Fixing Your Old Computer

Okay, so you have an older computer. Hey, it's not a crime. I don't buy mine until they are on sale for less than $500, so you can guess what I've got. Old computers.

But hey, that's no reason to put up with nonsense from your computer. My first one had 1/2 a MEG of total memory, and worked just fine. That's right, no hard drive, 512k of ram. Period. And it worked.

So how come my (comparatively) big whopping desktop with 750 megs of ram and 1.6 ghz processor is bogging and making me wait and watch a frozen screen, or p-u-t-t-i-n-g one letter at a time onto the screen as I type? No excuse.

SO WHAT DO YOU DO?

Here goes.

1. PC Pitstop - It offers a free test with no registering. Open it in IE, it won't work with firefox, and click on the key to get started. After you have gone through and followed the instructions you will have a very good idea of what is wrong with your computer. Fix it (they have instructions for that too). But don't bother with any driver updates just yet.


2. RadarSync -"Stop searching for drivers and apps updates, UPDATE FOR FREE WITH RADARSYNC!" That's what they say, and that's what they do. For free. This is a program you download and install, unlike the webapp you used for PC Pitstop, but it works great, with download links and installation routines built in. It even prompts you to make a System Restore Point.


3. EasyCleaner - You will find all kinds of tools for cleaning your hard drive up. Delete useless shortcuts, empty folders, clean your registry up, find duplicate and unnecessary folders. manage your startup items. A very useful tool.


4. Defraggler - You could use the built-in windows defrag utility, or you could use defraggler. I prefer the latter, because I can defrag what I like, not everything indiscriminately. I have never gotten my computer completely defragged with the windows utility. With Defraggler, for one brief shining moment, all my files are fragment-free. Mmmmm.


5. Process Lasso - Well, we're at the final stage, and it's a doozy! This little program is an old-computer owner's dream come true! It manages your memory, making sure that your computer remains responsive no matter how busy your processor gets. Meaning? Install this baby and feel like a young computer again. Lovin' the Lasso.

Well, that's about it. You could go through your programs and see which ones you don't really need anymore. You could go through your start-up items to see what processes run that you don't really need running all the time. But ultimately, this little guide will get you pretty far.

Now, get back to work.