Almost two thirds of the questions I get from readers and clients concern speed or security or both. Interestingly the two are related. Too little security can allow infection of your PC with unwanted malware that tends to slow down your system. On the other hand, too much security can of itself slow down your system while overprotecting you. It’s kind of a Catch- 22.
For the next four weeks I’m going to write a series of columns that address speed. Today’s will be the intro and a look at basics like hardware limitations, your Operating System and other choices that affect your speed. Next week will focus on updates of all kinds including those to your Operating System and any other software you are using. The third column will accent cleanliness and how it affects PC performance and the last in this series will address malware of all kinds and how it can slow you down.
First let’s look at your Operating System. If you are still running any version of Windows 98 or ME, ditch it and the PC it rode in on. The PCs that were built for Win 98 simply weren’t designed for today’s Internet and software environment. If you are running any version of Windows XP, make sure you have installed service Pack 3 and check your memory; chances are not good that your PC will be worth upgrading to Win 7 and you should make plans to replace your system in the next year or two. If you are running any version of Windows Vista, upgrade it to Windows 7; chances are that the hardware that came with a Vista installation will be fine with the possible exception of the Memory.
Next check your hard drive. If your PC is less than five years old chances are you have a sufficient amount of space on your hard drive. Your hard drive may be big enough, but overfull; see the June 23 column which addresses that contingency.
Next check your system memory to see if it has enough to run the OS that you have installed. Here’s my guidelines: for Win XP, no less than 512 megabytes (1 gig preferred), for Vista, no less than 2 gigabytes and for Win 7, no less than 2 gigabytes and 4 gigabytes if you can afford it. Memory has gotten very much cheaper over the last few years and is about the only hardware upgrade that I consistently recommend. It’s cheap, easy to install and usually speeds up an older system.
Next look at your ISP. If you are still using dial-up you are doomed to slow performance while on the Internet. It is almost too slow to download the larger updates that you’ll need to operate safely and it will really bog down when your email contains large video and picture files. If it is available in your area, switch to a cable based ISP or a phone based DSL system. Cable is somewhat faster than DSL as a rule and our local DSL provider offers several speeds that you can choose from on a sliding cost scale. Also understand that when you are on a home based Wi-Fi system, that connection is slower than an Ethernet direct connection (convenience often overrides here, especially with Laptops).
Next week, we’ll look at updates and how they can affect your overall speed.
