In a perfect world there would be no queues at the bank, all of the traffic lights would stay green for us, and our computers would all run at lightning speed! Unfortunately we don't reside in a perfect world. We live in a real one where things don't always move as speedily as we want and there is not much we can do about it. Or is it possible? At least when considering your PC, there are some easy steps that you could take that will speed it up and make it perform better. Thus if you're always inquiring your mates how can I speed up my computer? - read on.

First of all determine if your hard disk drive is too full. The hard disk drive is where the operating system is stored, together with all other programs that are essential to make your computer system operate properly, therefore if there is too much extra stuff there it's going to slow your PC down. Ideally there needs to be 300MBs to 500MBs of free space on your hard drive. It requires this free space for temporary files and other disk file chores. If other things are being stored on your hard drive, transfer it to another location on your PC or to an external hard disk, zip drive or back up disk. That's the first step when you're pondering over how to fix a slow computer.

Now look at your control panel to determine if there are any programs there that you never make use of. If you don't use them, make them go away. Uninstall programs which serve no purpose as they are simply taking up space. However, when you uninstall a software program, be aware that it will leave empty spaces on your PC, and when you install a new program or download a file, your computer may fill these spaces with fragments of the new program. As a result, when you will try to open the program, the computer has to go searching for all of the pieces of it. In addition to slowing your computer down, this also causes it to expend a lot of energy and might result in the hardware on the computer to wear out, that's why you need to defrag your disk drive regularly.

When you defrag your PC you will see that its overall efficiency will enhance. Programs will run faster, and you will gain a good amount of free space. If you have not defragged your PC before, it will probably take a lot longer the first time, but if it is done routinely it is a pretty quick process and it keeps everything running properly. You must run the Scandisk before you defrag to make certain the hard disk is running appropriately. Both the Scandisk and the Disk Defragmenter are positioned in the System Tools folder under Accessories. They come standard on practically all PC.

Ensure that you are making backup of your files on a CD or an external hard disk drive, especially if you are going to defrag. If for some reason the PC shuts down during this process it can cause your whole system to crash your information may be lost permanently.

You will be able to increase the speed of your PC and have it perform better if you simply keep it clean and properly organized. Then you can stop wondering why is my computer so slow.