Over time, computers slow down. Some of this is psychological – your new machine is usually faster than the one you’ve just upgraded from – but most of the time with the increase in CPU speeds, your new computer really is faster than its predecessor.

Keeping it fast is a challenge.

New programs make more demands on your machine. And there’s always the temptation to have lots of helper programs running just in case you need them.

There are lots of different ways that you can speedup your computer.

I’ll deal with them in more detail as this blog progresses, but for now check out the following:

How much memory does your computer have?

If it’s less than 1Gb of RAM then this is the first thing you should consider upgrading your memory. Windows always has been memory hungry and new versions are no exception. Upgrading to 1Gb or 2Gb or RAM is quite cheap and will make near enough everything on your machine run faster.

When was the last time you checked the Registry?

A registry checking program is a must. Near enough every Windows program uses the registry as a dumping ground for all sorts of information. This gets out-of-synch at the slightest opportunity. The program that I use runs daily and I’m always amazed at how many oddities it finds and fixes on a daily basis.

Stop running all those darned programs at start-up!

Lots of programs automatically tick a box on installation that says they should run every time Windows starts up. Your instant messenger program, Skype, iTunes, your anti virus software (OK, keep that one), the list goes on.

Run the msconfig program from Start => Run (in XP) and then type in “msconfig” (without the quotes). In Vista, just type that into the search box that appears when you select Start.

The Startup tab will show you all the programs that run every single time you start up Windows. Set a system restore point in Windows (just in case you mess things up) and then disable any programs that aren’t needed. You may need to do some research on what some of the programs do before you merrily go ahead and delete them.

Another Msconfig setting

In the boot.ini tab, there’s a Timeout setting. This is likely set to 30 seconds and is used by Windows in case you’re running more than one operating system. If you only run Windows, you can safely cut this time down. I’ve got mine set to 5 seconds and that works well for me.