5 Easy Steps for Speeding Up Your PC

Remove unneeded programs from startup
Eliminating unwanted programs from the startup process is one of the most effective ways to speed up the time it takes your PC to start. Further, iolo researchers have found that removing unneeded startup settings boosts PC speed after startup as well by reducing the number of programs loaded in memory, the computer has more resources available to process the functions that you do use. Because startup commands are stored in many different areas on a computer, the most comprehensive approach is to use a specialized tool that can manage all the Windows startup commands. System Mechanic. Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Increase Performance category, click Start next to Optimize Windows Startup. The tool uses a wizard to guide you through removing unneeded startup commands. You can choose to completely automate the removal of items from startup, or you can view a list of potentially unneeded startup items and choose which ones you want to remove. System Mechanic (Advanced). Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Manage System Configuration category, click Start next to Configure Windows Startup. For advanced users, the tool lists all the items currently configured to start when Windows loads. You can enable, disable, or delete startup items, view detailed file descriptions and properties, create startup profiles, and more. ActiveCare in System Mechanic: To have System Mechanic automatically remove unneeded items from startup when they are detected, enable Automatically optimize startup configuration on the Automated Tasks pane.

Clean and repair the registry
Cleaning/repairing the registry can result in significant improvements to your PC's operation. Registry repair tools compare what is in the registry to what is actually on your computer and will then either correct or delete erroneous entries. System Mechanic: Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Repair Problems category, click Start next to Repair Registry Problems. The tool uses a wizard to guide you through repairing registry entries. You can choose to completely automate the repair of registry, or you can view a list of registry errors and choose which ones you want to fix. ActiveCare in System Mechanic: To have System Mechanic automatically repair registry problems when detected, enable Automatically repair registry problems on the Automated Tasks pane.

Defragment and compact the registry
As you make system changes and the registry grows, the registry becomes fragmented and overly large. Defragmenting the registry restructures the data so that Windows can access what it needs faster, while compacting eliminates the bloated and unused space in the registry. The processes work together to speed program access, improve overall system efficiency, and free up vital memory. System Mechanic: Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Increase Performance category, click Start next to Defragment and Compact Registry. You can run and view an analysis of registry fragmentation, and then schedule the defragmentation and compaction to safely run the next time you start or restart your computer. ActiveCare in System Mechanic: To have System Mechanic automatically defragment and compact the registry when fragmentation reaches an unhealthy threshold, enable Automatically repair registry fragmentation problems on the Automated Tasks pane.

Defragment memory
Defragmenting memory reclaims and frees up valuable memory, which can have a dramatic impact on speed. Defragmenting the memory can also improve the stability of your computer as low memory is a common cause of computer crashes and lockups. System Mechanic: Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Increase Performance category, click Start next to Defragment Memory. You can run and view an analysis of your PC's current memory usage and then run the defragmentation. After a short pause (~20 seconds) as the system reallocates memory, you will see how much memory was reclaimed. ActiveCare in System Mechanic: To have System Mechanic automatically defragment the memory when it is detected as being low, enable Automatically repair low memory problems on the Automated Tasks pane.

Defragment hard drives
Defragmenting reorganizes data on the drive so that file components are stored closer to each other, enabling Windows to more quickly access and open files. Defragmenting hard drives not only boosts drive speed, but can also prevent data corruption and extend the life of the drives. System Mechanic: Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Increase Performance category, click Start next to Defragment Hard Drive. You can run and view an analysis of drive fragmentation, select specific drives, select a level of defragmentation (note that a deep defragmentation takes several hours to complete, so only choose this if you can leave your PC working overnight), and then run the defragmentation. For thorough defragmentation, the files in use by the operating system must be defragmented when the computer is restarted; see boot-time defragmentation below. System Mechanic (Boot-time Defragmentation): Navigate to the Individual Tools pane. Under the Increase Performance category, click Start next to Configure Boot-time Defragmentation. This tool defragments those "unmovable" files that must be accessed prior to Windows loading. You can schedule the defragmentation of Windows system files as well as any other files you designate; the defragmentation will run the next time you start or restart your computer. ActiveCare in System Mechanic: To have System Mechanic automatically defragment drives when fragmentation is detected as being high, enable Automatically repair drive fragmentation problems on the Automated Tasks pane.