This thread contains information on taking good care of your computer. The average computer can run as well or better than new with an investment of some time and effort.

The advice here assumes that you are running some version of Windows that is XP or newer, though I am sure some of it can be applied to older versions of Windows and different OS's.

Basics

• Uninstall programs that you don't need or use. New PCs from stores generally include lots of extra software that people don't really use. The go-to place is Add/Remove Programs right in the Control Panel, but a third-party uninstall tool such as the PC Decrapifier can be helpful and may even identify some extra programs you can remove.
  
• If you have problems with spyware, malware, popups, etc., then it is time to follow a Malware Removal Guide and fix the problem programs. The entire process can take quite some time, but it will be worth it if it removes problematic/dangerous malware.
  
• Even if you do not do a full malware removal, it's a good idea to do a full scan with Spybot: Search and Destroy every month or two. Plus, the immunization feature will automate blocking of lots of known malware and bad sites. (You can probably skip on installing the toolbar or TeaTimer.)
  
• Run CCleaner to clear out lots of temporary/useless files and free up space, just make sure to go through the options carefully and make sure it cleans what you want. It also has a decent registry cleaner which you can run to remove extra registry entries. It also has a version of Add/Remove Programs (it loads the list faster) and useful tools which you can use to modify startup options (though those can be configured elsewhere) and remove old restore points.
  
• Defragment your computer using the built in Windows Defragmenter or a third-party program such as AusLogics Disk Defrag.
  
• Keep Windows and other software updated.
  
• There are some Miscellaneous Guides and FAQs here on the MajorGeeks.com forum which can be useful. They usually include step-by-step walkthroughs.
  
• Master your keyboard shortcuts to save time. Ctrl+X for Cut, Ctrl+C for Copy, Ctrl+V for Paste, Windows+R for Run, Windows+D for Show Desktop, etc.
  
• The TweakGuides Tweaking Companion is a complete system customization and optimization guide for both novices and advanced users alike. It explains topics in an accessible way and explains how things work, covering everything from the BIOS to drivers to obscure settings in Windows that can be tweaked for performance. (Note that following all of the material in the Tweaking Companion will cover almost everything I've described in this topic, though you may just want to use specific sections as it's over 200 pages.)
  

Advanced

• Tweak your startup entries in start -> run -> msconfig or directly in the registry. (or through usage of another program) If performance is your goal, disabling programs that suck up RAM in the background to provide automatic updates, quick launches, etc. will improve overall startup time, speed, and free up RAM. Third-party such as Soluto may help you to identify things that do not need to run.
  
• Make sure that your PC uses the most up-to-date drivers for your hardware. If you don't know how, the Tweaking Companion from above contains information on that as well as many other topics.
  
• Tweak your Windows Services according to a guide. By default, Windows runs a lot of superfluous services that the average user can do without.
  
• Scan your registry with a more powerful scanner than the one included with CCleaner. You may even want to use a registry defragmenter or registry optimizer such as NTREGOPT.
  
• Look into lightweight substitutes for major programs. For example, Trillian can take the place of multiple messaging clients, Winamp and VLC Media Player can replace Windows Media Player, various programs can replace iTunes depending on what you use it for, etc.
  

As far as optimization goes, you will get out of it what you put into it and there are far more ways to optimize your PC than I have written here or even know about. My purpose here was to provide some basic and advanced things that the average PC user can do to improve a PC and have a good return in system improvement and system performance gains versus the time invested.

Post has been edited 11 time(s), last time on Aug 20 2012, 12:31 am by Mini Moose 2707.