Expert: Brian Benosky - 7/18/2011

Question
Hey Brian,
When I am in Internet Explorer the experience is quite sluggish. I would like to speed up my computer. I have an HP home premium pc with Windows XP. What is the best computer maintenance software other than ccleaner.
What is your opinion for the best browser. It seems the Mozilla Firefox runs a tad bit faster.

Thank you

Answer
Hi Elise

I am not a big fan of software like registry cleaners and other advertised quick fixes.  CCleaner is safe because it simplifies the task of removing 'junk' files like cookies and temporary files.  There are other more reliable ways to speed up a slow PC.  Eliminating programs which start with Windows and run in the background can make a big difference.  In CCleaner, go to the Tools option in the left pane, then click Startup.  Look over the list for programs you don't use all the time and Disable or Delete them.  If you don't know what an item is for, it's best to leave it alone.  But things like Adobe Reader and Itunes Helper don't need to start with Windows and run constantly.  
As far as which browser is quicker, Firefox is faster than Internet Explorer on XP, providing you don't have a lot of Add-ons running with Firefox.  You may also want to try Google Chrome, which I feel is the fastest browser around:
http://www.google.com/chrome/
Other than that, the only other way to speed up a slow computer is to add RAM memory.  I don't know what model HP you have, but chances are it came with a bare minimum RAM.  Research and add RAM to the max that your motherboard will allow.  Depending on how much RAM you have and how much you add, you could see a huge speed increase.
Hope these suggestions helped, and if you have further questions, just let me know.  Cheers!

Brian