There are countless reasons why your laptop will eventually slow down on performance over time. It could have suffered a malware attack, a problem with the disk, or it may be bloated by volumes of unnecessary files; but for most people, the task of preventing their computers from slowing down is quite a challenge. That leads you to searching for ways on “how to speed up my laptop” And just as there are many reasons your laptop’s speed drops, there are many steps you can take to fix that.
Here are 10 effective steps to help you speed up your laptop:
Step 1: Add More RAM
One straightforward way to speed up your laptop’s performance is by upgrading the RAM component. RAM chips are not expensive to buy, and most laptops are upgradable. This is quite easy to implement as it is just a case of pulling out the old RAM sticks and fitting in the new ones. A 2GB RAM chip can significantly boost your laptop’s speed, and you’ll find it easier to run several programs at once. However, make sure that the RAM you are buying is compatible with your computer — you can find this information on the manufacturer’s website or your computer’s manual.
Step 2: Effective Power Management
Unlike desktop computers which must be plugged into a power source, your laptop’s performance can be scaled down so as to conserve the battery power. When your laptop runs in battery mode, therefore, you can choose to get the best performance possible — though your battery may run down faster — by selecting the “Maximum Performance” option. This is one way to speed up your laptop while running on AC if speed, rather than battery life, takes priority.
Step 3: Clear Your Cookies and Browsing History
Almost every website that you browse on the internet stores cookies on your computer, as a way of ‘remembering’ you when you next visit the site. For example, you may stay logged in to your Yahoo, Facebook and Google accounts, so that the next time you open your browser, you will not have to enter your login credentials. This may be beneficial, but still contributes to slowing down your system. You can clear cookies by simply going to the Tools menu of your browser and selecting ‘clear browsing data’.
Step 4: Remove Spyware, Malware and Viruses
Spyware refers to software that installs itself in your system without your knowledge and runs quietly in the background. The objective being, of course, to spy on your web surfing and usage habits and sending the information it gathers to its host. The effect can be felt in how it consumes your system’s resources. There are many spyware removal tools (such as the free Spybot Search and Destroy) that you can choose from to deal with this problem.
Malware and viruses can on their part bring your system down to its knees. Every computer therefore needs to have an anti-virus or anti-malware program installed. There are also quite a few options to choose from here, some free, some not. But what is essential is that your system remains protected at all times by a regularly updated anti-virus program, since virus attacks can happen anytime and through several avenues; over the internet, over your local area nework, or through infected USB flash memory.
Step 5: Update your Drivers
Using outdated drivers is another sure way of slowing down your laptop. Always be on the lookout for updated versions of all the drivers your laptop uses, including those for internal hardware, such as network card, and external hardware such as the mouse. This is one of those “How to speed up my laptop” ways that is often forgotten.
Step 6: Remove Unused Programs
Simply go to your control panel and remove all the programs that you do not need. These take up much of the computer’s resources and slow down your system.
Step 7: Clean Up The Desktop
The desktop area offers a convenient location for you to quickly save your files. For this reason, many people have their desktops cluttered with all kinds of documents/files, without knowing that this contributes to slowing down their machines. The simple reason for this being that the desktop resides on the local hard disk; and storing all your files on local disk C slows down your computer. It is strongly recommended that you partition your hard disk into 2 disks at least — that way, programs can run on local disk C while all your files are stored in disk D.
Step 8: Perform Disk Cleanup
In addition to cookies, a lot of temporary internet files get stored on your computer as you browse. If you do not ever clean these files, they accumulate and take up much space on your disk, slowing down your system.
You can free your computer of this files by performing a disk cleanup:
Go to ‘All Programs‘, select ‘Accessories‘ then ‘System Tools‘. Under this, select ‘Disk Clean-up‘.
This process may take some time, but not only will you be able to clear temporary internet files; you can also delete other unnecessary files, delete unused shortcuts, and empty the recycle bin. Since your computer runs programs on a portion of the hard disk, performing this action helps free up some much-needed space for these applications to run smoothly.
Step 9: Perform Disk Defragmentation
As you continue to use your laptop, files get scattered in all parts of your disk (fragmentation). This makes the computer’s processor take longer times in finding what it is looking for. The solution to this is disk defragmentation. Defragmenting your disk on a regular basis cleans up this mess and optimizes the files and folders stored on your hard disk. On a windows machine, you can access this feature under ‘System Tools’.
Step 10: Use a System Optimization Tool
This is one of the most important and effective steps that you can take to clean up your laptop and boost its speed.
A system optimizer is an easy-to-use, automated program packaged with many features that can help you fix a myriad of problems weighing down your computer.
One of the best tools for this is Turbo Your PC, a registry cleaner and optimizer available at http://turboyourpc.com.
