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Computer Slow??
Try these 4 things before you throw
your box out the window.
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Think that you need a new Windows computer because the clunker is too
slow? You may not. Windows doesn't do a great job of maintaining itself. Before
you dump Old Faithful, try these simple solutions:
1. Straighten up
the hard drive.
Start by scanning your hard drive for problems. Use Scan
Disk in Windows; in Windows XP, the tool is Check Disk.
These utilities find stray data--called lost allocation
units--that weren't properly handled, generally in a system
crash. They also rope off bad spots on the hard drive.
To find Scan Disk, click Start>>Programs>>Accessories>>System
Tools>>Scan Disk. In Windows XP, click Start>>My
Computer. Right-click your hard drive (probably C:) and
click Properties. Select the Tools tab. Click Check Now.
Regardless of the system, select options to do as thorough
a check as possible. Next, defragment your drive. Windows
scatters file fragments all over creation. When you open
a file, the hard drive has to work hard to assemble it.
Defragmenting the files puts the pieces in adjacent clusters.
That makes reassembly easier and faster. To defragment,
click Start>>Programs (or All Programs)>>Accessories>>System
Tools>>Disk Defragmenter.
2. Dump the spies.
Spyware tracks your
surfing and feeds that information to advertising companies on the Internet. In
turn, you receive customized ads. In recent years, spyware has gone from an
irritant to a crisis. It can bog down a computer. At its worse, it seizes
control. Your choice of search site, or even where you surf, can be severely
curtailed. A number of programs can be downloaded to clean up spyware. The two
that I have used and recommend are, Spybot-Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org) and/or Microsoft AntiSpyware
(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads). They can even block
future infections
3. Turbocharge your surfing.
Are you
still using dial-up access? People often use the rationalization that "it's
good enough for me." But it is glacial compared to broadband. Broadband simply
means that much more data can be downloaded at once. That translates to a much
faster experience. People are often amazed at the difference. Try it and you'll
never go back. The primary broadband methods are DSL, over telephone lines, and
cable, which moves with television signals. DSL is eight to 30 times faster
than dial-up. In some places, cable can be 100 times faster. Either way, this
is money well-spent.
4. Replace hardware parts.
Undeniably, you can jack up your machine this way. But
this can get into serious money. There is a relatively
cheap way to speed things up. If you have, say, 128 or
256 megabytes of memory in a Windows 98 or ME machine,
you can raise that to 512 MB or even 1 gigabyte. And memory
isn't too expensive. Beyond that, you're raising economic
issues. You could pour money into a new motherboard, chip
and video card. You could even upgrade your hard drive.
But this will add hundreds of dollars. Why bother? A new
low-end machine can be had, with monitor, for less than
$500. It will contain new, reliable parts. And, though
it is low end, it will be relatively fast. So, try cleaning
up your old machine. If that doesn't work, think hard
about a new computer. |
FocusArts.com - 1612 Camina Placer, Farmington, NM 87401 - ofc: 505.326.1210 - fax: 505.214.5214
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