How to make my computer go faster?

[Sudden Impact]

IF I start deleted a bunch of programs and files,

1. Will it allow my computer to be faster?

2. Damage my computer hard drive because deleting too much?

[DarrellS]

Add more memory. 512MB is the minimum for XP. 1 to 2 GB is recommended.

Never delete programs, uninstall.

You could always back-up files that you don't use much to CDs or DVDs if you need more space or you could invest in bigger hard drives.

[Sudden Impact]

I'm thinking of getting an external hard drive. Can I transfer files on my existing lap top to the external HD and free up some space and my comp will go faster?

[ranchhand]

Deleteing/uninstalling programs will not make your computer faster; it may make the harddrive pull up your programs and access data faster, but the speed of your computer processing data is in:
>the speed of your processor
>the amount and speed of your memory
>what is being loaded into "working memory" from your operating system. This last item is a killer. If you run a Hijack This scan on your system you may be amazed at what is being loaded that you don't see and is stealing clock cycles from your processor. At work, all the time I see huge logs of garbage being loaded into a computer's working memory and slowing down the entire system. Examples are anything in your system tray that really isn't constantly needed. Nero, Quicktime, Realaudio and other such. Another catagory are "helpful" BHOs that are loaded by web browsers. I see regularly as much as 10 or more which the owner doesn't even know are being loaded. It's worth checking out.

[träskmannen]

Don't forget to defragment your hard drive on a regular basis!

<edit - I should learn how to spell...>

[Sudden Impact]

How do you defragment your hard drive? ? ? ?

And also, ranchhand, how do you avoid all this access junk being uploaded into your computer?

[träskmannen]

Since you use Windows XP: Start menu - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Defragmenter

[ranchhand]

Well, begin by taking a hard look at your system tray. If the program icon there isn't something vital (such as your Antivirus or Firewall) and can be launched from your START/Programs menu, why have it constantly running in memory? REalAudio, Nero, Quicktime, Java updater - in fact any auto-updater is needless, you can open the program and update it yourself easily. The one exception to this would be your antispyware program, you probably want the auto-update of the indexes active on it. Right now, my Hijack This log is running about 10 items, no more, and I use my computer for video editing, Photoshop, Corel Draw 11, etc. etc. and it flies. My processor is a bit low for Pinnacle 10.7, but it runs great anyway because of the low overhead demands. I strongly suspect that folks that have constant, unexplained glitches in Studio have things running in the background that are interfering. At least that has been my experience. Hope this helps.

Run a Hijack This log and go to a good website that has a malware removal forum, post your log and request suggestions as to what really is not essential to be loading constantly. After a couple of times you will recognize the items in your own log and be able to prune it yourself.

[Nelson37]

The number of programs or files on the hard drive, or space available, - as long as there is about 10% free space - makes absolutely no difference to PC performance.

The number of programs THAT ARE RUNNING is what affects performance.

You could basically fill a hard drive and empty it thousands of times with no negative affects.

[Sudden Impact]

Here are a couple of questions I have.....

1) How can I see how fast my computer is ? ? ?

2) Ranch - How do I run "Hijack This" program ? ? ?

3) How can I disable auto updates to my programs on my computer?

Many thanks to all the replies

[redwudz]

You can benchmark and compare your computer performance to others with a freeware program like Sandra. It can test drives, CPU, RAM and most parts of a computer system: http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=75

[ranchhand]

Download HT free here: http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/HijackThis/1071179190/1

Create a folder for itself-do not run it from your root C or desktop-and move it in. HT is a TSR program-it runs in memory and does not need to be installed. Close all open programs leaving only your desktop open (obviously) and double click on the exe. HT will open; your can: Run System Scan Only for your immediate use, or Run Scan And Save A Log in which case it will save the results to notepad for in-depth analysis. There will be check boxes at the front of every entry; if you check a box and click "Fix", that entry WILL BE REMOVED PERMANENTLY. So, obviously, be very, very careful what you delete. HT shows everything, and the majority of entrys are proper and needed for the operation of your system.
My suggestion, as I said before, is to find a good website that specializes in HT log analysis, explain what you want to do, and post your log. Examples are Tom Coyote, Spyware Warrior and SAF.

[ntscuser]

10 Simple Ways To Speed Up Windows XP

http://tinyurl.com/25eud4

[ahhaa]

There are a zillion suggestions how to tweak Windows to run faster, as you are seeing...

You should keep a log of what changes you make (notepad) because except for defrag you are changing a default setting, and at some time in the future that setting may become important and waste time if you forgot you changed it.

