When the computer starts to slow down and to open programs and windows more and more slowly, it is appropriate to devote some attention to it to make it return as fast as it was just bought or just formatted. Speeding up a Windows computer can mean several things: making sure that the programs don't crash, being able to start multiple applications at the same time without slowing down, turning on the PC with less time, turning it off without having to wait too long, avoiding that there are malicious programs and optimize Windows performance on your computer.
Of all these topics I have written several guides several times, now all gathered in this great guide to speed up the computer for free, so as to carry out regular maintenance that always keeps it in shape and optimized .
How to speed up your computer for free
READ ALSO: Best free automatic programs to optimize your Windows PC
As written in the introduction we have created many guides and insights to speed up PCs with Windows operating system ( Windows 7 and Windows 10 ); let's find out point by point what we need to do to speed up the computer.
1) Disable programs from startup
To make the PC turn on quickly and to avoid that some unnecessary programs remain in memory by occupying and wasting resources, one must necessarily check what starts automatically together with the Windows system.
The problem is very frequent because, when you install a program in Windows, it often automatically configures itself to run automatically.
After installing a lot of software, the startup process of the computer could therefore become very slow.
To quickly check the programs in auto startup just right click on the bar at the bottom, then open Task Manager -> Startup .
We right-click on the individual programs present and disable them to prevent them from starting together with Windows 10.
In another article we saw the best programs to manage Windows startup, essential for Windows 7.
2) Delete unnecessary files on your computer and free up disk space
When using a computer, the files are saved, sometimes even automatically, in different sectors of the disk and in various folders.
In addition to normal programs, Windows create temporary files and log files or histories.
The deleted files end up in the recycle bin which, if it is not emptied, can be filled with garbage.
When browsing the internet, then, browsers create many temporary files, cookies and histories.
To quickly clean any PC with Windows we open This PC or My Computer, then right click on the hard disk or SSD to be cleaned, then on Properties and use the item Disk Cleanup .
Alternatively there are programs to clean the Windows computer including the famous CCleaner which can also be set to run automatically, perhaps to clean the PC from unnecessary files every month (see here to plan the cleaning of the computer with Ccleaner).
In these programs it is also possible to do registry cleaning which, however, I recently considered not very useful (see Registry Cleaner: more problems than benefits).
3) Plan Disk Cleanup
Windows provides a tool called Disk Cleanup which removes old files and temporary files to recover space on the hard disk and possibly to speed up the PC.
It is a good idea to run the Disk Cleanup tool regularly, such as every month or every week, depending on how you use your computer.
You can use the Task Scheduler tool in Windows to set up the Disk Cleanup tool to run on a set day and periodically.
In this post, how to use Windows Disk Cleanup.
In another article, however, how to plan computer maintenance activities.
4) Speed up access to files by defragmenting the disk
After a while using a computer, the hard disk fragments the saved files, that is, they are broken down into various different sectors, where free space is found.
Obviously the fragmentation of the disk negatively affects the system performance because the hard disk has to turn several times to recover all the pieces of a file before executing it.
The Disk Defragmenter utility is used to "bring together" the pieces of the various files by arranging them in an orderly manner.
We can start it on Windows by opening the Start menu and typing Defragment and opening the item Defragment and optimize drives .
In the case of SSD it is not necessary to defragment anything, but if we still have mechanical disks it is better to periodically check this tool.
Windows 10 has automatic optimization and defragmentation systems every time the PC is not touched (not even moving the mouse), so to speed up Windows it is sufficient to leave the PC on and not used for at least 1 hour every week to automatically optimize and defragment every unit.
Alternatively, we can use an external program for optimization, which can be downloaded for free from the programs page to defragment the disk.
To optimize SSDs, there are some programs instead
5) Malware, Spyware and Adware Removal
These are often responsible for slowdowns and long computer loads.
It is advisable to periodically scan (even automatically) the PC with the updated antiviral systems present on your PC.
In these articles we can find the best antispyware for Windows and the best portable antivirus scanners.
6) Correct disk errors
When you open the Windows properties, in addition to the cleaner and the defragmentation utility, there is a third tool that allows you to correct the hard disk errors, caused for example by sudden power blackouts or faulty installations of programs and driver.
Scandisk (in fast mode) should be performed at least once a month if you use your PC every day and you must definitely run it every time the computer crashes or if it shuts itself down.
We can start it by right clicking on the hard disk where Windows is installed (from This PC or My Computer ), going to the Tools tab and clicking Check .
In another article we have created a complete guide to scandisk and other disk error checking programs.
7) Disable unnecessary Windows features
By default, Windows has many functions that most likely are not needed in everyday PC use and that take up resources unnecessarily; fortunately most of the Windows functions can be disabled.
Using the search function above, you can search for the word disable or the word disable to find many optimization guides or by looking in the Start App menu and features and opening the respective item in the Settings menu.
Or alternatively open the Classic Control Panel open the Programs item and click Turn Windows features on or off .
As a general guide we can look at how to make super fast Windows with system changes and disabling unnecessary services, functions and options or alternatively we can speed up the computer by deactivating the indexing service in Windows (see Windows Cheats for "explore resources" and slow folders or Optimize Windows 7 for a fast PC and better computer performance).
8) Completely uninstall unused programs
Sometimes, when you uninstall a program, they always leave some trace which, in the long run, accumulates on the disk (this is because some software is made to evade the Windows uninstall system).
In order to completely uninstall the programs we can read the guide to uninstall programs with some more powerful and complete tools.
9) Delete unnecessary items from the right click menu
When you right-click on a file, it happens that Windows takes some time to display the contextual menu because of the too many items, often created by the various programs that we have added to Windows and which provide this integrated functionality in the context menu.
In order to clean up the contextual menu, we advise you to read the guide Disable unnecessary options from the right-click menus and avoid Windows slowdowns .
10) Limit the number of items inside each folder
If there are many files in a single folder (especially if videos or images) you can slow down its loading due to the preview managed by the operating system or by the antiviral control.
So we recommend creating multiple folders and moving the files to it more analytically, so as to have more orderly folders and faster accessible files.
It is also a good thing to keep the desktop without too many icons, maximum 3 or 4 columns.
11) Clean the inside of the PC from dust
As explained in the guide To clean the computer from dust, the computer fans that diffuse air to cool the hardware components can become clogged with dust, animal hair and other forms of dirt; this can cause the system to overheat causing slowdowns or, more likely, sudden shutdowns.
We clean your PC case at least every 3 months and remove all the dust we can so as to make the internal components last longer and avoid slowdowns due to overheating.
12) In another article we have described some tricks to turn off the PC faster so as to speed up the PC even more.
READ ALSO: How to speed up your PC to the maximum
