slow computer speed?

Question

i have 933mhz pentium 3
256mb sd ram
10G hard disk
and windows xp

i normally have 2GBs of free disk space in the partition where windows is saved, and in startup i only have MacAfee
the problem is that my pc is now getting slower and slower gradually
so kindly tell me how can i speed up my pc

thnx a lot

Answer 1

If the above doesn't work for you. Go ahead and give Linux a try. It works GREAT with older hardware. Look into Xubuntu, very user and older hardware friendly.



Brandon

Answer 2

A P3 is with 10GB of hard disk space is hardly enough to handle today's applications but there are several things you can do to increase the "speed" of your computer.



1) Clean up the disk. Uninstall unneeded programs (especially those that run at startup and/or put something in the system tray), run Disk Cleanup, and defragment the drive. This is a good first step that will almost always take a few seconds off boot time and application loads for any computer.



2) Stomp auto-starting programs. Click Start > Run and type "msconfig" at the prompt. Click the Startup tab and look at all that junk that loads when you launch your PC. Do you really need "Adobe Reader Speed Launch"? Probably not. Turn off anything else that looks useless, but be careful not to disable your anti-virus and important system components.



3) Run a full anti-virus and anti-spyware scan. I would recommend using AVG Free Anti-virus, Spybot - Search and Destroy spyware remover and Ad-aware spyware remover. These programs are all free.



4) Clean up the registry. CCleaner, available at http://www.ccleaner.com is free and worth running. It will also remove unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space.



Those are the easy and free things you can do. If your computer is still slow you need to move on to the bigger guns.



1) Upgrade RAM. This is the one killer trick that will make almost any computer run faster. With an older PC, you will rarely have enough RAM to run today's memory-hogging operating systems and applications, and adding a high-capacity stick or two of quality RAM will give you a quick speed boost. Adding RAM is fairly simple, even for a novice, and you should be able to do the job in 5 or 10 minutes.You can run a free test at http://www.crucial.com and find out what kind of RAM (memory) your computer needs.



2) Reinstall Windows. If the above tricks haven't helped, it may be time to wipe the slate clean and start again, reformatting your hard drive, reinstalling your applications, and restoring your data files from a backup. You'd be surprised how much more responsive a freshly reinstalled Windows system can be, as you've wiped out years of temp files, garbled registry entries, old versions of software programs that have been upgraded repeatedly, and all sorts of other electronic junk. Reinstalling is easy if you have the "recovery disk" that came with your PC, and only a bit more involved if you're using a retail copy of Windows XP. Just be sure you back up everything you want to take with you before you pull the trigger!



3) Upgrade your hard drive. This is a more complicated solution, but if you're reinstalling Windows (per the prior tip) you might consider upgrading to a bigger and possibly faster hard drive, too. Hard disk storage is a performance bottleneck on every machine, and magnetic disks degrade over time. Some performance issues could be caused by a failing hard drive, even, and upgrading to a new model could really put some zip back in your system. As a bonus, you can use the original hard drive for backups or occasional storage, if you put it in an enclosure.

Answer 3

You may want to update your SD RAM, though older ram is now getting more expensive. I would at least double it to 512 MB if possible.



The rest of the specs aren't /too/ bad, though they're a little outdated. You may want to think about simply getting all of the data you want off of it, such as pictures, music, documents, etc., and wipe the hard drive clean and reinstall windows. This will let you know how fast the computer runs at "Stock" speed.



Double your RAM, though. 256 is fairly low.

Answer 4

Using a registry cleaner can clean up your computer and then make your computer faster,Why?the reason is that there may be some regsitry errors and remnant,corrupt files and temp files in your computer to cause "computer slow".

Everytime you install and uninstall software on your computer and surfing online you create junk in the computer registry.over time, the registry can grow to enormous proportions, especially if the various programs you've installed do not do a good job of deleting and/or updating it's Registry entries.You need to scan and clean your computer with registry cleaner to make it fast.Good Regisry Cleaner will improve your computer and Internet performance dramatically!

There are some comparison and review of TOP 5 registry cleaners.

www.make-pc-fast.com

You can download and scan your computer for free.

Answer 5

You need to upgrade RAM and the HDD, by all chances, your drive might be very badly fragmented. Try a diskcleanup and defrag, Also scan for spyware and viruses.

Answer 6

A clean computer is key to a fast computer. Below are some programs that will help you achieve a fast and clean computer.





Free online virus scan. If you don't have a anti-virus program then you can use a free online one to check your computer for viruses.



http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/

http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html



A couple of free anti-virus programs can be found at



http://free.grisoft.com/

http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html







Now to clean your machine of spyware I suggest 2 programs. Spybot and SuperAntiSpyware. These programs will be most effective if you run them in Safe Mode. On many computer you can get there by repeatedly pressing the F8 key as soon as your computer starts to boot. Then use your arrow keys to select Safe Mode.



http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html ---- Don't forget to use the Immunize feature.

http://www.superantispyware.com/download.html



You can also use a program to prevent spyware from being installed in the first place.



Spyware, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers are some of the fastest-growing threats on the Internet today.

