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As fast as your technology may have been on day one, it's probably
not quite so speedy now. That doesn't mean you can't restore it to its
former glory. Whether it's your desktop, laptop, or mobile device, here
are 10 great ways to speed up your slow technology.10. Clean up your driveWhether
your drive is in a computer or a mobile device, if it gets filled up
you're probably going to lose some speed in the process. Although you
may have a number of important files on that drive, there's still a
bunch of stuff you can get rid of. On a desktop computer, the easiest
way to find what's taking up a bunch of space is to use a disk space analyzer. Then you can use that information to figure out what to delete.Most Android users can migrate data to a microSD card and call it a day, but if you're rooted you can use an app like SD Maid
to clean things up automatically. If you're running iOS, you don't get
an automatic method for cleanup but you can view what's taking up all
that space. Head on over to the Settings app, tap General, and then tap
Usage. You'll get a rundown of which apps are using how much space so
you can delete them, or at least delete some of the data they're saving
on your device.9. Install a custom ROM on your AndroidWhen Android 4.1 Jellybean is released (and actually on real devices),
the OS' sluggishness might be a thing of the past. For those of us still
running 4.0 or earlier and who are bothered by speed issues, choosing a speed-optimized ROM
can help remedy the issue. Speed is probably not the first priority of
the ROM that comes with your device, so do a little research to see
what's available and if you can flash something better.8. Speed up Dropbox's file-syncing speedsYou
can only upload as fast as your connection allows, but Dropboxby
defaultlimits your upload speeds no matter what. Instead of maximizing
your connection, it automatically choices whatever speed it believes is
optimal. You don't have to let Dropbox choose for you. You can limit it
to any speed yourself, or remove that limit entirely:On Windows, Click Dropbox in the system tray, then Preferences >
Bandwidth; on Mac, click Dropbox in the menu bar, then Preferences >
Network > Bandwidth > Change Settings. Once there, change your
Upload rate to "Don't limit", or if you're familiar with your network's
upload bandwidth and want to exercise a little more control, pick an
upload limit that you're comfortable with in the Limit to field.That's all there is to it.7. Uninstall unnecessary appsThere's
nothing wrong with a few apps on your computer, but when you're running
a ton of them it can slow things down. If you need them you need them,
but there are probably a few you don't. At the very least the apps are
using your disk space, if not taking up additional resources, so it's
good to audit your collection and uninstall what you don't need.
Unsurprisingly, uninstallers
can make this process a little easier for you. They give you a list of
your apps and let you remove them with a few clicks. You still have to
audit the list yourself, but it's a process that's much more simple than
manual removal.On mobile devices this isn't so much of an issue as both iOS and
Android make it pretty simple to get rid of an app you don't want.
Sometimes you end up with a lot of apps and aren't sure what you can get
rid of. If you've got an app addiction problem, just follow this guide to help you figure out what should stay and what should go so you can keep your mobile a little tidier.
6. Perform system maintenance and optimizationModern
operating systems perform maintenance tasks on their own, but these
automated routines aren't perfect. It's a good idea to perform these
tasks yourself on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. On Windows, CCleaner will get the job done. It works on OS X as well, but we prefer Onyx.5. Speed up browsing times by optimizing your DNS settingsThe
amount of time you spend waiting for a site to load can be a bit faster
if you're using the best DNS servers. The problem is, which servers you
ought to be using will depend on your location. Namebench
is a free utility for Windows, OS X, and Linux that'll run tests to
figure that out for you so you can optimize your DNS settings. The test
can take a little while to complete, so run it, take a break, and come
back to better DNS server suggestions. If you want to learn more about
how DNS can speed up your browsing times, check out our guide.4. Install a lightweight operating systemSometimes
your computer is just old and any speed gains you can tweak out of it
are not going to be worth your time. Instead, it's better to just say
goodbye to the machine as you know it and give it a lightweight
operating system it can run with ease. Which OS should you pick? You've suggested several options, as well as some good ones for netbooks
(which may do just as well for old machines), but generally that means
some flavor of Linux. While that'll work for a lot of Lifehacker
readers, it won't for everyone. If you'd rather stick with Windows, trim it down to the bare essentials.
It may not be as fast as some of those tiny Linux distributions, but
it'll be a lot faster than a feature-rich copy of Windows.3. Boost your boot timeYou'reprobably not rebooting your computer with too much regularity, but that
can make it all the more frustrating when you have to wait to see your
desktop again. While booting up is always going to take a little while,
you can speed it up. Windows users have a great tool called Soluto
that helps you fix a number of issues that cause slow performance,
including problems that affect boot times. If you want to learn how to
use it, check out our guide.OS X users don't have such a nice solution, but OS X is pretty quick
when it comes to the actual boot screen. More slowness occurs after you
see the desktop and all the little things you have installed start to
open. If you want to remedy that situation, just head into the System
Preferences app, the Users and Groups preference pane, and click on your
user. In the Login Items tab you'll have a list of all the stuff that
you've set to run when you log in. If there's anything in there that you
don't really want, just remove it from the list and your startup time
will improve. Users of OS X Lion (or later) may also benefit from
disabling the Resume feature, which restores your computer to its
previous state as soon as you boot up. You can do this in the General
preference pane in System Preferences by unchecking the box next to
"Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps."2. Overclock your processorIf you literally want to speed up your computer, that's what overclocking can do for you. Some processor overclocking provides greater speed gains than others, so you'll want to do a little research before you jump right in. The process takes quite a bit of time, commitment, and care, so you don't want to bother if you're in for negligible speed gains. That said, we've got guides for Intel processors and even low-powered PCs and netbooks. You can even overclock your video card, too.1. Get an SSDBy now, it shouldn't come as a surprise that we think the SSD is the best upgrade you can get for your computer and now is a great time to buy one.
When home for the holiday, I stopped in at Microcenter and found 120GB
OCZ Vertex and Agility SSDs for under $100. I've seen online deals for
even less from time to time. SSDs have never been more affordable and
they can make a sluggish computer feel brand new. If you've been sitting
on the fence about making the upgrade, now's a great time to make the
change. Just know that you'll never go back.More from Lifehacker:The best Google features you're probably not usingTurn your car's ashtray into a smartphone dockiPhone:Find out which app Is constantly using location services and killing your battery
