Speed It Up!
A Non-Technical Guide for Speeding Up Slow Computers

About the Book

Does your PC perform like grandma on a cold winter morning? Does it limp along slowly through everyday tasks, such as starting up, shutting down, or just opening an email? Are you wondering if your PC's get up and go has got up and left?

If you answered yes, to any of these questions, Speed It Up! is the book for you.

Sure, there are uber-geeky guides out there that provide tweaks and customizations appealing to the pocket protector nation, but there is no other book that addresses these common problems at the everyday user level. I think it's time for a book that covers all of these topics in a way that appeals to real humans, like you. Let me help you keep your PC running like it did the day you brought it home from the store -- or even faster!

• Troubleshooting: I show you how to diagnose the cause of your PC's dawdling behavior. Learn how to determine whether the culprit is your hardware, your software, the network, a cluttered Windows Registry, or even a computer virus or spyware.

• Software: I show you dozens of easy, non-techy things you can do to speed up Windows, your applications, your Internet browser, and more.

• Hardware: I show you lots of easy upgrades you can do yourself. The solutions I provide are easy for anyone to implement -- even if you're not especially technical.

• Network: I show you how to easily fix common home network issues that are robbing you of precious time.

• Buyer's advice: If it's time to put your beloved old PC out to pasture, I offer some tried and true advice for choosing a new PC and keeping it in tip-top condition.

What's In the Book?

Part I: Quick Diagnosis for Sluggish PCs
    1. What's Slowing Down Your Computer?
    2. Before You Start: Protect Your Data

Part II: Simple Speedups Anyone Can Do
    3. Removing Spyware and Viruses
    4. Cleaning Out Unnecessary Programs
    5. Optimizing Your Hard Disk
    6. Making Windows Go Faster

Part III: Power Speedups for Power Users
    7. Cleaning Up the Windows Registry
    8. When All Else Fails: Reinstalling Windows from Scratch

Part IV: Upgrading Your PC for Speed
    9. Preparing for a Computer Upgrade
    10. Adding More Memory
    11. Adding More Disk Space
    12. Upgrading to a Faster Video Card
    13. Upgrading Your System's CPU

Part V: Internet and Network Speedups
    14. Cleaning Up Your Web Browser
    15. Reconfiguring Your Internet Connection
    16. Speeding Up Your Home Network

Part VI: The Ultimate Speedup: Buying a Faster PC
    17. When Do You Need a New PC?
    18. How Fast a PC Do You Need?

Appendix: PC Performance Resources

How to Buy This Book

Speed It Up! A Non-Technical Guide for Speeding Up Slow Computers is available at bookstores everywhere, or you can order the book online by clicking the button to the left.

Send questions or comments to solutions@molehillgroup.com
Copyright © 2011 The Molehill Group
Last modified: March 08, 2011