No one wants to be stuck with a PC running slow. There are so many things that people have to attend to day-in and day-out that an additional 15-30 minutes for computer loading is simply too much time to be wasted. Having said that, the only solution is to take certain steps to help speed up your system. And in case you didn't know, the best place to start with that mission is with your hardware and your operating system.

Checking Out Your Hardware

There are many reasons why a computer may become sluggish and unresponsive. However, most people jump to the conclusion that they are infected with a virus or some sort of spyware -- when in fact, they may just be dealing with overheated hardware.

Your CPU, the brain of the computer, is prone to heating up when used for extended periods of time -- and considering the fact that the CPU is typically small, it doesn't take all that long for it to reach dangerous temperatures. This increased temperature causes the computer to behave erratically, resulting in very slow reaction time. You should also note that the more heat the CPU generates, the slower the computer will likely respond. To nip this problem in the butt, follow these 3 simple PC speedup tips.

1) Clean your fans of dust regularly. When dust collects on or around the fans, it makes cooling the inside of the computer much more difficult.

2) Consider adding 1-2 additional fans. The more fans you have, the less likely your CPU is to overheat. Fans are quite inexpensive, so there is no excuse not to pick up an extra one.

3) Switch to round cables instead of ribbon designed ones. These cables are inexpensive and usually easy to switch out with your current cables. Round cables promote better air flow, allowing your PC to remain cool and operate smoothly.

Checking Out Your Operating System

If you've gone through the same old song and dance to get your computer back to a tolerable speed -- anti-virus scans, spyware scans, software updates, defragmentation, disk clean-up, ect. -- yet still have not seen any type of improvement, it may be time to take a look at your registry.

Registry errors are one of the primary causes of your PC running slow, as they continue to build until the PC's owner takes the necessary action. These errors can occur at any time, making registry repair an extremely important aspect when trying to keep your system up to speed & in good health. However, you should not try to handle the situation all on your own.

Trying to remove registry errors without detailed knowledge of your operating system or of your normal processes is just foolish, as you could very well remove something that your system greatly needs and further damage your computer. Having said that, your best bet is to get a Windows repair software tool which can perform automatic registry repair on a weekly/bi-weekly basis. This way you'll keep registry errors to a minimum and you won't need to worry about different ways of speeding up your system.