Tips For Increasing PC Performance & Speed Without Spending A Fortune..

Good guide, basically everything needed is pointed out. (Y)
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_duster

800px-Canned-air.jpg
 
about the laptop thing, that is a great thing, my lappy always shuts down when it gets too hot, so I have autosave on every FM day :p

a completely humtasticalfabulous thread XD
 
Great thread Stuw! I was considering writing something like this, but you beat me to it ;)
CCleaner has got to be one of my favorite programs too :)

It rearranges the files on your hard drive so it is quicker to access. You hard drive is a magnetic disk and the head will write dots on any place it finds, placer all of dots on only one section of the disk will make access for the head a bit faster.

It does make your computer slightly faster (especially if you have a lot of files out of order), however don't defragment too often as it is has been said that can damage your hard drive if used too much. This is because erasing and writing dots for the head is very intensive and if you do it too much you may blunt the head or even make it crash meaning all your data is gone and cannot be fixed.


Note - I got that off the Internet, I did not write it.

I'm being pedantic, but that is not really correct. I'm an IT student, so :p

First of all, I should say fragmentation occurs over time - as files are moved around and deleted. As this occurs the physical blocks on the HD that make up files are jumbled, making file access slower. There is not much point defragging more than once a week IMO.
Defragging does not move the logical positions of the files (which is what I get the impression this guy is saying - in his first sentence anyway), it rearranges the physical blocks that make up the file. Each file is made up of many blocks, and if those blocks are spread all over the HD (fragmented) then it will take longer to read them than if they where contiguous - or 'one after the other'. This is what defragging aims to do - to make all files contiguous, and thus the access/read time of the file shorter.
 
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advanced system care is another great program. contains spyware removal, disk defrag, registry fix and a junk files clean all in one.

edit - someones already mentioned it.
 
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Great thread. Many thanks - doing system cleanup as we speak :)
 
im not sure if im correct but i think windows 7 does automatic defrag
 
Windows does defrag yeah, but for some reason it doesn't do the best of jobs. Can't figure out why though
 
I've just had to uninstall the aforementioned programs. totally mucked up steam-couldn't log onto Steam account, and now have to re-install all the games downloaded from them. Gutted. Shame too as the tools did a pretty dam good job :(
 
Good thread.

Can anyone recommend a good cooling pad?
 
I've just had to uninstall the aforementioned programs. totally mucked up steam-couldn't log onto Steam account, and now have to re-install all the games downloaded from them. Gutted. Shame too as the tools did a pretty dam good job :(

That is more likely to be yourself, not the programs. I use all of those, and My game runs through Steam, and i had no problem.
 
Happened after had a Steam update. After reading about other people having same problem, was like "dammit". Had a snoop around about troubleshooting, and the programs came up, as apparently causes some kind of operating problems. Took them off, then Steam started working again. Like you though, never had a problem with Steam before, always worked perfectly for every game download. Just have to be careful with what I download next time, and just make sure it doesn't conflict with other stuff I have to avoid un-necessary suffering lol
 
I thought I would make this, as we all want to get as much RAM free as possible, not just for FM, but for general use of our PC.


1 - Regular Defrag is important to keep files correct. I use Disk Defrag, which does a great job. DOWNLOAD HERE

2 - Use CCleaner to clear all cache files from Internet searching etc. DOWNLOAD HERE

3 - Use a RAM Optimizing Program, such as GameBooster, TuneUp utilities(not Free). GameBooster

4 - Make Sure you have anti-SpyWare. Although it is generally Internet, SpyWare will eat up your RAM whilst it is installed.

5 - Windows Users can use ReadyBoost. It is pre-Installed on Vista and 7. use a Removable Disk(USB Stick/iPod etc) to create additional memory. READ MORE

6 - Delete any unrequired and unused programs. Programs installed on your PC still use small amounts of RAM even when not in use, so deleting them gives you more RAM.

7 - Stop unnecessary StartUp programs. There are numerous programs that automatically start when you power up your PC. Stopping un-required programs will give you more RAM. READ MORE

8 - Keep your Windows up-to date. Probably the most important thing, but missing crucial updates can leave your PC missing new required files, which will slow you down over time.

9 - Keep your PC/Laptop Clean and Dust free. Fans take on a lot of dust over time, so clean tehm regular. They will in turn keep the processor cool.

10 - Laptop users, get a hold of a cooling pad. They will keep the laptop cooler, which is imperative when gaming.

11 - Make sure you let your anti-virus scan every week at least. This will eliminate any Malware or nasties that will slowly killl your PC and use RAM.

I can go on and on, but doing the above should give you that RAM boost that will get you playing games faster.


*Feel Free To Sticky This*

believe me i tried this before and it's work. it's improve your performance a bit not much.

btw nice share mate!
 
is the best way to clean the fans just using that spray? or is it better to physically remove them and clean them?

also a related question - my mum's computer (she doesn't play FM but similar problem :D ) has been de-fragged etc and all that but for some reason runs very slowly when trying to open any documents, like on Word or Excel, or a picture file.

the machine runs on vista.

cheers in advance for any helpful replies!
 
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Personally I just use a horsehair brush and a vacuum cleaner on very low to clean out dust from a computer. The brush must be horsehair because it doesn't create any static electricity that could damage components.
 
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