- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
here's a few general things to take note of, may not apply to gaming only:
*close you instant messenger when you're not using it. I have MSN Messenger, and it is usually in the top 5 of using up RAM when i sort my processes by RAM size in the task manager.
*scan for viruses/spyware regularly. any of these processes take up system resources.
*Defragment your hard drive. Over time, files get split and scattered all over the hard drive, making the hard drive have to work harder to find several parts of a file. Defragment at least once a month if you don't delete and add files a lot, and whenever you install a new program. I "analyze" my hard drive's fragmentation every few days or so.
*Uninstall programs you don't think you will use for a while. I think windows has to load something like a list of installed programs, which can slow your system down. You can gain some hard drive space back this way too.
* prevent programs from executing on start up. In the start menu, click "run". type "msconfig" and hit enter. on the "general" tab, make sure "selective startup" is selected. go to the "startup" tab. uncheck boxes next to any programs that you recognize and know that you don't use. click ok and restart your pc to apply the changes. You may only see 50 or so processes in the task manager, but there are really several thousand that aren't shown.
*here is a good website that can analyzes your pc and internet connection, and makes suggestions that can help tune up you pc. It even has an online virus scanner. PCPITSTOP. This website has been recommended by PCWORLD magazine, and i use it regularly. It is a very good site.