How to speed up your computer at home.

 Does it take more time to load the operating system, does a text editor “think” for a long time when saving documents, and does working at a computer annoy? These problems are familiar to many users, but they often don't know they can solve them on their own. Let's figure out how to speed up a home PC without the help of a computer wizard.

Unpleasant "symptoms" when working at a computer are associated with the fact that a lot of garbage has accumulated in it: unnecessary and temporary files, "cookies", missing libraries that programs still refer to. But there is good news: you can get rid of this stuff and return the car to its previous performance without special knowledge. We are talking about simple ways that will not harm your computer and the data on it.

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Removing unnecessary programs and ad modules

Sometimes when you install one useful program "on load" you get a few more unnecessary ones. This often happens due to trivial carelessness: at some stage of the installation, you missed the "tick" where the software provider offers another browser or antivirus. By themselves, they are harmless, only the second virus will perform similar functions with the first (the one that you set deliberately) and at the same time slow down the system. And unnecessary programs will clog the registry and take up useful disk space. Fortunately, getting rid of unnecessary software is easy: in Windows, you need to go to Control Panel - Programs and Features.

It is worse if the software vendor has installed adware modules without your consent. How they manifest themselves:

pop-up messages periodically appear on the screen;

the start page in the browser has changed;

Antivirus detects unwanted and potentially dangerous programs.

Ad modules are not exactly viruses. Although the antivirus allows their installation, later it may react ambiguously to their activity. In any case, they take away precious resources from the system and interfere with normal operation. It is difficult to remove them manually, but special utilities, for example, AdwCleaner, cope with this task.

AdwCleaner for adware removal

This little utility from Malwarebytes is considered the world's most popular adware cleaning tool. It quickly finds and removes unwanted applications, and also creates a more comfortable environment for surfing the Internet. However, it is free and does not require installation!

After launching AdwCleaner, click on the "Scan" button. She will study the system for several minutes and, as a result, will give out a list of installed ad modules. We recommend that you immediately click the "Clear" button and wait a couple of minutes until the program exits, and then restart your computer.

Removing ads using Microsoft

Windows 10 has a default adware removal tool, Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, located at C: \ Windows \ System32 \ MRT.exe. It's not as efficient as AdwCleaner, but at least you don't have to search and download additional software. And the main advantage of Microsoft MRT.exe is that it is definitely safe for the operating system.

If you need comprehensive protection against viruses, use one of the offers from OnlineLime: you can install the antivirus software package Kaspersky Internet Security for safe surfing on the Internet, Kaspersky Safe Kids for creating a protected network environment for a child, ESET NOD32 Mobile Security for protecting a mobile device or other that suits your needs. Please note that some anti-virus packages are billed only from the second month - this is a great way to evaluate the protection features and decide on further use.

Revision at startup

The Windows operating system takes from one to several minutes to start. The exact time depends not only on the power of the hardware, but also on the number of programs in startup. These are applications that run in parallel with the operating system, perform some useful functions, or are always at hand so that you can use them in a couple of clicks. However, some applications hang at startup as a dead weight and “eat up” precious time at startup and resources during further work.

Some applications ask the user during installation if they need to put the shortcut to startup. Others are downloaded automatically, but you can turn this off in the settings - for example, as in Skype.

Msconfig - universal startup editor

Microsoft developed this utility specifically for Windows. To start it, go to the "Start" - "Run" menu and copy the name there: msconfig.exe. After that, the utility will appear in the list at the top - click on it or press Enter. The System Configuration window appears, with the penultimate tab named Startup. The processes marked there start automatically, but do not rush to uncheck all the remaining ones: many are useful for the operation of the operating system. Take a closer look at the ones that are launched by applications from the Program Files folder, and make sure that they are really needed. If not and you are sure of their uselessness - select the process and click "Disable" or uncheck the box opposite.

Getting rid of garbage in the OS

Each program leaves a trace, even if you just installed it and never used it or worked with it, but deleted it along with the data. Digital traces of such programs accumulate and turn into junk that interferes with the normal operation of the operating system. Most often these are files and fragments of files, empty folders and unused keys in the registry. First, let's talk about the most popular garbage cleaner.

CCleaner - Free Junk Cleanup & System Speedup

This simple but functional utility is a pleasure to use: in the basic version it is free, but it can thoroughly clean up garbage in Windows. Its first tab is called "Cleaning". Here's how to remove:

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Internet Explorer files: temporary files, browsing history, cookies, saved passwords, auto-complete forms, etc .;

Explorer files: recently opened documents, Run menu history, quick access lists;

system files: the contents of the "Recycle Bin", clipboard, memory dumps, unused shortcuts;

other: event logs, recent programs lists, free space cleaning, etc.

Be careful: if the Recycle Bin contains files that you planned to recover someday, the utility will delete them permanently. The same is with the saved passwords - make sure you remember the authorization data, which will be required in the future, or at least know the registration mail in order to recover the forgotten password.

On the "Registry" tab, you can also do something useful to speed up the OS: check the integrity of the registry and delete unused data: missing DLLs and libraries, temporary files, application paths, help files and much more.

The "Tools" menu contains an autorun editor, a very convenient file search tool by mask, and an application uninstaller. Thus, CCleaner will replace most of the tools for cleaning and speeding up Windows and will not be able to cope except with removing ad modules.

Cleanmgr - clean up trash in Windows

As is often the case, many of the advertised utilities have more modest counterparts in the OS itself. In Windows, garbage collection is handled by cleanmgr, which is run from Start in the same way as msconfig.exe. For a couple of minutes, she will assess the scale of the disaster and calculate the amount of disk space that it can clean up without harming the system. At the end, it will provide a list with unnecessary files in different categories, show their size and offer to delete. After that, additional space will appear on the system disk and Windows will start working faster. But if you run the same CCleaner after cleanmgr, it will surely find some more lost files, registry branches or other garbage. Therefore, it makes sense to immediately use third-party tools.

To keep less garbage in the OS in the future, use special utilities to uninstall the software. They usually do this better than standard Windows tools.

Revo Unins t aller  - software uninstall utility

Lightweight, fast and free (in the basic version) the program not only removes the application from the system, but also carefully checks the system registry and all folders for "forgotten" and unnecessary files, which we call garbage. The paid version monitors the operation of programs from the moment they are installed. This is useful in a situation with unfamiliar software that you do not yet trust. Also, with the help of Revo Uninstaller, you can put things in order in startup and in browsers.

Prevention of OS slowdown

And finally, about how to avoid heavy "cluttering" of the operating system and, if not speed up it, then postpone the moment when it starts to really slow down:

If you have not managed to figure out on your own with slow loading, advertising banners or slow operation of the OS and applications, please contact OnlineLime specialists. As part of the Miracle of Technology service, you will receive computer assistance quickly, remotely and at a fixed cost. In difficult cases, the master will come to your home and solve the problem on the spot.