17 Ways To Make Your
Computer Run Better...
So You'll Have More
Time To Enjoy Your
Model Railroading!
Help For Model Railroad Enthusiasts
Model-Railroad-Resources.com
Model-Railroad-Resources.com
Do essential regular housekeeping like empty your 'temporary internet files' ... also
called 'clearing your cache'.
The Temporary Internet Files (or cache) folder contains web page content that is
stored on your hard disk for quick viewing. To delete the files in the Temporary
Internet Files folder, follow these steps:
i) Quit Internet Explorer and quit any instances of Windows Explorer.
ii) Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
iii) On the General tab, click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.
iv) In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the Delete all offline content check
box , and then click OK.
v) Click OK.
Spyware and viruses are a leading cause of a computer slowing. You may
need a spyware cleaner.
Here's where you can scan your PC for FREE to see if it is infected.
Some applications also install things on your computer that make it run slower.
Things such as having hundreds of fonts will make it load slower.
Here's an Anti Virus Program you may want to try.
Remove unwanted software. Click start, then click control panel. Click add/remove
programs. Highlight any old software you do not use and then click "remove".
Run Disk Cleanup Click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk
Cleanup. Select the hard drive you wish to cleanup (usually C:), and once the scan
is complete, choose the types of files you wish to remove.
Defragment your hard drive every one to two weeks.
This will place similar files physically closer on the
hard disk to improve load speeds.
Click start, then click run. Type, "dfrg.msc" in the
text field. Click Defrag to start it. If this is your first
defrag, do it after the disk clean up twice, then a
disk defrag, and then another disk clean up. For
best results, run defragmenter last after performing
all other steps.
Empty your Recycle Bin
Clear your e-mail in box regularly. This may help.
Does your computer keeps crashing or are you receiving weird error messages?
Then you may need to increase your system speed and stability by removing
corrupted registry files.
A Registry Tool can be the safest and easiest way to improve your PC's
performance. This is a quick solution to most system errors and may increase the
performance of your computer in the same time.
Here's where you can scan your computer to see how many errors are
there in your registry.
Don't have a large graphic picture as your background wallpaper. This can make
your computer work a lot harder when booting up.
Get rid of unwanted start up programs. Click Start > Run > type "msconfig" in the
box, and click OK. Select the 'Start up' tab, and deselect any programs you don't
want to automatically run when you boot up. Be careful what you delete and if you
are unsure what something is, Google the name of it and you can usually find a
description. This can have a huge impact on the boot time and overall system
performance of a PC. Remember; don't delete anything that you are uncertain
about. Disabling the wrong Services may lead to serious problems that you may not
notice right away.
Download updates for Windows from Windows Updates if you are
using a Microsoft system.
Increase the amount of RAM on your computer. With more RAM, you can keep more
programs in memory at once, and they will respond more quickly. For Windows
Vista, having at least 2-4 Gigabytes of RAM is recommended for great system
performance, for Windows XP usually 1-2 Gigabytes is more than enough. The
same with Linux, unless your booting from a live CD you don't need an excessive
amount of RAM.
Before undertaking any system changes, be sure that the basic maintenance jobs
are done. Also, know how to get back where you started in case changes don't work
out. Back up the system and create a restore point before making system changes.
You can speed up the processing time by turning off the fancy Windows XP
graphics. You should see a immediate increase the speed of your computer.
Go to Start, (Settings), Control Panel, System. NOTE: You may need to 'Switch to
Classic Mode' to see the System applet. Go to the Advanced tab. Click the Settings
button under Performance. Select the 'Adjust for best performance' radio button,
then Apply, and OK. The graphics aren't as flashy, but your computer should run a
lot faster.
Regularly back up your system.
If you have a lot of videos or music, keep them organized. Robert has released
some model train videos that will play in Quicktime, so here are 4 things to do:
i) Make sure your computer is running efficiently
ii) Investigate getting a high speed internet connection if you haven't already done
so.
iii) Download the Quicktime program for FREE here.
A final tip. Have someone locally you can contact in case you break something and
you need your computer repaired quickly.
Robert here again... I hope you found this helpful. Remember, I'm not a computer
expert, so will need search Google for anything you are unsure of BEFORE you
action any of the above. You need to accept responsibility for changes,
software/hardware installations or deletions, or maintenance tasks you
perform on your computer. In other words, these are tips only and I can't
accept responsibility for anything you do to your computer. If in doubt, always
seek professional advice from a qualified computer expert.
Regards.
Robert Anderson
Model Train Enthusiast
P.S. If this is not enough information and if you would like to learn even more about
how to improve your computer speed, eliminate crashes and freeze-ups... then, here
are some more useful sites on how to remove spyware, adware, viruses & clean up
your registry:
called 'clearing your cache'.
