If you're not familiar with some of the techniques for getting your PC to run a little more smoothly, then here's my very own top ten that could improve system performance without even spending any money.

1. Clear the clutter: Many PC's run slow because of sheer volume of data that has been left but not necessarily is being used anymore. For example unused desktop icons and files that take up space in the system memory. A near full hard drive may experience a slow down and may experience head thrashing to occur, which is not beneficial to your hard drive.

2. Clear folders such as temporary internet files and system cache on a regular basis to ensure peak performance. Usually easily accessed through the web browser.

3. Ensure tasks such as virus scanning and ad ware scanning is done regularly. I advise setting this up in a scheduled task that the computer can carry out on behalf of you and notify you when a problem arises.

4. Practice good upkeep of your PC: The hard drive on your computer will undoubtedly decrease in operation speed if tasks such as hard drive defragment isn't done on a set basis. (Normally once every couple of weeks in considered normal for most users.) This task can also be set up to run automatically for you.

5. Make sure you are protected not only by anti virus software, but also if necessary check you have a firewall that is sufficient and operating correctly. (Some users like to "ping" their own computers to check their firewall operation level. There are many such programs to test your security.)

6. Select what programs are running. For some users their processing power can be swamped by the amount of programs running concurrently in the system memory. In windows you can access the task manager ( Ctrl, alt, Del ) to close any programs that you may not need running all the time. Alternatively for windows you can access the system configuration utility. Type in the run dialog box "msconfig" then choose "services" from the tabs menu. This will allow you to deselect programs that you do not want to load when the PC is turned on.

7. Keep your device drivers up to date.

8. Clean the registry often to maximize efficiency. There are many programs out there to help you clean up your PC and fix errors.

9. Optimize the settings. Many platforms and operating systems have many visual effects turned on which can look very good but if you are experiencing a slow down these might be best turned off.

10. Not the most important perhaps and sometime overlooked but i personally make sure i keep my PC dust free. A dusty PC with clogged fans can overheat components causing crashes and severe slowdowns. Some people even suggest hoovering out your PC insides from dust (power turned off of course:)

So there's my quick top ten, hopefully you found it helpful.

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