Drivers are programs that enable Windows to access hardware components like the video, sound, printer, scanner, webcam, and so on. Updating them is a pain and you have to identify the hardware, the drivers and version numbers, the hardware manufacturer's website and the download page. Take a shortcut by using a free tool such as SlimDrivers Free or Driver Booster Free. These do all the work for you and they are like Windows Update for drivers. They identify the current drivers, check if there are updates, and then download and install them for you. They solve a lot of problems. There are also paid-for options, such as the up-to-date Driver Talent utility.
How to speed up Windows: Free up disk space
Your PC's hard disk slows down as it fills up and uninstalling software helps to free up space giving more room for Windows to work faster. Disk space can be recovered by using Ccleaner, Advanced SystemCare 7 Free and others.
There's a right way and a wrong way to use these though. Select just a few items and clean them, making sure the app backs up the changes. If the PC is working OK, go ahead and clean a few more items, but if it isn't, restore the backup. Do not clean everything in one go because if something goes wrong you won't know where the problem is.
Many PCs have too much software, such as programs that are no longer used and they can be uninstalled to free up disk space. You could go to the Control Panel, open Programs and Features, and then uninstall software you haven't used in the last six months. Better still are free utilities such as IObit Uninstaller Free, Revo Uninstaller, and Wise Program Uninstaller. They do a better job of removing software because in addition to removing the program itself, they cleaning the disk and registry.
Some programs install lots of files into Windows and they can have a detrimental effect on performance. To keep Windows clean and fast you should avoid installing anything. Of course, you need software, but there are many portable apps that don't need installing. A good source of software is portableapps.com. Click Get Apps and you'll find office software, graphics and photo editors, utilities, internet, music and video and more. It's not the only place to find portable software, but it's a good place to start.
Smaller, lightweight programs are often faster than big, full featured applications. Do you really need Word or is WordPad sufficient for your writing tasks? For example Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 requires 3GB of disk space, but LibreOffice uses just a few hundred megabytes and is nearly as good. You need 4GB of disk space to install Adobe Photoshop Elements, but only 40MB for Paint.NET and 150MB for GIMP (it sounds dodgy, but it's not). They could be all you need for photo editing. Use alternativeto.net to find alternatives to popular software.
The speed at which games run is highly dependent on the screen resolution and special effects used. Some games provide options to select the screen mode and to turn off some effects that tax the processor and video card. This can make a slow game more playable by increasing the frame rate. For more details see How to speed up games.
How to speed up Windows: Upgrade hardware
All of the techniques discussed so far for speeding up the PC take you only so far. They restore the original PC's performance, but this may not be sufficient. An old PC might not be capable of running the latest game or other software you want to use. A five year old model will struggle with the latest games, apps and operating system. For this reason, a hardware upgrade may be required and this will boost the PC's performance beyond its original specification and narrow the gap between your current PC and the latest ones.
Many old PCs suffer from too little memory (consider 2GB the absolute minimum these days, but 4GB is the maximum usable by 32-bit versions of Windows) and this is the first component to consider upgrading. Memory suppliers including crucial.com/uk have tools on their website that identify what type of RAM you need. It shows the maximum the PC or laptop can take and this is the best upgrade you can perform. Before you purchase any memory though, examine your PC or laptop because some are easy to upgrade, but others are hard. Buying RAM online and installing it yourself is the cheapest option, but if you aren't confident in your DIY skills, local computer shops can do it.
A solid state disk drive (SSD) is another great way to boost performance. You need to clone the old disk drive onto the new SSD before installing it. This is achieved by plugging the SSD into the PC's USB port and running a program on the PC. A special cable and software might be supplied with the SSD, but if not, they are available to purchase for a few pounds.
Here's a step-by-step guide to installing an SSD, and here's a list of the best SSDs to buy
Upgrading the graphics card is a great way to speed up games, but the benefits to other software is limited. Top-of-the-range video cards are big, so before ordering the latest Nvidia or AMD model, check it will fit the case. Space, the size of the PC's power supply and other factors limit your options and full height/dual slot video cards are for big PCs with lots of space, and low profile single slot cards are for compact PCs.
