jtice
Flashaholic
How to keep a Computer \"Fresh\" ???
We have all experienced it...
You get a new computer, get it out of the box, hook it up, and WOW shes fast, runs great, and never hangs.
A couple months later, she takes way too long to do the simplist of tasks, hangs alot, and is just darn right slow. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Alot of things contribute to this.
Fragmented hard drives, cluttered files, currupted files and registry entries, entries that no longer need to be there, etc.
Registry Entries
Every time you uninstall a program, it is SUPPOSED to get rid of everything associated with that program.
One of the main things it always leaves behind is registry entries.
Typically, every program, DLL file, and other type files, always have an entry in the registry for them.
That adds up to ALOT of entries. Every time your computer has to lookup one of those entries,
it now has to search threw thousands of them, verses the mere hundreds it had to search threw when it was "fresh".
Fragmented Hard Drive
This is alittle more simple, and slightly easier to fix, using the supplied Windows Defragmentor.
I think most of us know what defragmanting is, and what is does, so I wont go into much detail on this.
But, I do think there is more to it than just having a program or file devided and spread out over multiple locations.
I am not sure to what it is, but there just seems to be more cluttering it up.
Memory (RAM)
Memory is one of the computers most used features. Sadly, it is one of the easiest and quickest to get filled, and disorganized.
Many applications will not run properly without the proper amount of Memory. But even computers with alot of memory
tend to get hung up sometimes. Memory can become very slow and hang alot, if it is not managed correctly.
Above are just a few of the main things that contribute to a computer slowing down and loosing performance over time.
What I would like to know is, how does one prevent these type of things from happening?
Last week, I had to reformat my computer, and reinstall everything, including Windows XP Pro.
The computer wasnt running very well, and performing simple tasks, like openning the start menu very slowly.
Also, my video playback was very currupted and some files and players wouldnt open at all.
After reformatting, and reinstalling Windows, and my other essencial programs, my computer litterally runs an average of 10 times faster !!!
Shutdown used to take at least 3 minutes, now it takes less than 20 15 seconds.
Programs open faster, menus pop up immediately.
Clearly, this is due to it being "fresh".
So, how do I KEEP it fresh?
What programs should I use to clear out unused and unneeded Registry Entries.
Are there any tricks to getting a computer to manage and use its Memory more effeciantly?
Thanks in advance. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
-John
We have all experienced it...
You get a new computer, get it out of the box, hook it up, and WOW shes fast, runs great, and never hangs.
A couple months later, she takes way too long to do the simplist of tasks, hangs alot, and is just darn right slow. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Alot of things contribute to this.
Fragmented hard drives, cluttered files, currupted files and registry entries, entries that no longer need to be there, etc.
Registry Entries
Every time you uninstall a program, it is SUPPOSED to get rid of everything associated with that program.
One of the main things it always leaves behind is registry entries.
Typically, every program, DLL file, and other type files, always have an entry in the registry for them.
That adds up to ALOT of entries. Every time your computer has to lookup one of those entries,
it now has to search threw thousands of them, verses the mere hundreds it had to search threw when it was "fresh".
Fragmented Hard Drive
This is alittle more simple, and slightly easier to fix, using the supplied Windows Defragmentor.
I think most of us know what defragmanting is, and what is does, so I wont go into much detail on this.
But, I do think there is more to it than just having a program or file devided and spread out over multiple locations.
I am not sure to what it is, but there just seems to be more cluttering it up.
Memory (RAM)
Memory is one of the computers most used features. Sadly, it is one of the easiest and quickest to get filled, and disorganized.
Many applications will not run properly without the proper amount of Memory. But even computers with alot of memory
tend to get hung up sometimes. Memory can become very slow and hang alot, if it is not managed correctly.
Above are just a few of the main things that contribute to a computer slowing down and loosing performance over time.
What I would like to know is, how does one prevent these type of things from happening?
Last week, I had to reformat my computer, and reinstall everything, including Windows XP Pro.
The computer wasnt running very well, and performing simple tasks, like openning the start menu very slowly.
Also, my video playback was very currupted and some files and players wouldnt open at all.
After reformatting, and reinstalling Windows, and my other essencial programs, my computer litterally runs an average of 10 times faster !!!
Shutdown used to take at least 3 minutes, now it takes less than 20 15 seconds.
Programs open faster, menus pop up immediately.
Clearly, this is due to it being "fresh".
So, how do I KEEP it fresh?
What programs should I use to clear out unused and unneeded Registry Entries.
Are there any tricks to getting a computer to manage and use its Memory more effeciantly?
Thanks in advance. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
-John