Also, keep clear in mind what you are speeding up- some thing are depending on you internet connection, some on the CPU, and some on the way you software is organized.

For example, I have a problem with XP taking forever to shut down- saving my settings for several minutes.

According to Microsoft KB, this requires a HIVE fix software patch:
UPHClean is a service that once and for all gets rid of problems with user
profile not unloading. You are having profile unload problems if you experience slow logoff (with
Saving Settings for most of the time while logging off), roaming profiles
that do not reconcile, or the registry size limit is reached.
Many system and service processes do work on behalf of users. When the work
is done the system or service process is responsible for releasing handles it
has to the user profile hive. If this is not done by the service as the user
logs off the profile cannot be unloaded.

This problem in code can be caused by improper coding either in Microsoft
software or 3rd party software (e.g. printer drivers, virus scanner service,
etc). With the information provided by the system there is no way to find
out what software needs to be corrected to allow profiles to unload.

I doubt 1 in 10 users here ever heard of this, but many more than that sit thru a slow shutdown- so if all else fails enter your 'best guess' in Google. (One of my favorite examples is Lens Cap Error)

[winifreid]

What is it that you want to run faster? Chances are you will not notice much difference unless you upgrade some hardware.

[handyguy]

"1) How can I see how fast my computer is ? ? ? "

First of all, tell us just what kind of computer you have.

[kimco52]

Hey Ranchhand,
The link for Hijack this that you gave is a download for Hijack This from Trend Micro.

Reviews in that post say that the software has a virus.

Does it? The reviews indicate that it should not be used.

I don't know. Perhaps you have an earlier version that did not have the virus included?

[Bjs]

Hijackthis : http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/programs.php

http://www.merijn.org/files/HiJackThis_v2.exe

Q : How fast is pc ... plus more ?

http://www.cpuid.org/pcwizard , install and run it .

You can save info found as text and report this info to help .

Speed up pc ?

1: Uninstall any crap program that is barely used .
2: Run scan disk .
3: Defrag hd , even if os indicates it need not be done right now , tell it to do it anyway .

4: Beware of some antivirus products , some are resource hogs such as nortons av , consider avgfree , which is superior .

5: Instead of using msconfig from start > run , use hijackthis to remove non-essential programs from startup group to speed pc up , remove such offenders as quicktime , incd , printer utilities , ect .

6: Start , just above the word "program" is a seperation bar , only os apps should be listed above this line , remove any non-system shortcut from above this line , such as winzip , and others , this can cause slow bootups and is a special area with certain restrictions .

Tweaks :

Start > Settings > Control panel > System > Advanced Tab > Performance > Settings .
Set to "adjust for best performance , disable all features , apply , ok , ok , done .

Power options > Set all to never , apply , ok .

Bios controls power options far better than os ever will , and this is where conflicts appear with hibernation failing to work as expected .

Disable screen saver .

Right click on start button , choose properties , start menu tab , use "classic start menu" , apply , ok .

Hardware bottlenecks :

Drives , try and keep them when ever possible , on seperate controler channels rather than 2 drives on the one channel cable .

Add more memmory , very little difference is actually experienced between 512 and 1gig , only affects serious programs , such as those from adobe , which most users dont have anyway .

Best to have 2 x 512 , incase on gose on the blink , which is extremely rare these days , unless obtained "second hand" .

Never , ever , fit any pci card in pci1 under agp slot on motherboard , causes more conflicts with agp slot and onboard video , as resources are shared between these .

Consider upgrading power supply above 400 watts , and better cooling system allround , esspecially for the cpu .

Consider drive standards and compare to motherboard supported types , you may be running a lower spec'd unit's , and are not able to reach maximum performance levels .

Final :

Pc games , forget them , get a console , less issues , and never needs hardware upgrading , save your money for real things instead .

Pretty well covers it .

[ranchhand]

Reply to Kimco52: the creator of Hijack This sold it to Trend Micro (PC Cillin antivirus) and TM is now the owner. Either the original or the Trend Micro version will work fine. I hope that TM develops Hijack This further, it is a bit dated now with the modern operating systems and virii out there. A great alternative to Hijack This is Silent Runners, but it is more difficult to read and analyze the log it generates that is why I didn't mention it.

Virus: if Trend Micro posted their version, I guarantee that there are no viruses in it. I have been using it for months.

[RabidDog]

You have a terrible piece of bloatware on your computer. Deleting it is EASY and WILL make your computer go a lot faster, possibly up to 10x faster, this is not B------T !

YOU need to uninstall something called windows XP. Many people report successful disinfections.