Hello everyone,

In my previous post (https://randythetechprofessor.com/how-to-speed-up-your-computer), I told you that as a computer “geek” with an “obsessive-compulsive” personality, I work hard to keep my computer running as fast as possible by performing regular system maintenance.

Yesterday I gave you two ways to speed up your computer (I will list those again), and today I would like to give you three more along with the “how to” to accomplish the task. The programs that I recommend are free and you should run them maybe once a week. Tomorrow I will finish this series of posts by giving you a few more ways to speed up your computer.

1) Clean the Hard Drive. Over time the hard drive gets cluttered with all kinds of unnecessary files (temporary files, log files, backup files, dump files, etc.). These files are useless and can take up precious disk space. Get rid of these files! What to do?

A) Run the built in Windows Disk Cleanup Utility (Start>Search Box>type cleanup>Enter).

B) Run CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com). CCleaner removes all kinds of useless files.

C) Run PureRa (http://raproducts.org/purera.html). PureRa “removes files from your computer that other mainstream cleaning programs tend to oversee”. This product is relatively new – I have tried it on my Vista Laptop and it did a good job cleaning out some odd file types.

2) Scan For Malicious Software. Malicious software is adware, spyware, virus, trojans, worms, rootkits, etc. All of these malicious programs can slow down your system “to a crawl”. Get rid of this malware! What to do?

A) Run Avira AntiVir Personal ( http://www.free-av.com). Install, update regularly, and run.

B) Run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (http://www.malwarebytes.org). Install, update, and run.

C) Run SUPERAntiSpyware (http://www.superantispyware.com). Install, update, and run.

3) Disable Programs that Auto-Start. I talked about this yesterday. Get Mike Lin’s programs.

4) Disable Unnecessary Services. I talked about this yesterday. Go to Black Viper’s site.

5) Clean the Registry. Over time the Windows Registry will fill up with many entries that are no longer valid and that point to nowhere. These superfluous entries take up space and can adversely affect the behavior of your system. Get rid of these registry entries! What to do?

A) Run CCleaner (http://www.ccleaner.com). Run the Registry function. I have found it very safe.

B) Run WinASO Registry Optimizer (http://www.winaso.com). I have used it for years and have not had one problem!

Professor Randy says: A clean, fast computer is a beautiful thing! It can be yours with just a minimum of regular maintenance.