How to Speed Up Your Internet Connection

By Brett Tresky

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Have you ever wanted to make your computer faster? Have you seen the television commercials claiming they have software you can download and it will speed up your computer and your internet connection to over 10 times your current speed?

Let me be the first to tell you that most -- if not all -- are scams. Have you ever wanted to lose weight by not exercising? Have you ever wanted to make millions of dollars by sending out a few emails? Common sense says that these ideas will never work. Well, these scenarios are the same as making your computer faster with a simple download -- oh, and a charge of $29.95. Undoubtedly, people will get desperate and give it a whirl because in the end $30 isn't that much if it does, indeed, work. We all have tried something that our better judgment told us would never work. But let me remind you there is no magical software that can speed up your computer. If your computer is slow, try scanning for malware and viruses. You most likely have one or the other, which will cause slowness. You also might have recently downloaded a new program and sometimes it could have a negative effect on your computer, which could be another cause for slowness. This is why it's very important that you always stay up to date with your system updates. Microsoft and Mac OSX are really good at simplifying the process to keep your computer up to date. Make sure when you get the notification of an update, that you perform the installation. These updates correct many bugs that could be partly responsible for causing your system to slow down.

Also, over time a computer will naturally perform at a slower speed. This is normal and there are things you can do depending on what operating system you use. For instance if you are running Windows, you can "defrag your hard drive" and run other system tools that could optimize certain areas of your machine.  To defrag or run a "Disk clean up" simply click on "All Programs > Accessories > System Tools". Here you will see options to run both "Disk Clean up" and "defrag". The defrag can take up to 20 hours depending on how big your hard drive is, so I recommend performing that operation overnight. The "Disk Clean up" takes approximately one hour. I recommend running "Disk Clean Up" monthly. This task really optimizes your hard drive and you do not need to buy third-party's software to get the job done.

Now, do not confuse third-party providers that offer virus protection (like Norton and McAfee or other free ones like Avast and Avg). These software companies are legitimate, but they don't tell you that your system will run faster, they just tell you that the software will keep you from getting viruses, which is important.

The more common problem these days is malware. Malware is the name for the files that get installed on your computer without your knowledge and it can come from many sources, such as ads on websites or file downloads or simply visiting a website. This is where you again, need to regularly scan for this. You might need third-party software like Lavasoft's Adaware to find and destroy these from your system. Running regular Malware and virus checks will help keep your system running at top speed.

Computer stores and help centers like Best Buy's Geek Squad claim they can speed your system up, too. They -- for the most part -- are telling the truth, but what they do is perform tasks you can do yourself with a little know-how. If you don't have the time or patience to investigate your computer's problems on your own, these help centers are perfect. What they do is scan for malware and viruses (which should be done routinely anyway). They do have some tricks they can perform on some systems. For example Windows systems like to have a lot of programs start when you power on the machine and then continue to run even though you will not be using these programs. The more programs running -- even in the background -- could potentially slow down your computer. You should disable all these programs from even starting in the first place. There are a few other low-level things they can do along these lines that can optimize your PC for a better user experience. Operating systems like to store recently accessed information in your computer's memory and create system caches. What this does is makes it faster next time the system needs that information. However, over time that data becomes stale and sometimes the system doesn't clean up after itself satisfactorily. So, clearing out old system caches is a good thing to do from time to time.

In the end the software that comes from providers like finallyfast.com does nothing but install malware on your PC. In fact, it will most likely slow your PC down rather than speed it up.

Use common sense and heed the old adage, "if it's too good to be true it probably is."  Also, do your homework. The Internet is filled with people that are having the same problem you could be having with your computer. Educate yourself before you open up wallet.