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By Jon Bruce, IT Fanatics 1300 727 125

If your previously fast PC is getting slower and slower, your PC may just need a little clean...

One of the complaints I often hear from customers is that they can't understand why their computer is so slow. They often tell me:

"Well, it used to be fast but now it takes forever to do anything!"

While there may be many technical reasons for this, there are at least a few things the average computer user can do to speed things up.

As we know, technology is developing more uses and better ways of doing things every day. Quite often tomorrows' new features require more speed or power than what today's computer have to complete the task efficiently. This is why often why we need to upgrade or replace our PC's every few years or so.

However, what many people don't realise is - just like a car - your PC may just need a bit of servicing. There a number of things YOU can do to keep it running at its best.

CCleaner

Ccleaner is a free program available from www.ccleaner.com that addresses 3 of the 5 solutions that you can do to keep your PC running well.

As the name suggests, it is like giving your PC a 'bit of a clean'.

1. First you have a File Cleaner which removes log files, history files and other types of temporary files from the PC that are no longer required. These files accumulate over time, especially the more we surf the internet which bit by bit can slow down your PC.
2. Next we have a Registry Cleaner. The Registry contains settings for different parts of our PC and as software gets installed and removed, you end up with information left behind that is no longer required. By cleaning this up, we get less problems and better performance.
3. And lastly, we have a Start Up Cleaner which allows us to select which programs we want to start automatically when we turn on our computer, and which ones we don't. This can be a tricky for the less technically experienced, but with a little bit of help, we can save some valuable memory, which will once again, give us back the speed we need.

Defrag

As we delete files and create files from using our PC, the Hard Drive can get what is called Fragmented. This is where gaps appear in between files on the Hard Drive and files become spread around the drive as opposed to being in a single location. Over time, once again this will slow the performance of the PC.

Many computers already have a disk defragmenter program already installed, so you can easily run Disk Defragmenter on your computer to speed up your PC.

The instructions to open Disk Defragmenter on Windows XP are as follows:

• Click Start (usually bottom left of your screen)
• Point to All Programs
• Point to Accessories,
• Point to System Tools,
• Then click Disk Defragmenter.
• For information about using Disk Defragmenter, on the Action menu, click Help.

Memory and Video Card Upgrade

Quite often, a few dollars and a few parts can bring an old PC back to life and give it a bit of extra use until it's inevitable replacement.

If you PC has what they call 'On Board Video', then adding a Video Card will boost how fast things can be written to your screen.

Adding extra memory means the computer can simply do more things at once which is always good for performance.

Remember though, that there may be other reasons and/or faults that may cause slow performance.

Always use virus protection and make sure you back up your data regularly.

This article is brought to you by Jon Bruce from IT Fanatics - the IT support company used by My Local Guide.

Jon set up IT Fanatics 2 years ago and has worked in IT for over 18 years.

IT Fanatics is a mobile on-site IT support service which comes to you to fix your computer issues. Also available is telephone support and a risk and obligation free quote service. IT Fanatics are available 7 days a week. Just call 1300 727 125 for fast, friendly and reliable service. Web: www.itfanatics.com.au/

Meet Jon at the next Blacktown Business Meeting on 28th April where he is the keynote speaker and sponsor of this free networking meeting. For more details visit the Business Events pages on My Local Guide