Speed Up Your Windows PC: The basics

clipped from: speed-up-windows-pc.workshops.help.com

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To start off, the single most important thing you can do to increase your computer’s speed is to add RAM--random access memory. It’s also the one thing in this course that will cost you money (but it’s worth it).

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The challenge, however, is getting the correct memory module for your PC. Just about every computer is different. Some are already equipped with plenty of memory, while others have very little. And there are a lot of different types of memory, so you need to be sure to get the exact right module for your system.

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A good reference on this topic can be found at CNET Labs’ guide to buying RAM. This guide explains what RAM is and how to install it. There’s also an online tool called a

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Configurator" target="_blank">memory configurator that tells you exactly what kind of memory your computer make and model uses.

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Cut the graphics

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Here’s how:

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Go to Control Panel and choose Display (you may have to click Appearance and Themes first).

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On the Themes tab, change your current theme to Windows Classic, which uses fewer resources than the new look does. You can then click the Appearance tab and change that look to suit yourself.

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Go into Control Panel and choose System (you may have to click Performance and Maintenance first).

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Click the Advanced tab.

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In the Performance box, click Settings.

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You can now select Adjust for best performance, or you can choose Custom and play around with the settings. The more you uncheck, the less work your computer will have to do.

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Browse files faster

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So let’s tell Windows not to search for them unless you ask it to. Here’s how:

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Open My Computer.

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Click the Tools menu.

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Choose Folder Options.

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Click the View tab.

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Uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers.”

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Click OK.