Things you can do to Speed up a Slow Computer
prepared by Morris Patterson   

{If these procedures are intimidating and you need HELP, call Morris, 368-2968}

     1.  Check for virus infiltration.  Use an Antivirus  program.   
    (Two options are: Avast! antivirus free for home use, or AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition.)  

     2.  Check for adware and spyware.  (Spybot Search and Destroy  and Ad-Aware are good freeware programs).

     3.  In {Internet Explorer; Tools, Internet options},
Delete temporary files, history, cookies, saved passwords and web form information.
Set "days to keep history" to two days or less. 

     4.  In Internet Explorer;  adjust security level to medium, not lower.  {Tools, Internet Options, Security}

     5.  Clean-up your desktop.  (Remove unwanted icons -- less is best.)

     6.  Free up wasted space on disk.     {Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup}

      7.   Run CHKDSK  /F       {Start, Run, CMD}    Then in the new window, type and enter CHKDSK  /F                                 Then do a restart.

     8.  Defragment your hard drive:    {Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter}                      Then do a restart.

     9.  Clean out your Email inbox, sent items and deleted items boxes.

    10.  Remove unnecessary or unwanted programs.   {Start, Control Panel, Add and Remove.....}

    11.  Remove Autostart programs.  { Open Start-up folder}

    12.  Check unwanted program starts using msconfig or services.msc  (tread very carefully here)
       {Start, Run, services.msc}    This page may be helpful: The Complete Guide To Optimising Windows XP

    13.  Clean out computer interior with compressed gas duster.                                                                                     (Excess dust can cause overheating and related problems).

    14.  Download updates and patches        windowsupdate.microsoft.com/  
        Set updates to automatic:    {Start, Control Panel, Automatic Updates}

    15.  Turn on Windows Firewall unless you have another software firewall, e.g. Zone Alarm (free version).                 Some sources recommend Zone Alarm, claiming it is better than Windows firewall.

    16.  For extra protection, add a hardware firewall.  (This protection is included in most routers).

    17.  Add extra memory.  (512k is a minimum for Windows XP, 1 meg is better).

    18.  Add a larger hard drive if existing drive is almost full to capacity, as Windows needs space to run.

    19.  Test your system with PC Pitstop.  Run diagnostics and scout out typical PC ills.   Excellent free help. 
             Quote from PC Pitstop, "Our full PC tune-up should be your first stop to get the computer help you need."  

     20.  For information purposes,   Test your protection with   ShieldsUP!   Find out if anyone can anyone crawl into your computer while you're connected to the Internet?

     21.   Fast Windows Fixes     (PC World)  You may find some good information here.

     22.   A useful helpsheet  The Complete Guide To Optimising Windows XP

                        For other related information log on to my "Windows" page.  

References:      PC World How-To  http://www.pcworld.com/howto/ 

Preventative Measures    http://www.timewarnercable.com/centralny/customer/support/prevent.html

Smart Computing  http://www.smartcomputing.com/techsupport/detail.aspx?guid=CB58B064ED9F42D8A70D73F7660B1E26&ErrorID=22711

Tech News       http://technews.ucdavis.edu/print.cfm?id=1054

Microsoft    http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/northrup_restoreperf.mspx