Most computer users are eventually faced with a slow and less responsive computer after only a couple of months of use. The reason for this is simple daily computer activity like creating and deleting files, installing and uninstalling software, browsing the Internet, and so on. Some people, especially computer novices, start wondering whether their computer is already out of date and they need a new one. Others call a computer technician and ask him to upgrade whatever there is to upgrade.

Fortunately, there is a faster and a cheaper way to recover lost speed and make your PC running as good as new. Here are four simple tips that will help you make your computer fast again.

1. Time for Spring-cleaning

Computers are a bit like your living space - if you don't cleanup, they accumulate junk and become a real mess. In the case of computers it's junk files - temporary Internet files, software uninstall leftovers, old backups, log files and many others. In addition to that you may have lots of space taken up by unnecessary copies, like songs you've downloaded twice and saved to different folders.

Junk files and duplicates usually take up lots of disk space, which slows down file access, antivirus scans, and generally decreases computer performance.

The answer is to use a disk cleaner (Windows has an inbuilt one) at least once a month and use a duplicate file finding software every other month.

2. Fix registry errors

Another source of computer debris is the registry. Programs on your computer access the Windows registry thousands of times per second. Registry entries are created whenever you install new software and drivers for your hardware, and when you uninstall programs invalid registry entries can be left behind. The more registry errors there are, the slower your computer is.

That's why you need to maintain the registry's health and run a reliable registry cleaner every once in a while, especially when you uninstall programs. Windows doesn't have an inbuilt one, but there are many good free registry cleaners available for download. Just make sure you choose the one that backs up the registry before making any changes.

3. Defrag your hard drives

Even computer novices have heard that defragmentation can significantly speed up a slow system. That's because hard drives are the slowest part of your computer. So, when there are a lot of fragmented files, your drive's read and write heads have to move a lot more than if the drive is defragmented. The more the heads need to move, the more time it takes to open a file.

Windows has a built-in disk defragmenter. However, there are great third-party alternatives, like the one that is part of Auslogics BoostSpeed 5, that can not only defrag files, but also consolidate free space and optimize file placement.

4. Optimize Windows settings

There are loads of different hardware configurations out there, but only one Windows operating system to fit them all. Of course, there are different versions of Windows, but they all have the "one size fits all" approach. This means that no matter how good or how bad is your hardware, Windows settings are the same by default. That's why some less powerful computers and especially netbooks can really struggle. Usually, you can speed up your computer by optimizing Windows settings and services either manually (which is risky and very difficult) or with the help of an optimization tool, like Auslogics BoostSpeed 5, that will analyze your system and offer the best tweaks to speed it up and improve computer performance.

So, if you want your computer to be fast and responsive, you have to follow three simple rules - keep it clean, defragmented, and optimized. All this can be done manually, but it's too hard if you are a novice user and takes a lot of time. Besides, fiddling with the registry and some settings is dangerous and can make your computer unbootable. That's why it's better to use a reliable software optimization package that offers one-click maintenance, like the new Auslogics BoostSpeed 5.

Remember, looking after your computer and performing regular maintenance is always easier than solving problems when they occur.