<p>My folder didn’t have anything in it at all! I wonder what that means…</p>
<p>Many background programs running at start up time and many web browser add ons can slow down your system a lot. Unmatched or missing registry entries can also slow the system down. Too much data on the disk can also slow the system because Windows file system is very inefficient. Unfortunately, it’s not easy for a normal user to figure out these things. The best way is to back up data, reformat the disk and re-install Windows and applications.</p>
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I think this is beyond the normal user, though.</p>
<p>It can be tricky finding all the places that apps store data. And even if you can find it, importing it back in to the program can be non-trivial, for example email programs.</p>
<p>Also, many manufacturers don’t ship a disk with the OS that can be used to reinstall, or don’t ship media for all of the apps that are pre-installed. What do you do then?</p>
<p>^ That’s true. It’s not an easy solution. Throw away the old computer is another solution.</p>
<p>For emails, if you use Microsoft Outlook then it’s not easy to export and re-import existing mails. May be you just need to forward all email to gmail and get rid of Outlook for good.</p>
<p>Another thing you can try is turning off system restore points. System restore is when a computer makes a memory of what the computer is like at regular intervals, so they can take up a lot of room. However, if you do decide to do this, there won’t be anything to restore to should your machine get a virus or something similar. So most people don’t do that. </p>
<p>But these are all just minor fixe. If you really want to speed up your computer, save work that is important and nessecary to an external hard drive and wipe the computer an do a fresh install of the OS. Also try adding more ram. But in the end it comes down to prossecing power. If your computer has an old processor, then no amount of reinstalling the OS and upgrading the ram and video card is going to help you.</p>
<p>Check out Staples this week ad. Free PC Tuneup April 22-28. If there is a store near you, you can bring your computer in and have them check it out.</p>