Here are a few ways that dramatically improved the speed of my laptop, in the order of their speed improvement.
(1) Reduce the amount of data stored on the HDD. While getting ready to replace the original HDD, I moved most of my data files to a portable, external HDD. The original 90 GB internal HDD then had only 25 GB of data. Without any other change, this greatly speeded up my computer! Program files loaded quickly and data files opened as fast as I can click. Even internet browser pages seemed to open faster, for no reason that I can think of. So when I transferred my files to the new HDD, I created 2 partitions, one small partition for my program files and daily used documents, and second large partition for my library, music, photo, and video files. It makes sense that most programs will run faster when there is less disc space to search. I defrag and run disc clean-up regularly, but having less GBs lead to more dramatic speed improvement.
(2) Increase RAM from 1 GB to 2 GB. I didn't realize it, but I was routinely using 1.25 GB just for surfing the web with 5-6 tabs open and having Outlook running. The 1 GB RAM was insufficient and my computer was writing to hard disc virtual RAM all the time! I noticed a BIG speed improvement with the 2nd GB RAM.
(3) Remove as much as possible unused programs. This mostly improves startup and shutdown time, but it also improved operating speed. Some of the programs have background processes that start automatically and run in the background. Most programs are too small to impact speed, but I discovered that Microsoft SQL and web development programs were hogging CPU cycles without my knowledge. Virus and Spy detection software are notorious for hogging RAM and CPU. They also write to disc once in a while. Get rid of all versions except for the one you are currently using. Norton antivirus frequently does not uninstall completely. Some old versions of Acrobat Reader also have this problem. Hunt them down and make sure all old versions are uninstalled. Then get rid of the installation files from temp directory. Do a Google search on the company's support site to find out how to completely uninstall.
These three fixes are the big ones that I have found to speed up my computer. Of course, if you get an error message while starting up Windows, or a frequent program freeze, then it is worthwhile to find the source and fix these errors. Generally reinstalling Windows and latest security patch will fix system errors. Program installation errors can be fixed also with reinstall. I use Windows' System Recovery all the time to keep a good copy of my system state. When a problem starts with a newly installed program, I can just roll back to the good version. On the rare occasion when I get infected with an ad program, I can also just roll back to my previous state.
(4) Fix Wi-Fi connection/shutdown problem on Sony SZ160P
As an aside, I had an internet connection problem for a while where the wi-fi antenna will shut itself down during use. Then I need to restart my computer to get the connection back, until the antenna shuts down again. I checked all of my power setting but could not fix the problem for a while. Then I discovered that I could go into hardware properties and change additional power settings for the wi-fi. The default settings reduced antenna power to save battery, even when my computer was plugged in. After maxing all power setting, I get great wi-fi connection now. Also speeded up my browser load time at video sites. I don't know how, but I now get noticeably improved speed and less skipping during video playback. Maybe the "throughput enhancement" setting is helping out.
Photo of wi-fi power settings page. From Start Menu, My Computer, right click then select Properties. From System Properties window, select Hardware Tab, click Device Manager button. Scroll down to Network Adapters, expand list, right click on Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 ABG, select Properties, Advanced Tab. Maximize settings for Power Management, Roaming Aggressiveness, Throughput Enhancement, and Transmit Power.
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