The Temporary Internet Files (or cache) folder contains web page content that is
stored on your hard disk for quick viewing. To delete the files in the Temporary
Internet Files folder, follow these steps:
i) Quit Internet Explorer and quit any instances of Windows Explorer.
ii) Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
iii) On the General tab, click Delete Files under Temporary Internet Files.
iv) In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the Delete all offline content check
box , and then click OK.
v) Click OK.
Spyware and viruses are a leading cause of a computer slowing. You may
need a spyware cleaner.
Here's where you can scan your PC for FREE to see if it is infected.
Some applications also install things on your computer that make it run slower.
Things such as having hundreds of fonts will make it load slower.
Here's an Anti Virus Program you may want to try.
Remove unwanted software. Click start, then click control panel. Click add/remove
programs. Highlight any old software you do not use and then click "remove".
Run Disk Cleanup Click Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk
Cleanup. Select the hard drive you wish to cleanup (usually C:), and once the scan
is complete, choose the types of files you wish to remove.
Defragment your hard drive every one to two weeks.
This will place similar files physically closer on the
hard disk to improve load speeds.
Click start, then click run. Type, "dfrg.msc" in the
text field. Click Defrag to start it. If this is your first
defrag, do it after the disk clean up twice, then a
disk defrag, and then another disk clean up. For
best results, run defragmenter last after performing
all other steps.
Empty your Recycle Bin
Clear your e-mail in box regularly. This may help.
Does your computer keeps crashing or are you receiving weird error messages?
Then you may need to increase your system speed and stability by removing
corrupted registry files.
A Registry Tool can be the safest and easiest way to improve your PC's
performance. This is a quick solution to most system errors and may increase the
performance of your computer in the same time.
Here's where you can scan your computer to see how many errors are
there in your registry.
Don't have a large graphic picture as your background wallpaper. This can make
your computer work a lot harder when booting up.
Get rid of unwanted start up programs. Click Start > Run > type "msconfig" in the
box, and click OK. Select the 'Start up' tab, and deselect any programs you don't
want to automatically run when you boot up. Be careful what you delete and if you
are unsure what something is, Google the name of it and you can usually find a
description. This can have a huge impact on the boot time and overall system
performance of a PC. Remember; don't delete anything that you are uncertain
about. Disabling the wrong Services may lead to serious problems that you may not
notice right away.
Download updates for Windows from Windows Updates if you are
using a Microsoft system.
Increase the amount of RAM on your computer. With more RAM, you can keep more
programs in memory at once, and they will respond more quickly. For Windows
Vista, having at least 2-4 Gigabytes of RAM is recommended for great system
performance, for Windows XP usually 1-2 Gigabytes is more than enough. The
same with Linux, unless your booting from a live CD you don't need an excessive
amount of RAM.
Before undertaking any system changes, be sure that the basic maintenance jobs
are done. Also, know how to get back where you started in case changes don't work
out. Back up the system and create a restore point before making system changes.
You can speed up the processing time by turning off the fancy Windows XP
graphics. You should see a immediate increase the speed of your computer.
Go to Start, (Settings), Control Panel, System. NOTE: You may need to 'Switch to
Classic Mode' to see the System applet. Go to the Advanced tab. Click the Settings
button under Performance. Select the 'Adjust for best performance' radio button,
then Apply, and OK. The graphics aren't as flashy, but your computer should run a
lot faster.
Regularly back up your system.
If you have a lot of videos or music, keep them organized. Robert has released
some model train videos that will play in Quicktime, so here are 4 things to do:
i) Make sure your computer is running efficiently
ii) Investigate getting a high speed internet connection if you haven't already done
so.
iii) Download the Quicktime program for FREE here.
A final tip. Have someone locally you can contact in case you break something and
you need your computer repaired quickly.
Robert here again... I hope you found this helpful. Remember, I'm not a computer
expert, so will need search Google for anything you are unsure of BEFORE you
action any of the above. You need to accept responsibility for changes,
software/hardware installations or deletions, or maintenance tasks you
perform on your computer. In other words, these are tips only and I can't
accept responsibility for anything you do to your computer. If in doubt, always
seek professional advice from a qualified computer expert.
Regards.
Robert Anderson
Model Train Enthusiast
P.S. If this is not enough information and if you would like to learn even more about
how to improve your computer speed, eliminate crashes and freeze-ups... then, here
are some more useful sites on how to remove spyware, adware, viruses & clean up
your registry:
Frustrated With Your Computer?
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A friend of mine has very kindly put together 17 easy ways to make your computer run
faster and better. Think about it; with your computer running more efficiently, you'll
have more time to enjoy your model railroading.
faster and better. Think about it; with your computer running more efficiently, you'll
have more time to enjoy your model railroading.
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