How to make your computer run like you just bought it, or better!

[Southern Ascetic]

Greetings fellow trads!

Some of you may know I have worked in IT for over 12 years, some of you may not, nonetheless, I have learned many tricks over a long period of time to make computers run better than the day you bought them.

I shall provide steps, in no particular order, to achieving a faster system with less lock-ups and slowness. This is only for Windows based systems.

1. Hardware Solutions

• Replace your current spindle drive (disc based with an arm reader) with a Solid State Drive, the Samsung Evo is the best on the market and fairly cheap. You will notice an extremely significant difference in how fast your computer operates. I have upgraded many people to them and they are always impressed.
• Increase you RAM capacity
• Re-install Windows to a vanilla installation, that means, a retail copy, without bloatware (backup your data to an external drive first) and re-install
  
  Edit* You will need to download the drivers for your hardware from the manufacturer website and put them on a usb stick or burn them to a disc after the windows install or the hardware won't work correctly with Windows. I can walk you through this if you need help.
  
  You will also need to boot from the Windows disc to do this, pretty simple, but if you need help PM me.

2. Software Solutions

Solution One

1.Go to Start (Windows Button) > Run
*Some Windows 7 installations don't show the run option, so hold down the windows key on your keyboard and hit the R key.

2. Type msconfig and hit Enter key, choose the startup tab. In Windows 8 it will give you a link to go to it by performing this step.

3. Uncheck unnecessary items like Google Updater, QuickTime, Adobe stuff, basically all of it. That's what I do. Hit Apply. Do not restart.

4. Go to Services tab, check "Hide all Microsoft Services" uncheck most of it that is not relevant, leave printer services and any wireless services or ethernet services or graphics services (like AMD or Nvidia) the rest be unchecked. Hit Apply. Do not restart yet.

5. Repeat step 1.

6. Type regedit into the run box and hit enter. This bring up the Windows registry (scared yet? )

7. Go to Edit>Find. Uncheck Value and Data, check Match whole string only.

8. Type Run into the Find What: field and hit enter.

9. Begin deleting startup items that are buried that are not in Msconfig startup. I delete them anyway. Don't worry you can make backup of these if you want, but it is not necessary. Hit F3. Continue deleting entries that are not absolutely necessary. Continue hitting F3 until it finishes searching through all run entries in the registry.

10. Cry. Then Reboot your system. Soft Reboot, don't hold down the power button or I'll slap you.

11. Reboot your system and experience glory.

12. Write check to Ascetik.

If you have any more questions please ask me, I'll be doing more write-ups like this.

[Dafrenchman]

One of preferred tools is ccleaner. It does a nice job to find a bunch of crap that can be removed.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Southern Ascetic]

Indeed. It is a good tool. This is a little more comprehensive since ccleaner doesn't detect all run registry entries.

[Gardener]

Cool thread. I recently achieved CompTIA A+ cert and am going after Net+ and Sec+, along with an Associates in Computer Networking.

One thing the instructors really hit on were points such as raised here.

One thing they also recommended, though it's probably out of the ballpark for most here, is to remove all add-ons upon purchase, image the machine, and save that image after you've got the settings configured how you want.

That way if it all craps out, you can just reapply the image, run file back ups onto the new image, and you're good to go.

IT is fun times.

[Hannelore]

Greetings fellow trads!

Some of you may know I have worked in IT for over 12 years, some of you may not, nonetheless, I have learned many tricks over a long period of time to make computers run better than the day you bought them.

I shall provide steps, in no particular order, to achieving a faster system with less lock-ups and slowness. This is only for Windows based systems.

1. Hardware Solutions

• Replace your current spindle drive (disc based with an arm reader) with a Solid State Drive, the Samsung Evo is the best on the market and fairly cheap. You will notice an extremely significant difference in how fast your computer operates. I have upgraded many people to them and they are always impressed.
• Increase you RAM capacity
• Re-install Windows to a vanilla installation, that means, a retail copy, without bloatware (backup your data to an external drive first) and re-install

2. Software Solutions

Solution One

1.Go to Start (Windows Button) > Run
*Some Windows 7 installations don't show the run option, so hold down the windows key on your keyboard and hit the R key.

2. Type msconfig and hit Enter key, choose the startup tab. In Windows 8 it will give you a link to go to it by performing this step.

3. Uncheck unnecessary items like Google Updater, QuickTime, Adobe stuff, basically all of it. That's what I do. Hit Apply. Do not restart.

4. Go to Services tab, check "Hide all Microsoft Services" uncheck most of it that is not relevant, leave printer services and any wireless services or ethernet services or graphics services (like AMD or Nvidia) the rest be unchecked. Hit Apply. Do not restart yet.

5. Repeat step 1.

6. Type regedit into the run box and hit enter. This bring up the Windows registry (scared yet? )

7. Go to Edit>Find. Uncheck Value and Data, check Match whole string only.

8. Type Run into the Find What: field and hit enter.

9. Begin deleting startup items that are buried that are not in Msconfig startup. I delete them anyway. Don't worry you can make backup of these if you want, but it is not necessary. Hit F3. Continue deleting entries that are not absolutely necessary. Continue hitting F3 until it finishes searching through all run entries in the registry.

10. Cry. Then Reboot your system. Soft Reboot, don't hold down the power button or I'll slap you.

11. Reboot your system and experience glory.

12. Write check to Ascetik.

If you have any more questions please ask me, I'll be doing more write-ups like this.

I love you for this. 

[Theophilus]

Now come to my house and do this, your check will be waiting.

Seriously, one thing my husband and I would have done differently is we would have taken more computer classes in college.  It would be so helpful now.  I will try to follow these directions but I will have to google every other word to find out what/where everything is.

[Hannelore]

Just a quick question: why does step 10 include crying? 

[Akavit]

Seriously, one thing my husband and I would have done differently is we would have taken more computer classes in college.  It would be so helpful now.  I will try to follow these directions but I will have to google every other word to find out what/where everything is.

Not sure this would have helped.  You can't just take basic classes on computers and expect to know much about them 5 years later.  The tech and software changes so fast you have to do continuous study to stay on top of the subject.  Every 6 years when I build a new system I have to do a month crash course in what's current.

[Kaesekopf]

Most people just Google and learn on the go.  It teaches you self reliance and the ability to figure out what you need.  It's a good exercise in learning.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Archer]

Most people just Google and learn on the go.  It teaches you self reliance and the ability to figure out what you need.  It's a good exercise in learning.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Youtube is also a great tool when things break and for minor home improvements or do it yourself projects. If you've got a problem chances are someone else did too and posted a step by step guide to resolving it.  No reason to reinvent the wheel.

[Southern Ascetic]

Most entries in the registry will be dynamic, so unless you have a thorough understanding of what to look for in services and registry settings, you will not know what can be removed and what can't, but sometimes it is easy to tell, sometimes not. Youtube doesn't have all the answers unfortunately.


I will be doing more write-ups soon. There is a lot more information I want to share.

[Kaesekopf]

That's awesome ascetik.  I do appreciate it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Cesar_Augustus]

Thanks!

[Dafrenchman]

I also recall using the PC decrapifier.... http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/home been some time ago. I liked the name too.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[TeDeum]

Folks come to me with Windows PCs problems and go back home with Linux and in all years they said to me my computer is running as fast as on the day you put Linux on it.

Favorite distro:
Linux Mint Mate