Bringing New Power to an Aging PC

Sometimes, it seems like the life expectancy of a personal computer is about the same as for dairy products. The minute you buy a new PC, you learn it's already outdated because a slightly faster central processing unit (CPU) or one with more memory just came on the market. All too often, people feel pressure to junk their current working PC in favor of the latest, greatest model.

Yet a PC can last a good deal longer than a container of heavy cream with just a little maintenance: tender loving care not required. Even when you decide to purchase a new system, you can put the old one to use as a backup, pass it along to your child (or parents), or set up a home or small office network so you can use both computers and share an Internet connection between them.

If the older system doesn't have quite the punch it once had, there are a number of things you can do to boost performance without spending a bundle of money. No great amount of technical expertise is required to get better results either.

Consider these ideas:

Add more memory: A few years ago, many PCs shipped with 128 MB of memory installed. This isn't enough to let you multitask or have many open windows at once. Doubling the amount of memory to 256 MB - or beyond - can make the system seem much speedier. Note: if you aren't sure how much memory you have installed, go to Windows Control Panel and double-click the System icon. At the bottom of the General tab that opens, you will see your memory listed along with your Windows version information.

Change your hard disk: After a few years, even the most capacious hard disks can become nearly full. You may want to replace your existing hard disk with a larger capacity one or simply add a second hard disk.