PC Tonic

[Notes]
1.The writings in italic are extra information; you may skip them while reading this post.
2.You can find an abridged version of this post HERE.

1.Clean junk files from your computer.
*Go to Start > All Programs / Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. Select ‘C:’ and press OK. Your C: will be scanned and the files which can be safely removed will be shown. You can check all the items and select OK to remove them from your computer.
*Disk Cleanup does not remove all junk files from your computer (like temporary files of non-Microsoft software, obsolete registry keys etc.) , so you need to get some extra software for the purpose. You will find some good system cleaning tools HERE.
*Junk files take a lot of unnecessary space of your C: and drag down your computer’s speed as they are accumulated over time. So it is always recommended to clean them from your computer every once in a while.

2.Remove the unwanted auto-start entries.
*Go to Start > Run, and type ‘msconfig’ in the box (without the quotes). In the new window that appears, open the Startup tab. Here you will find many weird names with tick marks next to them. All you have to do is to either remove the tick mark (disable them) next to the items, or remove the items from the list itself. Your computer will continue to start normally even if you disable all the items mentioned in the list. However, you should NOT remove / disable the items that refer to your security software (antivirus, antispyware and firewall). They are very essential for your computer’s security and should always automatically start with Windows. On the other hand, you should remove other junk startup items like Real Player, Yahoo! Messenger etc (after all they are just a click away on your desktop!).
*Startup items are the programs that launch themselves automatically when you start Windows. You may have noticed that some icons appear in the System Tray (near the clock) just after the desktop screen appears on your computer. These are the startup items. They increase the startup time of your computer and also eat a lot of memory when they are active (present in the System Tray, near the clock). Removing them is, thus, necessary. Many programs usually include themselves in the startup list automatically when you install them, so cleaning the startup list every now and then is good.
*Removing items from the startup list does NOT uninstall them from your computer. You can continue to access them normally as before. Even if you want them back in your startup list, simple go to MSConfig again and tick the check-boxes next to the desired items in the startup list.

3.Keep your computer safe from viruses, spyware and hackers.
*If you run Windows and have an internet connection, it’s near mandatory to have active antivirus, antispyware and firewall software on your computer. In case you don’t have one or more of these products, you can have one from the list below:
Free antivirus
Free antispyware
Free firewall
*Viruses and other malware take over the system processes and can do anything from crashing your system to disclosing your private data to flashing obscene advertisements on your computer. If you have an active antivirus and antispyware, you will immediately be alerted when a malware attacks your computer and you can direct the security software to combat it.
*The job of firewalls is to keep away hackers from your computer, who otherwise would easily enter your computer via open ports (ports are like gateways that allow data to be transferred from and to your computer). Firewalls close these open ports and make your computer virtually invisible to others. Firewalls also control what data is to be sent out from your computer; so they can check malicious programs from connecting to the internet without your accent. Many people just turn off their firewalls because it ‘blocks everything on their computer’, which is ridiculous as well as dangerous. Such people should go through help files and encyclopaedias on how to use a firewall. They may also refer the Firewall FAQ post by me.
*Some more security related posts:
Tips for your security software
Protect your identity online
Combating Smitfraud

4.Upgrade your hardware.
*For computers with Windows XP and connected to the internet, you should preferably have 512MB or higher RAM. For gaming computers, the minimum should be 1024MB or 1GB of RAM. If your statistics reads less than the values mentioned, then better upgrade. The processor should preferably be Intel Pentium IV or AMD Athlon at least. Reformatting the hard drives once every year is also recommended.
*Windows Vista is much more resource demanding than Windows XP. You need to have at least 1.5GB RAM, a good dual core processor, and a good graphics card (minimum 128MB) for smooth functioning of Windows Vista.
*Upgrading your hardware will relieve you of many unnecessary points mentioned below (shown as [optional]).

5.Minimise the memory usage. [optional]
*If your computer hangs and freezes frequently, you may follow this point.
*Get RAM Booster, which is very effective. Here is the link to download it:
RAM Booster
*To configure RAM Booster, follow these steps:
Click on Edit > Options and tick the follow options:
(a) Set auto optimisation on
(b) Show CPU usage
(c) Start minimised
(d) Launch automatically at start up
Also, change the ‘Auto Optimisation Level’ and ‘MB of RAM to free at auto level’ as per your requirement.
*A virtual memory booster like RAM Booster runs in the background and monitors the CPU and memory (or RAM) usage of your computer. If the memory usage goes beyond some upper limit, it immediately stops unnecessary processes to free up some used RAM. Getting more RAM is always a better option though.

