startup.
*Tip: Notice the column that shows the startup impact for each program to see which ones are slowing down your computer the most.
Disk Cleanup
Disk cleanup is extremely important when it comes to keeping your computer’s memory storage free of unneeded items that are bogging it down and causing it to run slow. To perform a deep disk cleanup, you will want to also defragment your computer. Defragmentation is the process of ridding out duplicate and unnecessary files from your hard drive. It is important to perform disk cleanup and defragmentation on your PC on a regular basis to keep it running quick and smooth.
Our advanced PC maintenance software from PC Autotune helps you stay on top of disk clutter as it regularly performs disk cleanup and defragmentation on your computer. Download our free version today or buy PC Autotune Professional for additional maintenance assistance!
Scan For Viruses
Viruses can cause a laundry list of problems for your PC, but one of the biggest ones is malware that slows down your computer and causes major lag issues. With viruses so common in the online world of computers, it is vital that you regularly scan for viruses and remove any harmful findings that may be affecting your PC’s performance. When choosing a malware protection program, ensure that it is a reasonable size so that it is not taking up too much space on your computer.
Reduce RAM Usage
Your computer’s RAM is essential for those that heavily utilize the internet or streaming as it is responsible for transferring data to the processor at an extremely high speed to keep things running smoothly. When too many things are filling up the RAM on your PC, it will slow down load times immensely. However, by simply reducing RAM usage, you can prevent these lags and keep your computer running fast. If reducing your desktop’s RAM usage simply isn’t cutting it, another option is to add more RAM so that you can continue using your computer efficiently.
Exit Programs and Close Windows
Make it a habit to close windows and completely exit programs as soon as you are done using them to ensure they are not taking up excess RAM space.
End Unneeded Processes
Oftentimes there are things running in the background of your PC that you are unaware of. Hold “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” and end any unneeded processes.
Optimize Program Settings
Another way that you can reduce RAM usage and speed up your computer is by changing settings, specifically graphics settings, on certain programs.
Manage Tip And Notifications
Many computers with Windows provide you with pop-up notifications and tips to improve your user experience. Over the years, more and more applications are starting to offer notifications that often come enabled. While these can be extremely helpful, they can begin bogging down your PC if you have them on for too many applications. If you find that a lot of notifications are popping up on your computer or your computer has been running really slow, it may be worth going into the notifications settings, and disabling any applications that you don’t particularly need to receive notifications from to improve the speed of your PC.
Optimize Settings For High Performance
There are two different high-performance specific settings that you can adjust to increase the speed and performance of your computer. Contact our team of experts at PC Autotune today for additional information!
Power
This optimization comes at the cost of a less energy-efficient computer, but if you don’t mind an increase in electricity usage, it is a great way to get your PC to perform at a higher rate.
1. Right-click the start button on your computer
2. Select “Power Options”
3. Click to show additional plans
4. Select “High Performance”
Appearance
Similar to the power settings, Windows is automatically set to offer the best appearance available. However, you can change the settings to decrease appearance and increase performance.
1. Right-click the start button on your computer
2. Select “System”
3. Select “Advanced System Settings” on the left
4. Click “Settings” in the performance box
5. Adjust manually or select “Adjust for best performance”
Install A Solid-State Drive (SSD)
If you have tried all of these tips, and your PC is still taking longer than you would like to boot up, it may be time to look into a start-up solid-state drive (SSD). With both internal and external options, a SSD can be installed to help relieve your computer’s processor, and in return, help your PC startup faster. SSDs can also improve your computer’s performance when running a lot of programs at once, or when running hefty programs such as photo or video editing software. However, even with a SSD, PC maintenance must still be performed regularly to ensure that your computer continues to run smoothly and quickly.
PC Autotune
After 20 years of studying and testing, PC Autotune has developed an advanced PC maintenance software that assists you in speeding up your computer. Our PC Autotune Professional software automatically keeps up with memory maintenance, optimizations, and tune-ups to ensure that your PC is running at its best at all times. Get the software online today to get started!