How to Optimize computer performance

Question

Happy New Year!

  I would like to optimize my computer performance running Windows 10. I have run defrag and it is set to check this every month. I also clean out browsing history in firefox and chrome, and regularly empty the recycle bin. I have looked at a couple of software programs that are available for purchase, but I wonder if these will help, or is this something I can do through Control Panel? If there is other software, does someone have one they recommend. I currently use the free version of ccleaner

Best

Answer 1

Hi Brian

We don't recommend those apps that are meant to make your PC faster, more times than not, they will corrupt your system. Windows 10 is updated so often, it takes time for those software manufacturers to catch up . ..

1

Turn off all unnecessary startup applications and processes:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager

Click on the Startup Tab

See any non-essential items are listed there

If so, select and click 'Disable'

Close Task Manager

Click your Start Button, type msconfig and hit Enter

When the System Configuration dialog opens, click on the Services Tab

Check the box marked 'Hide Microsoft Services'

In the remaining list, see any non-essential items are listed there, uncheck any you find

Click Apply and OK

2

Turn off all unnecessary Background Apps

Open the Settings App

Go to Privacy - Background Apps

Turn off any App you do not need running in the background

Restart your PC

3

Run Disk Cleanup twice as explained below:

Open File Explorer

Click on your hard drive

On the Manage Tab, click Cleanup

Let Disk Cleanup do its initial scan

Select Everything in the list and choose Delete

Start Disk Cleanup again

Let Disk Cleanup do its initial scan

This time in the resulting dialog, click 'Cleanup System Files'

Let Disk Cleanup run another scan

Select Everything in the list and choose Delete

Answer 2

Three points:

1. It is unlikely that any of the things you've already done will have any impact on performance.
2. I strongly recommend against using *any* of the programs you mention.  Most of them purport to clean the registry.

Registry cleaning programs are *all* snake oil. Cleaning of the registry isn't needed and is dangerous. Leave the registry alone and don't use any registry cleaner. Despite what many people think, and what vendors of registry cleaning software try to convince you of, having unused registry entries doesn't really hurt you.

The risk of a serious problem caused by a registry cleaner erroneously removing an entry you need is far greater than any potential benefit it may have.

Read

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2563254

http://www.howtogeek.com/171633/why-using-a-registry-cleaner-wont-speed-up-your-pc-or-fix-crashes/

https://blog.malwarebytes.org/social-engineering/2015/06/digital-snake-oil/

and also http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/02/registry-junk-a-windows-fact-of-life.aspx

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2563254

You also might want to read the section on the CCleaner Registry Cleaner here:

http://www.howtogeek.com/113382/how-to-use-ccleaner-like-a-pro-9-tips-tricks/

Let me point out that neither I nor anyone else who warns against the use of registry cleaners has ever said that they always cause problems. If they always caused problems, they would disappear from the market almost immediately. Many people have used a registry cleaner and never had a problem with it.

Rather, the problem with a registry cleaner is that it carries with it the substantial *risk* of having a problem. And since there is no benefit to using a registry cleaner, running that risk is a very bad bargain.

3. What makes you think that you *can* optimize your computer? Its performance may already be optimal for the hardware you have. There might be some thing you can do to improve, but there might not be. Please give us more information about your performance, and put numbers, even if approximate, on what you performace is like.