By simply browsing to a web page, you could find your computer to be the brand-new host of one of these unwanted fiends!



The most important step you can take is to secure your system. And SpywareBlaster is the most powerful protection program available.



Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software. Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.

http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html





Now lets move on to cleaning up your disk and saving space.



Do a disk Cleanup and Disk Defrag. You can get to both of them by following the path below.



Start>all programs>accessories>system tools>Disk Cleanup. Then follow the same path and click on Disk Defrag.

For Vista just click on Start>accessories>system tools>Disk Cleanup. Again follow the same path to get to Disk Defrag.



You can check every box that has a amount to delete during the Disk Cleanup process.





Now lets tweak you connection for speed. If you speed is good I would suggest you do not mess with tweaking it since you can get into trouble sometimes and actually slow down your connection speed. I will give you 2 programs that can speed up your connection.



The TCP Optimizer is a free, easy Windows program that provides an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing your Internet connection. There is no installation required, just download and run.



The program can aid both the novice and the advanced user in tweaking related TCP/IP parameters in the Windows Registry, making it easy to tune your system to the type of Internet connection used. The tool uses advanced algorithms, and the bandwidth*delay product to find the best TCP Window for your specific connection speed. It provides for easy tuning of all related TCP/IP parameters, such as MTU, RWIN, and even advanced ones like QoS and ToS/Diffserv prioritization. The program works with all current versions of Windows, and includes additional tools, such as testing average latency over multiple hosts, and finding the largest possible packet size (MTU).



The TCP Optimizer is targeted towards broadband internet connections, however it can be helpful with tuning any internet connection type, from dialup to Gigabit+ :)



You can download it from http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php



The second one is called CableNut.

You can get it from http://cablenut.com/





Now lets clean up your registry. Again there are many programs that can do this. I will give you 2 that I use all the time. I have not had any problems with them.



CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)



Download it from http://www.ccleaner.com/



The second one it CleanUp.



Introducing Windows CleanUp!, the quickest and easiest way to delete temporary files from your system.



CleanUp! is a powerful and easy-to-use application that removes temporary files created while surfing the web, empties the Recycle Bin, deletes files from your temporary folders and more.



CleanUp! frees disk space and reduces the "clutter" on your computer helping it to run more efficiently. It also can be used as a way to protect your privacy on the Internet. You can even instruct CleanUp! to securely delete files making it impossible to retrieve their contents using lower-level disk tools - just another way of protecting your privacy.



No gimmicks here, CleanUp! is so easy to set up and use that you'll have a lean, clean, mean machine in minutes.



Download it from http://www.stevengould.org/index.php?Itemid=69&id=15&option=com_content&task=view







After running the programs above you will have a clean and faster machine. You will enjoy the Internet much more now. Enjoy!

Answer 7

this could be due to that unwanted files are being stored on your computer or that windows isnt updating properly i suggest you look into both of these possible problems. to get rid of unwanted filed simply download www.ccleaner.com its free,simple and safe

Answer 8

lower back up ur data and verify out to repair domicile windows with a domicile windows disk if it do no longer paintings format the workstation or right this is the suitable Ten suggestions to develop Your domicile windows gadget greater rapid: enable your computing gadget boot up thoroughly until eventually now establishing any purposes. Refresh the computing gadget after remaining any utility. this could eliminate any unused data from the RAM. do no longer set very great document length pictures as your wallpaper. do no longer save a wallpaper in any respect in the journey that your computing gadget is low on RAM (under sixty 4 MB). do no longer muddle your computing gadget with multiple shortcuts. each and each shortcut on the computing gadget makes use of as much as 500 bytes of RAM Empty the recycle bin oftentimes. The data are actually not probable deleted out of your no longer person-friendly tension until eventually you empty the recycle bin. Delete the non everlasting cyber web data oftentimes. Defragment your no longer person-friendly tension as quickly as each and every 2 months. this could unlock multiple area on your no longer person-friendly tension and rearrange the data so as that your purposes run swifter. constantly make 2 partitions on your no longer person-friendly tension. set up all great Softwares (like PSP, Photoshop, 3DS Max and so on) in the 2nd partition. domicile windows makes use of each and all the attainable empty area in C tension as digital reminiscence whilst your workstation RAM is completed. save the C tension as empty as a threat. whilst setting up new Softwares disable the alternative of having a tray icon. The tray icons deplete attainable RAM, and additionally decelerate the booting of your computing gadget. additionally disable the alternative of commencing the utility immediately whilst the computing gadget boots. you could disable those thoughts later on additionally from the procedures or possibilities menu on your utility. guard your computing gadget from dirt. dirt motives the CPU cooling fan to jam and decelerate thereby progressively heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dirt from the CPU. in no way use vacuum. notice: RAM IS THE working section (computing gadget) OF THE CPU, save IT AS EMPTY AND UNCLUTTERED AS a threat!

Answer 9

I go for more RAM 512; but the Samuel has a more detailed explanation . . .

Answer 10

check for ad or spyware, that could slow you down too

Answer 11

you have a very very very low spec pc

Answer 12

Get more Ram. XP by it's self talks up 512..................

Answer 13

lol get a mac

Answer 14

maybe you have alot of programs.