This tool helps you wipe out all the unnecessary files and cleans the registry, while optimizing startup by removing some programs from the startup folder. All these actions help your laptop significantly reduce boot times and frees up space; the result is a faster browsing experience, and ultimately, an overall improvement in speed and performance.
You can read the full review here > Turbo Your PC Review
Here are 10 effective steps to help you speed up your laptop:
Step 1: Add More RAM
One straightforward way to speed up your laptop’s performance is by upgrading the RAM component. RAM chips are not expensive to buy, and most laptops are upgradable. This is quite easy to implement as it is just a case of pulling out the old RAM sticks and fitting in the new ones. A 2GB RAM chip can significantly boost your laptop’s speed, and you’ll find it easier to run several programs at once. However, make sure that the RAM you are buying is compatible with your computer — you can find this information on the manufacturer’s website or your computer’s manual.
Step 2: Effective Power Management
Unlike desktop computers which must be plugged into a power source, your laptop’s performance can be scaled down so as to conserve the battery power. When your laptop runs in battery mode, therefore, you can choose to get the best performance possible — though your battery may run down faster — by selecting the “Maximum Performance” option. This is one way to speed up your laptop while running on AC if speed, rather than battery life, takes priority.
Step 3: Clear Your Cookies and Browsing History
Almost every website that you browse on the internet stores cookies on your computer, as a way of ‘remembering’ you when you next visit the site. For example, you may stay logged in to your Yahoo, Facebook and Google accounts, so that the next time you open your browser, you will not have to enter your login credentials. This may be beneficial, but still contributes to slowing down your system. You can clear cookies by simply going to the Tools menu of your browser and selecting ‘clear browsing data’.
Step 4: Remove Spyware, Malware and Viruses
Spyware refers to software that installs itself in your system without your knowledge and runs quietly in the background. The objective being, of course, to spy on your web surfing and usage habits and sending the information it gathers to its host. The effect can be felt in how it consumes your system’s resources. There are many spyware removal tools (such as the free Spybot Search and Destroy) that you can choose from to deal with this problem.
Malware and viruses can on their part bring your system down to its knees. Every computer therefore needs to have an anti-virus or anti-malware program installed. There are also quite a few options to choose from here, some free, some not. But what is essential is that your system remains protected at all times by a regularly updated anti-virus program, since virus attacks can happen anytime and through several avenues; over the internet, over your local area nework, or through infected USB flash memory.
Step 5: Update your Drivers
Using outdated drivers is another sure way of slowing down your laptop. Always be on the lookout for updated versions of all the drivers your laptop uses, including those for internal hardware, such as network card, and external hardware such as the mouse. This is one of those “How to speed up my laptop” ways that is often forgotten.
Step 6: Remove Unused Programs
Simply go to your control panel and remove all the programs that you do not need. These take up much of the computer’s resources and slow down your system.
Step 7: Clean Up The Desktop
The desktop area offers a convenient location for you to quickly save your files. For this reason, many people have their desktops cluttered with all kinds of documents/files, without knowing that this contributes to slowing down their machines. The simple reason for this being that the desktop resides on the local hard disk; and storing all your files on local disk C slows down your computer. It is strongly recommended that you partition your hard disk into 2 disks at least — that way, programs can run on local disk C while all your files are stored in disk D.
Step 8: Perform Disk Cleanup
In addition to cookies, a lot of temporary internet files get stored on your computer as you browse. If you do not ever clean these files, they accumulate and take up much space on your disk, slowing down your system.
You can free your computer of this files by performing a disk cleanup:
Go to ‘All Programs‘, select ‘Accessories‘ then ‘System Tools‘. Under this, select ‘Disk Clean-up‘.
This process may take some time, but not only will you be able to clear temporary internet files; you can also delete other unnecessary files, delete unused shortcuts, and empty the recycle bin. Since your computer runs programs on a portion of the hard disk, performing this action helps free up some much-needed space for these applications to run smoothly.
Step 9: Perform Disk Defragmentation
As you continue to use your laptop, files get scattered in all parts of your disk (fragmentation). This makes the computer’s processor take longer times in finding what it is looking for. The solution to this is disk defragmentation. Defragmenting your disk on a regular basis cleans up this mess and optimizes the files and folders stored on your hard disk. On a windows machine, you can access this feature under ‘System Tools’.
Step 10: Use a System Optimization Tool
This is one of the most important and effective steps that you can take to clean up your laptop and boost its speed.
A system optimizer is an easy-to-use, automated program packaged with many features that can help you fix a myriad of problems weighing down your computer.
One of the best tools for this is Turbo Your PC, a registry cleaner and optimizer available at http://turboyourpc.com.
This tool helps you wipe out all the unnecessary files and cleans the registry, while optimizing startup by removing some programs from the startup folder. All these actions help your laptop significantly reduce boot times and frees up space; the result is a faster browsing experience, and ultimately, an overall improvement in speed and performance.
You can read the full review here > Turbo Your PC Review