How to make my computer run faster?

Question

So I've got an old COMPAQ 80 gigabyte computer upstairs. We put some pretty hard use into it before we upgraded to Mac. Now, this old computer is running slower than a snail plagued with leprosy. That's pretty slow. My question is, how should I make this old computer run faster? It's running Windows XP. I was thinking about downloading Linux Ubuntu onto it - would that help anything at all?

Also, I tried vacuuming it out. It was full of dust, and this seemed to help it run faster for about 10 seconds, then it went back to the dead snail pace. How can I fix this?

Answer 1

Wiping out XP and installing Ubuntu will make it faster. However, formatting it and re-installing XP should also make it faster. If you don't feel like re-installing the OS, then you could try the following:



First of all check if your computer is infected or not. If it is, use Malwarebyts' and a good up-to-date antivirus to get rid of them. Here is a good guide on virus and malware cleanup: http://internet.helium.com/how-to/12032-how-to-clean-a-virus-infected-computer



After you are sure your computer is clean, do the following:



1. Increase RAM if your computer has the capability



2. Uninstall software you never use via the Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs



3. Clean up junk files (e.g. temp files, browser cache)



4. Clean the registry



5. Sort through your startup items - there might be things like Windows Live messenger starting on every computer boot, which slows down the computer. You can always start that messenger manually



6. Defrag hard drives



You can do all this manually or using a combination of free tools like CCleaner, Revo uninstaller, Auslogics Disk Defrag etc. Also you could get an optimization suite like BoostSpeed, where you can do it all and more from one program. Links below.

Answer 2

Greetings. My name's Sanjay Patel, and I currently hold an honorary Master's degree in the field of Computer Science. I am aware of, and have personal knowledge related to your question. There are computer maintenance businesses which are probably in your area, however they come at the cost of hiring a professional to enter your home. There may also be some local destinations where you can drop off your computer and wait to have a technician look at it. These options can often be costly, and pretty inconvenient. The answer to this question can probably be found doing a little extra research on Google.



A well-running computer can be a hard thing to maintain. From my experience, there is but only One software which is reputable- and consistently reliable for healing sick, slow computers. Reimage™ is a world-renown, easy to use software designed by Forensic scientists and made for the average person. This thing will fix literally just about ANY problem you could possibly be having with your PC. Reimage was recommended to me by a Professor during my 2nd year of Graduate school.

Answer 3

Ubuntu should do okay, I would personally recommend Linux Mint though: http://www.linuxmint.com/



Linux Mint Debian Edition runs a smoother than Ubuntu and Linux Mint, though it is not really geared for beginners. It is easier than Debian though.



Try out Gnome or KDE first and then go from there. LXDE, Xfce, and Fluxbox are all lightweight Desktop Environments and will run much smoother on an older machine than that of Gnome and KDE.

Answer 4

Ubuntu will definitely speed it up: it's a lighter OS with more efficient coding than windows, plus your drive will be formatted in the process so you'd be starting fresh. If you're willing to install linux then I whole-heartedly recommend it.



If you'd rather keep XP then there are a few things you can do to speed it up, but it's long and involved and if you're considering installing a new OS anyway then I'd just do that.

Answer 5

Your Friend Is A Jackass!Don't Listen To Him/Her.Deleting System32 Will Corrupt Your Operating System.

Answer 6

I think you can disable some services.

I only reserve 12 services of Windows XP, which saves a lot of rams.

This way:

Start-run-input"services.msc"- enter

Then find out what services you need. But notice that many services look useful but in actual they're not. You can look for some articles about that.



And omit the useless startup programs in your system.

Start-run-input"msconfig"- enter

and find the "startup"

disable the programs you won't use.(Actually you can only reserve the ctfmon.exe)



Enlarge your vitual RAM will somehow help.

Right click on "my computer"- Attribution-Advanced - Performance - Settings-Advanced.

You'll find it.



Hope these will help.

Answer 7

How To Make My Computer Run Faster? -- https://reimagefix.im

Answer 8

Run Chkdsk and see whether some disk errors get fixed. Otherwise might need to re-install Windows afresh or go for Ubuntu.



Cheers.



Mugoma,

HostYetu.com

Answer 9

Hrm... it could be the hard drive biting the dust that's causing it to run slow, or the operating system. Ubuntu would probably run faster, unless it's your hard drive, if Ubuntu isn't significantly faster, it's probably the hard drive - in which case I'd either replace the Hard drive or leave it for dead.

Answer 10

Hey,

Cleaning the register is a good way of improving the performances of your pc and eliminate malwares and trojans. A program I trust is CCleaner http://bit.ly/UrAu83

It's amazing.

Answer 11

by using "LTSP" technology in linux you can run your system faster..for more details about LTSP technology refer the following

http://www.infomani.wordpress.com

Answer 12

Defrag the hard drive with Defraggler and then give it a good clean out using CCleaner.



http://www.piriform.com/defraggler



http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner

Answer 13

pick it up and run with it