It¡¯s a battle that has raged across time and space. Two sides with sworn armies of loyalists, locked eternally in a struggle for dominance. We¡¯ve seen it played out so many times: Android vs iOS, Xbox vs PlayStation, Canon vs Nikon, FIFA vs Pro Evo, ZX Spectrum vs Commodore 64, but today we look not upon those minor conflicts. Instead our eyes turn to the thunderous colossuses of Mac vs PC.
Where to buy your iPhone 7? Find out how to get the best price on an iPhone 7 today. Click here.
Which is the better platform? Is there even a true winner? Some of these questions cannot be answered, but in this feature we will put the two platforms to the test so you can see which one is the best for you.
You might also like Android vs iOS: Which is best?
Mac vs PCs: Hardware design
This category might seem like a sure-thing for Apple, as its hardware is highly regarded across the industry, but things aren¡¯t quite that simple. When Apple¡¯s design guru Jony Ive first designed the iMac back in 1998 it came as a colourful and stylish alternative to the beige boxes that PCs favoured at the time.
Since then there have been innovative designs such as the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and the various iterations of the original iMac - including an utterly beautiful angle-poise lamp style that remains one of the most gorgeous computers ever built. The current lineup though, leaves a lot to be desired.
Yes, they are still powerful, fast machines, but the aluminum unibody designs that once looked so modern (and launched a thousand PC clones) haven¡¯t seen an update in a number of years and now look, well, rather dull. Of course the new ultra-slim MacBook does buck this trend somewhat - coming in a range of colours that include Gold and Rose Gold, or pink as most people would call it - but the lack of ports and a low profile keyboard that severely divides opinion among users means it¡¯s something of an acquired taste.
There are rumours of Apple updating the Mac range before the end of the year, so things could improve quickly if the California company introduces new models.
By contrast PCs are going through something of a renaissance at the moment. After the wild and wacky devices that accompanied the release of Windows 8, manufacturers have settled down and begun releasing some excellent machines. At the premium end of the market, where Apple also plies its trade, Microsoft has developed the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book both of which are hugely desirable creations. HP, who almost left PC manufacturing entirely a few years ago, has stunned the market with its svelte, luxurious Spectre 13, while Lenovo, Sony, Dell, and others all have high-end models that give MacBooks a run for their money.
One of the best things about Windows devices at the moment is that they offer such variety to users. You can have traditional laptops and desktops (with the option of a touchscreen if you want), dedicated gaming rigs, ultra-thin models, or a device that converts between a tablet and PC. There¡¯s even a Windows phone that can turn into a full blown Windows PC when you plug it into peripherals.
Of course the platform has always had devices available at a range of price points too and this is still the case. In fact HP¡¯s Stream laptop is currently available for £149 and offers a very respectable entry point for those who need a cheap and cheerful device.
While Apple¡¯s shield may still be ringing from the surprising blows it took in hardware, this round finds it unleashing a few attacks of its own. There¡¯s little argument really that when you take a Mac out of its box there is far more useful software onboard than on even the most premium Windows laptop.
No bloatware or trial software is to be found, instead Apple includes apps for basic photo editing, video production, audio production, plus the full office suite of Pages, Number, and Keynote. All are full versions that offer an impressive amount of capability for any new user.
On the Windows side of things it isn¡¯t quite so rosy. There is a photo app, but it¡¯s more for organisation than editing, and depending on where you bought your PC you might have a free year¡¯s subscription to Office 365, but beyond that it¡¯s a pretty barren landscape.
Of course when you move out to third party software Windows has an enormous amount of apps to buy, far exceeding that of Macs, but the truth is that Macs come equipped with nearly everything you need for normal, consumer-level computing.
Gaming has long been the province of PCs and with the arrival of Windows 10 the platform has only strengthened its dominance. Aside from an embarrassingly huge advantage over Macs in terms of available titles, PCs now have the ability to stream games from both the Xbox One and Playstation 4. This category isn¡¯t even close. If you like gaming then a Windows PC is hands-down the better choice over a Mac.