Reader Daniel is looking for ways to speed up his aging laptop, which he says is "slowly deteriorating" but needs to last another year or two.
I get this question all the time, Daniel, and in fact I'm facing the same situation myself: my three-year-old desktop has gradually gone from speed demon to slug. Windows takes several minutes to finish its boot machinations, file searches take longer than they should, and Firefox suffers from general "slowishness."
Why does this happen? Simple: over time, Windows accumulates various OS detritus that's not unlike the plaque that builds up in your arteries. Alas, the computer equivalent of a bypass or stent won't do the trick: you need to take more drastic measures, meaning wiping the hard drive and reinstalling Windows.
I know: ugh. It's a complex, time-consuming task, one that can easily consume an afternoon--if not an entire weekend. On the other hand, it's cheaper than a new computer, and nearly as effective.
Just a few weeks ago, PC World's Lincoln Spector wrote an extensive, invaluable guide to the process: Reinstall Windows Without Losing Your Data. I'll be referring to it myself when I do my reinstall over the holiday break.
I anticipate hours of hair-pulling work. But when it's over, I know my quad-core HP with 6GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive will run like the rocket it is, not the turtle it's become.
If there's a universal truth among computer users, it's that all of them want their PC to start up faster. Nobody in the history of computing ever said, "Wow, I love this 2-minute wait between pressing the power button and actually using my machine!"
You can tweak Windows so it boots faster, of course. For instance, you can install more RAM, reduce the number of startup programs, and optimize your Registry. But let's take a look at the other piece of the puzzle: the Basic Input-Output System, or BIOS. This motherboard-hosted area of your PC controls what happens the moment you press the power button. And with a few simple changes, you may be able to cajole your system into starting a little quicker--maybe even a lot quicker.
Before we get started, let me issue a few warnings. First, monkeying with the BIOS can have unintended (and undesirable) results. If you aren't terribly tech-savvy, you might want to steer clear. Though you're unlikely to inflict any permanent harm on your system, changing the wrong setting could leave you with a PC that doesn't boot properly.
Second, before you change any individual setting, note its current state so you can restore it if necessary. Since there's no easy way to capture a screenshot of a BIOS screen, consider taking a photo with your camera or jotting down the setting on paper.
Finally, your after-tuneup mileage is impossible to predict. BIOS menus and settings differ greatly from one PC to another. Some of the options listed here might not be available on your system, and your system might have options in addition to these.
Update the BIOS
If your machine is more than a year old, chances are good that you can find an updated BIOS for it. Motherboard manufacturers often issue updates to solve problems, update features, and improve system performance.
To find out whether an update exists for your system, start with the vendor's support page--especially if you bought the PC from a company like Dell or HP. If new BIOS firmware appears on the downloads list for your system, the vendor probably has tested and approved it. Alternatively, if you know the make and the model number of your motherboard, you can check the manufacturer's Website for updates.
Whatever you do, be sure to follow the installation instructions to the letter. The process of "flashing" (that is, updating) a BIOS usually goes off without a hitch, but if you do it improperly (or if you try to install the wrong update), you could ruin your PC. Proceed with caution.
The BIOS screen lets you quickly configure how your PC starts.
Access the BIOS
Sometimes, getting into the BIOS (usually referred to as 'Setup') can be a challenge. On most systems, a startup screen appears as soon as you power up; look for text indicating which key to press to access Setup. Usually it's F1, F2, F12, or Delete. You may have only a few seconds to press the appropriate key before the startup screen disappears--and sometimes you don't even get that. If there's no startup screen at all--or if it flashes by too quickly for you to read it--try rapidly pressing a few of the aforementioned keys in hopes of "catching" the right one. This should get you into the BIOS. If all else fails, consult the manual.
Put the Hard Drive First in Line
Your BIOS manages the pecking order for the system's various bootable items: the hard drive, optical drive, USB drives, and so on. At times you may want to boot from a CD or a flash drive, but most often you'll want the hard drive to go first. (That's where Windows resides, after all.) If the hard drive isn't first on the list, you'll endure delays while the system checks for the presence of other boot drives.
To modify the batting--that is, booting--order, navigate to the BIOS's Boot menu, and then look for an entry called 'Boot priority order' (or something similar). Find your hard drive in the list (it may have a cryptic name like 'IDE0' or 'WD1600BEVS-22RST0'), and then follow the listed instructions to move it to the top.