6.Keep sufficient free space on your C:.
*Keep at least 25% of your C: free (in NO case the free space should be less than 2-3GB). Transfer all the music, image and video files to other drives. Always download / install new software to other drives.
*Being the mother drive, many Windows processes run here in the background and they need a good amount of space (you may have noticed that the space on your C: keeps increasing and decreasing by itself every now and then). If adequate space isn’t available, your computer may face problems.

7.Defragment your hard drives periodically.
*Defragment the hard drives (especially C:) once every month. To defrag, go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Defragment. It takes a lot of time (usually 40-70 minutes;and may even take as much as 4-5 hours if not done before) so don’t become impatient. It’s for your computer’s good.
*Defragmenting the hard drives brings all the related data together and pushes the free space to one corner. So, all the data are now closer to one another and can be retrieved faster. Even though the increase in speed is not noticeable, it is good if done periodically.

8.Keep your Recycle Bin empty. [optional]
*Either completely delete useless stuff, or just don’t delete them. To permanently remove an item (file / folder), select it and press Shift+Delete in place of only Delete.
*Usually there is no appreciable change in speed if the number of items in the Recycle Bin are less.

9.Use less number of shortcuts on your desktop. [optional]
*Better open applications from Start > Programs.
*Shortcuts occupy some space in your C:.

10.If you have genuine Windows, keep it updated.
*Go to Start > Windows Update or Start > All Programs / Programs > Windows Update / Microsoft Update.
*You may alternately open Internet Explorer and navigate to Tools > Windows Update.
*Updating your Windows fixes many security vulnerabilities and software patches.
*For non-genuine Windows users: GET A GENUINE COPY NOW!

11.Stay away from heavy games if you have ‘low’ RAM. [optional]
*’Low’ for a gaming computer with Windows XP ~ 256MB or less RAM
*’Low’ for a gaming computer with Windows Vista ~ 1GB or less RAM
*Better upgrade if you are a game-o-holic.

12.Set your wallpaper to blank. [optional]
*You will hate this suggestion, but believe me – a blank wallpaper helps a faster startup.

13.Turn off the automatic updating feature of your software. [optional]
*Turn off the automatic updating features of all the software that you have got and manually check for updates once in a while, BUT ONLY IF YOU CAN REMEMBER TO DO SO. For example, if your antivirus got updated daily, then manually check for updates daily and if it got updated weekly, then check for updates every 3-4 days.
*For genuine Windows XP or Windows Vista users: I will also recommend turning off Automatic Update feature and check manually for Windows patches once or twice every month (again only if you can remember to do so). To turn off Automatic Updates, go to Start > Control Panel > Automatic Updates > Turn off Automatic Updates. But the Security Center will show a warning if you do so, so in order to stop it from badgering your head, go to Start > Control Panel > Security Center > Change the way Security Center alerts me. Untick the box next to Automatic Updates.
*A software with automatic updating ON, will enter the startup list by itself and start checking for updates when your computer starts. This delays your startup time, especially if you have low RAM. Moreover updates for Windows are released only once every month, whereas the Windows automatic updater keeps scanning for updates every day.
*You MUST SKIP this step if you forget to update your software.

14.Turn off unnecessary features in Windows. [optional]
*Windows XP has some useless features, which are hardly ever used, but are turned on by default. From the link, you can download a pack of free and absolutely small software (all less than 60KB), which you can use to disable these features. I will recommend downloading “Unplug n’ Pray” (disables Universal Plug n’ Play) and “Shoot the Messenger”. Those who don’t have any Service Pack in their Windows XP (pirated copies) can download “XPDite” to patch up a few vulnerabilities. To test the efficiency of your firewall, you can grab “Leak test”. All these tools turn off unnecessary features and so help in improving computer speed.
GRC Popular Freeware
*These tools may not be required for Windows Vista.