Computer Trouble Shooters offer 8 tips for speeding up computers

According to IT support franchise Computer Troubleshooters , one of the biggest frustrations with technology is how slow it can be. So, here are their top tips for improving the speed of computers.

1. Clean up the disk

When browsing the internet and using files ‘temporary' files are created and not deleted. These temporary files use up valuable space on the hard disk and the easiest way to delete these is with Microsoft's inbuilt Disk Cleanup program.

2. Defragment files

It can be hard to find paper documents in a messy filing cabinet. Creating and deleting files can clutter the physical storage on the computer, slowing down the time it takes to open the files. Running Microsoft's Disk Defragmenter program will literally tidy up the ‘fragments' of the files, much like tidying up paperwork.

3. Upgrade hardware

As technology advances, new software programs require more computing power. Consider upgrading the memory, hard disk or processor of the computer to speed things up. Additional RAM memory can make a noticeable, cost-effective speed improvement. For everyday business, Computer Troubleshooters IT solutions franchise suggests min 2GB RAM for Vista and 1GB RAM for Windows 7 and Windows XP.

4. Check the scheduling for the software

Software tasks like complete anti-virus scans and system backups can use a significant amount of computer resources, causing things to grind to a halt. If the slow periods are usually worse at the same time of day, check the time that the virus scans and backups are set to run.

5. Upgrade the wireless network

Wireless network technology used to run at a speed of 54 ‘Mbit/s' (megabits per second). The latest standard (IEEE 802.11n) allows files to transfer at a speed of 600 Mbits/s. Ignoring the jargon, anything that has a speed of 600 is an improvement over a speed of 54. Upgrade the wireless router and wireless adapters to ones that support the ‘n' wireless standard.

6. Upgrade to ADSL 2+

Internet speeds have also increased at little extra cost. By changing to the latest ADSL 2+ technology, the time it takes to download 500Mb of files can be improved from 4 hours to 9 minutes.

7. Restrict ‘file streaming'

Watching videos on the internet and listening to online radio stations can be fun. However if several people in the office are doing this at once, it will impact the speed of the computer network. Talk to a computer expert about the best way to remove or limit access to these sites.

8. Computer Troubleshooter’s final (and most important) tip is to address little computer problems before they become big ones.

If the computer is getting slower and slower, then call a computer expert. Like anything it can be more cost-effective to fix a minor problem straight away, rather than waiting for it to compound and then require major work.