... if you could increase your personal efficiency and get things done?
Between the aggravation and the lost time, a slow computer is a serious obstacle to working effectively. Before you purchase an entirely new system, you may be able to get the old one up to speed.
Increase RAM. The surest way to make your computer faster is to increase its RAM. There is a limit to how much your laptop can be upgraded, but if you're working with a desktop, the only limit is your budget. You can install new RAM yourself, but it is better to get someone to help you the first time. Aim for at least 2 GB and, ideally, 4GB for optimum performance.
Eliminate Spyware. If you haven't been scanning for viruses and spyware on a regular basis, start now. Even if it isn't corrupting your data or compromising your passwords, malicious code steals system resources, slowing everything else down.
Close some programs. Even when you aren't actively using an application, every open window uses some of your memory, as does each tab in your internet browser. If you change your work habits to tax your system less, it will immediately become more responsive.
Turn off visual effects. You can speed up Windows 7 by switching off the advanced visual effects. Type “Performance Information and Tools” into the Start box and click “Adjust Visual Effects”.
Turn off autolaunch. Allowing programs to launch at start-up means a longer delay before you can start the day and fewer resources for the tasks that really matter.
Use scandisk and defrag. Sometimes our computers just need a little Spring cleaning. The scandisk and defrag utilities look for errors and rearrange files into a more logical, efficient order. Since you can't do much else while these utilities are running, get in the habit of running one or the other during lunch or long meetings.
Clean up your hard drive. Get rid of anything you don't need. Cookies and temporary files are the easiest candidates, but also look for old files that can be deleted or applications that you no longer use. If your hard drive is nearly full, consider buying an external hard drive to store important, rarely accessed files.
Increase virtual memory. When a computer runs out of RAM it uses a portion of the hard drive as virtual memory, but it won't use more than you allow it to. Increase the virtual memory, also called pagefile size, to make your computer more responsive.
Make a USB RAM drive. If you have an older computer, you can convert an empty USB drive into extra RAM through the virtual memory menu. This has the most impact on computers with less than 2 GB of RAM.
Buy a solid-state hard drive. Solid state drives don't need to spin for your computer to retrieve information, making them quieter, more energy efficient and significantly faster than traditional hard drives. If you use multiple drives, put your operating system on the solid-state drive since this is what your computer accesses most often.
