- 1). Remove any programs you don't need or want anymore. This frees up disk space, but if there are programs that run in the background, you could also free up random access memory (RAM), which gives you more space to run more programs you need. To remove your programs, access the removal utility from the Control Panel. In Windows XP, open the "Add/Remove Programs" utility. In Windows 7, click "Programs," then click "Uninstall a program."
- 2). Perform a complete virus and spyware scan on your computer. You may not have any instances of viruses or spyware, but it never hurts to check in case any are slowing down your computer or messing with essential functions. If you don't have any antivirus or spyware programs, there are free options available. For example, AVG and Avira AntiVir are free antivirus programs, while Spybot: Search and Destroy, as well as Adaware, are free antispyware applications.
- 3). Perform maintenance with your computer's built-in maintenance utilities, such as the Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter Tools. To access these tools, click "Start," open your "All Programs" list, navigate to "Accessories," then to "System Tools."
- 4). Look at what programs are set to start up automatically when your computer starts and disable any you don't want. This helps your computer start up faster and opens up more RAM for you to use. Click "Start," then click "Run." Type "msconfig," then press "Enter." Click the "Startup" tab on the window that appears. Look through the list of programs and uncheck the box next to any program you don't want to start automatically. When finished, click "OK." If you don't recognize a program's name, consider looking it up on a search engine or leaving it alone altogether to prevent altering a vital system function.
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