Set your PC to check your main hard drive first, and boot times will shorten drastically.
Disable the POST
In the old days, computers had to perform a rather lengthy power-on self test (POST). Some systems still do this, though it's no longer necessary. If your PC appears to run a memory check or something similar, head to the BIOS and look for an entry labeled 'power-on self test', 'startup diagnostic', or the like. If you find such an entry, disable it.
Alternatively, look foran option called 'Fast Boot' or 'Quick Boot'; enable it, and it will likely dispense with any startup testing and go straight to booting Windows.
Disable Unnecessary Hardware
Not every user needs things like on-board 1394 (aka FireWire) ports or PS/2 mouse ports. If your motherboard has hardware that you don't use, see whether the BIOS will let you disable it. Doing so might save you only a second or two of boot time, but those seconds add up.
Save and Reboot
When you're done making any or all changes, look for the Exit menu, and then chooseExit Saving Changes (or a similar entry). This will apply your modifications and restart the PC.
Most annoying thing of Internet Download manager(IDM) is that it shows the update prompt after the interval of few days. IDM automatically check the latest available updates in background and if the latest version is available, it shows the update prompt. There is no option available in IDM to stop this update check. Sometimes it creates problems to many users or they just want to get rid of this update check. So, I created a trick to bypass this update prompt and it will not show this again.
The Windows Defender program in Windows 8 and above versions of Windows helps you protect your data from viruses, malware and various other threats. As you likely know, the Defender in Windows 8 is nothing but a cut-down version of Microsoft Security Essentials.
With default settings, Windows Defender in Windows 8 downloads and installs required updates once a day and doesn’t require manual intervention. That is, Defender automatically checks for update and downloads updates, if available. But if your PC isn’t connected to the internet or for some other reason you want to manually install updates, you can do so by following the given below instructions.
Manually download and install Windows Defender updates
Step 1: Check the version (32 or 64-bit) of Windows 8/8.1 installed on your PC. To do so, you can open Computer Properties by right-clicking on the computer icon on the desktop and then clicking Properties.
And if you can’t find Computer icon on the desktop, follow the instructions in our how to add Computer icon to desktop guide.
Step 2: Next, visit the following links to download latest updates for Windows Defender.
Be sure to download the right version of the update as updates released for 32-bit can’t be installed on 64-bit PC and vice versa.
Step 3: Once the update file downloaded, navigate to the download folder containing the update and double-click on the same to install the same. That’s it!
It’s been a couple of months since Windows 10 Preview build is available to public. As expected, Microsoft has brought back the much wanted Start menu to Windows 10.
The Start menu in Windows 10 is a combination of good old Start menu and beautiful Start screen of Windows 8/8.1. Those of you have seen the leaked images would know that the left-side of the Start menu in Windows 10 sports the traditional look of the old Start menu and the right-side includes app tiles that can be customized by adding or removing tiles.
If you’re on Windows 8/8.1 or Windows 7 but can’t wait for the release of Windows 10 to experience the new Start menu, then you will be happy to know that you can get the Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 right now. All you need is the free ViStart program and Windows 10 Start menu skin for ViStart program.
PeterRollar at DeviantArt gallery has released a free Windows 10 Start screen skin for ViStart program, making it easier for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users get the look and functionality of Windows 10 Start menu in its predecessors. Check the following video to see the skin in action.
Here is how you can get Windows 10 Start menu in Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1.
Windows 10 Start menu for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
Step 1: If you haven’t installed already, please visit this page and download ViStart program. It’s a free Start menu program for Windows.
Step 2: Run the downloaded setup and carefully follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation of ViStart without installing adware. Yes, the setup offers you install a couple of junk programs but clicking the decline button when you see the license agreement for the junk program will install ViStart without the junkware.
Step 3: Once ViStart is installed, head over to this page of DeviantArt and download Windows 10 Start menu skin for ViStart.
Step 4: Extract the contents of downloaded RAR file to the Skins folder of ViStart. You can extract the RAR file online as well.
Step 5: Right-click on the Start orb (ViStart orb) and then click Options to open ViStart Control Panel.
Step 6: Here, on the left-pane, click Style. On the right-side, under “Which start menu would you like”, please click on the install button to select the Windows 10 Start menu skin that you have placed in Step 4. That’s it!
Credit for the video and images goes to PeterRoller.
