Have you found yourself wondering how to speed up your computer? Instead of adding more RAM to your computer, or buying a new one, there are 6 steps you can take to speed up your computer's performance. I consistently use these steps to make my computer run faster and it works like a charm. It allows you to speed up your PC free of charge with most of these steps since certain applications are already installed on your computer.

Step 1: Empty the Recycle Bin. It's easy to do. Just point your cursor to the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, right-click, and choose "Empty Recycle Bin." You can also double click on the Recycle Bin icon to open it and click on "Empty Recycle Bin." This way you can actually see what you are about to delete, just in case you find something you want to keep. In that case, right click on that item you want to keep within the recycle bin and choose "Restore."

Step 2: Delete Temporary Files and Cookies. Open Internet Explorer, Click on Tools, then Click on Internet Options. Click on "Delete" (in the Browsing history section within the General tab); then click on "Delete Files" and "Yes" to confirm. Allow that to finish, and then do the same for "Delete Cookies" and "Yes" to confirm.

Those first 2 steps alone can help make your computer run faster, but there are 4 more things that will really make a computer faster.

Step 3: Disk Cleanup. To do this, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. It will calculate how much space you will be able to free up. Once that is calculated, you will have a list of files to delete. Some of the files will already be checked for deletion, but you can check all the files you want to delete, then click OK.

Step 4: Disk Defragmentation. This can take about an hour, so you should set this up when you've got other things you can do. Start the Defrag and go watch TV, do laundry, mow the lawn, workout, or whatever. To begin, go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Click Analyze, then click on Defragment. Even if it takes 2 hours to complete, which will certainly make your computer run faster, the time you will save with an optimized PC will be well worth it.

Step 5: Spyware Scan. Most people don't realize how easy it is to get infected with spyware, so running scans consistently with an anti-spyware program is highly recommended to speed your computer up. It's highly likely that you have had spyware running on your computer and not even know it.

There are great registry cleaner products on the market that take care of a lot of these steps, including the next one. One of the most comprehensive and best registry cleaners available, and one that has definitely sped up my computer, is Registry Easy™. It pretty much does everything for you, all of the steps I've listed here and more, including the Spyware and Virus scans and removal. It can also be set to run automatically, which keeps your computer running faster and optimized, saving you even more time.

The company that created it is ACA Utilities, a professional software company that offers the best system utilities in the industry. At this time, and who knows for how much longer, they are offering a ton of bonus software with their Registry Easy™ product. It was designed as a Microsoft Windows XP registry cleaner, but actually is 100% compatible for Windows 98, ME, 2000, 2008 and Vista as well. And you can get a FREE scan to see what issues your computer actually has. It's an awesome deal and incredibly easy to use, but more on that later. On to the last step.

Step 6: Virus Scan. I highly recommend you get an anti-virus program installed on your computer ASAP if you don't already have one. The virus scan could take anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour depending on the number of files you have on your hard drive, so once again, start it and go do something else. This definitely makes my computer faster every time I run a virus scan.

After all 6 steps are completed, restart your computer and you'll be surprised at how much faster it runs. Complete these 6 steps at least once per week, which will speed up your computer and keep it optimized for maximum performance.