15 free downloads to pep up your old PC

Got an aging Windows laptop or desktop computer, but money's too tight to buy a new one? Fret not. There's plenty of life in your old PC. It may seem sluggish and on the point of expiring, and its hard disk may be nearly full to bursting, but there's plenty you can do to clean it up, speed it up and give it new life.

And here's the good news: You can do it all without spending a dime, with these 15 free downloads we've rounded up for you. They'll get you more hard disk space, give your PC an overall tuneup, monitor your hardware for potential problems and more.

Just give your PC this dose of virtual Geritol and it'll soon be as peppy as new. It'll last long enough until the good times roll again and you're in the mood to fork out for new hardware.

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Got an aging Windows laptop or desktop computer, but money's too tight to buy a new one? Fret not. There's plenty of life in your old PC. It may seem sluggish and on the point of expiring, and its hard disk may be nearly full to bursting, but there's plenty you can do to clean it up, speed it up and give it new life.

And here's the good news: You can do it all without spending a dime, with these 15 free downloads we've rounded up for you. They'll get you more hard disk space, give your PC an overall tuneup, monitor your hardware for potential problems and more.

Just give your PC this dose of virtual Geritol and it'll soon be as peppy as new. It'll last long enough until the good times roll again and you're in the mood to fork out for new hardware.

Do a quick-and-dirty system tuneup

An easy way to get your PC in better shape is by giving it a one-step system tuneup. The following two programs do everything from stopping unnecessary programs from running at start-up, to fixing Windows Registry problems, to cleaning up the hard disk and more.

Later in the story we'll offer plenty of downloads that each perform one or two system tuneup tasks in depth, but if you want the easiest path to a peppier PC, try one of the all-in-one programs below.

Advanced SystemCare Free

This excellent all-around system cleaner from IObit.com will help keep your PC humming. It takes an "everything plus the kitchen sink" approach, scanning your system for spyware, Registry problems, privacy dangers, and junk files that were once needed by your system but are no longer necessary. You can then tell the program to clean up everything it finds or pick and choose what you want it to fix.

Note that the software will install the Yahoo Toolbar by default, so if you don't want it installed, make sure to uncheck the box during installation.

Works with: Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Download Advanced SystemCare Free

Glary Utilities

Glarysoft's do-it-all utility offers plenty of ways to help make sure your old PC keeps running despite the ravages of time. To start, there's a good Registry cleaner, hard disk cleaner, and a shortcut fixer that will correct any shortcut error it finds on your desktop or Start menu. In addition, there's a nice start-up manager that shows every process or program that launches when you log into Windows, and provides details about each, including whether any might be dangerous.

There's more as well, including a lot of tools that won't necessarily extend the life of your PC, but will make it easier to use, or offer you useful features. For example, there's a file shredder, a duplicate file finder and a context menu manager for editing the right-click context menu that appears when you click a file. You'll also find encryption tools, ways to clean up your Internet traces and a lot more.

Works with: Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Download Glary Utilities

Editor's note: Got an XP machine? All the software in this roundup is XP-compatible. For even more advice, see How to make Windows XP last for the next seven years.

Rein in applications

A big cause of PC slowdowns is software that runs in the background or at start-up, often without your knowledge. Unpatched software can also cause problems. Two of the following downloads help you get a handle on sneaky apps, and a third keeps the rest of them properly patched.

WinPatrol

This freebie from BillP Studios helps you stop unnecessary programs from running on start-up, and in doing so, speeds up your PC. Run it, and it displays a detailed list of all the programs that start when you boot your PC, including the developer, the file name and much more. Select each program you don't want to run at start-up and click the Disable button.

You'll get a PC that's zippier starting up -- and potentially zippier running as well, because if the programs aren't running in the background, you should have more memory and CPU power available.

The Delayed Start feature is especially nifty. It lets you tell some programs not to launch when Windows boots, and instead delay their launch for up to an hour. Why do that? Because you might not need those programs right away, and by delaying their start, Windows will start up more quickly. Later on, when you need the programs, they'll already be running in the background for you.

There's a lot more to this program, including showing all the services that are running on your PC, displaying all of your ActiveX controls and Internet Explorer helper programs, and showing your scheduled tasks. Examine them all, decide which are unnecessary and disable any you don't need. Again, the result is a smoother-running PC.

Works with: Windows 9x/Me/XP/Vista

Download WinPatrol

Autoruns

One reason that your aging system gets sluggish is that as you install programs and use your PC over time, more and more services and programs end up running in the background without your knowing it. A surprising number of programs invisibly run system updaters, which constantly look for updates to software you're running, without telling you. And there are plenty of other services and programs you run that you don't really need.

Only for the technically inclined, Microsoft's Autoruns is the best way to ferret them all out so you can decide which you want to allow to run and which to stop. It breaks out the list of services into categories -- those that run when you log on, those that are scheduled tasks, those that are Vista gadgets, those associated with Internet Explorer and so on.

You'll see a brief description of each program, its publisher and the program path. To find out more details about any program or service, right-click it and select Search Online; Autoruns does a Google search for the executable so you can find more information.

To stop a service from running, uncheck its checkbox. (This doesn't delete anything; it just stops the service from running.) This is a powerful tool, so before you make any changes with it, do your research so you know you don't need the program or service to be running.

There's also some information here that most people won't need, such as details about dynamic-link libraries. Still, this is a very useful program for advanced users who want to clean out their PCs -- older or not -- and keep them running as fast as possible.

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