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Most of us move a little slower as we get older. Computers that are just a year old run slower than when they were brand new. However, with computers, there are a few easy things you can do to return some of that “zip”, especially when getting started in the morning (booting) and viewing Web pages.

A number of issues can slow your computer—unnecessary and fragmented files and programs that automatically run at startup are two problems that are relatively easy to fix. A virus is another possible reason why your computer runs slow. Your organization's Information Technology (IT) or Information Services (IS) department should investigate and repair problems related to a virus that gets past your organization's firewall and virus protection software.

This article addresses some of the steps you can take when your computer is running slowly—before you call your organization’s IT department.

Cache Management

No, I am not talking about investing in a 401K or preparing a budget!

Web pages and files are stored in the Temporary Internet File folder on your computer. This speeds the display of frequently visited Web pages because the pages are retrieved from your hard drive rather than the Internet. This Temporary Internet File folder is often referred to as the cache, or the browser’s cache. Over time, this file can become large and there can be discrepancies between the version of the page on your computer and the “live” version available on the Internet.

Each Internet browser has slightly different options. However, To eliminate the problem of viewing older versions of Web pages, set the option “Check for Newer Version of Stored Pages” to “Every Visit to the Page”. The way this is changed depends on your browser.

Setting Internet Explorer Cache

1. Select Tools.
2. Select Internet Options.
3. On the "General" tab under the "Temporary Internet Files" section, select Settings.
4. Select the radio button, "EVERY visit to the page."
5. Select OK, then OK again.

1. Open a second browser window, delete the address in the URL bar and type about:config
2. Press Enter to see Firefox settings.
3. Scroll down to browser.cache.check_doc_frequency
4. Highlight and double click. Change the 3 to 1 in the dialogue box. Click OK.
5. Close window, exit and restart Firefox to enact the change.

Setting Netscape Cache

1. Select Edit.
2. Select Preferences.
3. Select Advanced.
4. Under Cache, select the radio button "Every time I view the page."

Clearing Cache

Below are instructions on clearing cache based on Internet browser type.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Select Internet Options from the Tools pull-down menu.

1. Select the General tab. In the middle of this page is the Temporary Internet Files section. Press the "Delete Files" button.
2. You are then prompted by the dialog box, Delete files. In this dialog box, you are asked if you wish to Delete all files in the Temporary Internet Files folder. Press the "OK" button.
3. On the bottom of this page is the History section.
4. Press the "Clear History" button.
5. You will then be prompted by the dialog box, Internet Properties. In this dialog box, you are asked if you wish to Delete all files in your History folder. Press the "OK" button.
6. Press the "OK" button on the General tab screen.

Firefox

1. Select Tools and then select Options on the Firefox menu bar.
2. Press the Privacy Icon on the Option menu bar to open the Privacy Properties.
3. Press Clear across from the Cache option.
4. Press Ok to return to the browser main page.
5. Exit and restart the browser.

Netscape 7.x

1. From the main menu select Edit, then select Preferences.
2. On the Preference dialog box, open Advanced.
3. Under the Advanced option select Cache.
   • Press the Clear Memory Cache button.
   • Press the Clear Disk Cache button.
   • Press the OK button to continue.
   • The value for Compare the page in the cache to the page on network: should be set to "Every time I view the page".
4. Click the OK button.

Removing Unwanted Programs

Follow the steps outlined below to remove unwanted programs when using either Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Scroll through the list and examine each program. The list includes how often you use a program and what day you last started it.
4. Click each program you no longer need. Click the Remove button. Follow the prompts to uninstall it.

You may have to restart your computer after removing a program. After your computer restarts, repeat the steps above to remove more programs.

Another way to find wasted disk space is to use the Disk Cleanup tool:

1. Open My Computer. Right-click Local Disk, and then click Properties.
2. On the General tab, click the Disk Cleanup button. Disk Cleanup will spend a few minutes examining your disk.
3. The Disk Cleanup dialog box opens. Identify files to remove. Suggested files are Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files, Microsoft Error Reporting Temporary Files, and the Recycle Bin.

Running Disk Defragmenter

You need administrator privileges to defragment a drive or volume. It is relatively easy to defragment your computer by following these steps:

1. Open My Computer, right-click Local Disk, and then click Properties.
2. On the Tools tab, click Defragment Now. The Disk Defragmenter opens.
3. Click your first hard disk, and then click Defragment. Disk Defragmenter will work for at least several minutes, although it may take several hours.

The steps outlined above are some of the actions you can take to improve your computer performance. As mentioned in the beginning of the article, a virus or spyware are other potential reasons why computer may run slowly. However, if you start with these steps, your organizations IT/IS department can focus on the more complex issues.

Please feel free to contact me at penny.glassman@umassmed.edu or 508-856-5974 if you have any questions.