It’s never fun working with a slow computer. Typically, if a computer user can leave his desk and return with a cup of coffee before his computer has even booted up, he’ll decide that his PC is over the hill.
But it’s usually the operator, not the computer, who is responsible for the lack of speed caused by overflowing hard drives, full of hidden programs and unnecessary ballast. Indeed, the quickest way to get a hard drive back up to speed is to re-establish a little order by tidying up just like one would do with a messy living room.
Programs that automatically start when a computer is booted up are a standard drag on a system.
Automatic startup makes sense with virus scanners, says Markus Hermannsdorfer of Chip, a German computer magazine. But Office functions, or media players like QuickTime or WinAmp, don’t need to be up and running from the get-go. It’s better if most programs are only activated when they are actually needed.
“If too many functions are activated when the computer is booted up, that delays the whole process,” says Thomas Baumgaertner of Microsoft in Munich. A Windows application called msconfig can review auto-start programs, removing unneeded or seldom used applications from the auto-start menu.
However, not every program displays its icon in the auto-start folder. But they will leave tracks in the Registry, the central data bank of the operating system, unnecessarily bloating that file. Registry Cleaner programs can be used to remove unnecessary or seldom used programs from here, says Hermannsdorfer. One recommendation is the freeware program Crap Cleaner.
It’s also worthwhile to have a look in the PC’s System Services, found in the System Controls. Some options for trimming fat from computer operations are available here.
“Not all services are absolutely necessary for operations,” says Ralf Haerter, a college professor…