First, get rid of any old programs you never use. Open the Control Panel and click on Add/Remove Programs. Be sure that you actually don't use the programs you plan to delete. Also might want to remove any large files you put on your computer that you know you can delete. Do not delete any files you are unsure of as it could hender the operatability of the computer. The idea is to remove any unused junk from your hard drive.

Second, defragment your hard drive. This helps your computer find things on the hard drive faster. Before you do this, close out of every program you can. There are "disk cleaning" software packages out there that do a decent job of cleaning your hard drive.

Third, make sure no un-needed processes or programs are running. For instance. Right click on Start (on a PC), and choose Explore, then double click on Programs and Startup. These programs are all loaded when your computer first boots. If you have programs you never use like Quicken, BillMind, and others in there, it may be slowing down your system. Microsoft Office generally puts some files in this folder, such as Microsoft FindFast. This file can be deleted. Also, the Office Toolbar takes up many resources unneccesarily and can be deleted as well. Be sure not to delete anything you are unsure of.

Forth, if you are an experienced computer user, partitioning your hard drive can increase system performance. This is because a system has to have a very large table loaded in memory depending on the size of each partition. If you have a couple smaller partitions, it will take less memory than one super large partition. Remember, it is not worth having a NTSB partion less than 200 mb, FAT will not go bigger than 2 gb, and FAT32 is not as secure or robust as NTSB. Also remember that NTSB is only available on NT platforms.

If you still want faster speeds...

Upgrade your RAM, if possible. Upgrading one's RAM is probably the most noticable way of getting your computer to be faster. Check with your computer's documentation to determine which type of memory you should get, and what the maximum capabilities are. Generally speaking, the higher the number of RAM type, the faster the memory is. Often, a computer can run multiple speeds, so this is a factor. Usually, faster memory is more expensive. A good number to have today is three gigabytes, but it also depends on what you are using your computer for.

Upgrade your processor, if possible. Most computers have a motherboard that has a processor socket where the central processor sits. The processor can usually come out--though it's not a good idea to ever take out the processor unless you have a good reason. Upgrading your processor is a good way to get prolonged value out of your computer. Rather than buying a new computer every so many years, you can upgrade the processor and practically get two computers out of one. Before you go through the trouble of upgrading your processor, it would be a good idea to increase the amount of RAM on your computer first. A faster processor won't do ANY good unless is has plenty of RAM to work with. There are many compatability issues when upgrading a processor, so we'd recommend contacting the manufacturer's support line, or hiring a local computer professional to help you select and install the best processor for your needs.