Spyware and Other Software Issues

• It is very important to prevent spyware or unwanted programs running on a computer. This will cause the computer's performance to be bogged down by unnecessary memory consumption and will cause normal programs that you want to run to be sluggish and sometimes not work at all. There are many anti-virus and anti-spyware programs available for purchase, however there are also many free versions that, when utilized together, can be just as effective. AVG and Ad-Aware are free anti-virus programs, and Crap Cleaner is a free registry and temporary files cleaner. These programs help with removing and avoiding unwanted build up of files and programs to ensure laptops run efficiently.
  
  

Processor and Memory

• A computer's CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the main brain for the computer system. It computes all the information and processes it in the order and way that the program or file needs it to in order for the computer to do what the user inputs. RAM, or Random Access Memory, is the second most important hardware system when talking about the speed of a computer. This is the memory that the processor uses to store information it needs to reference over short periods of time. Making sure these two vital hardware components are powerful enough is a major key in optimizing the speed of any computer system.
  
  

Power Sources

• Laptops differ from desktops not only in their size and portability, which alter speed only negligibly, but also in power options. Batteries wear out over time and using a worn out battery can cause a laptop to behave slowly and inconsistently. If a fully charged battery is only lasting half as long as it did when it was new, it may be time to replace it or switch to using only direct power through the laptop's power cable. When a laptop is searching for more power it will abandon other system functions in order to use less power.