Laptop Essentials: Software Solutions for a Faster Laptop

As our laptops age, we complain about them getting sluggish. Start-up takes longer, files open slower, programs don't run, they walk. But what most of us do not do is actually fix the problem. We complain instead and decide it's time to replace our 2 year old laptop. Well, here are some free programs that can actually improve the speed of your laptop and save money from buying a new one.


This section is for PCs btw. A Mac section will be written soon.



Defraggler by Piriform

Defraggler is a free defragmentation program by the guys at Piriform that scans and defragments your laptop or PCs hard drive extensively. It works faster than the included Windows defragmentation program as well. Fragmentation occurs when files are loaded and unloaded, used, moved, and renamed (among other things). When fragmentation occurs, it takes the hard drive a longer time to read and open files because the actual physical memory fragments of the file is scattered all though out the drive. Defragmentation fixes that, thus a faster hard drive. You can get Defraggler here.

CCleaner by Piriform

Another free software from Piriform, CCleaner is a cleaning device that cleans out all the unwanted junk in your laptop or PC. It scans system files, program history, temporary internet files, as well as other sections of your hard drive. It also has a registry scan and repair function to fix registry files (Wikipedia: "The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems"). With this tool, junk and other files that clog your hard drive space can be cleaned up and cleared. You can get CCleaner here.

Notebook Hardware Control by Manfred Jaider

Notebook Hardware Control is a free optimization program written by a guy named Manfred Jaider. It essentially allows you to control and optimize the performance of your laptop including processor performance, graphics performance, power consumption and output, temperature and fan speeds, and if your HDD is applicable, a temperature reader for your HDD. If you want to get the most out of your laptop, this is the way to go. Get Notebook Hardware Control here.

Game Booster by iObit

Game Booster is a free program that optimizes your laptop or PC for gaming performance. It stops the function of some processes (such as Windows 7 transparency) to optimize your system for gaming. It also allows the defragmentation of game files. 

To quote the site: 

"It works by updating hardware drivers, downloading essential gaming tools, tweaking system settings for gaming, defragmenting game directories, temporarily shutting down background processes, cleaning RAM, and intensifying processor performance."

The normal version is free but the pro version is a paid app. Learn more about Game Booster here.

The first three programs are essentials, while the last one is for gaming enthusiasts. So there you have it. Try these out and see the performance gain on your not-so-old still reliable computer.