Speed Up Your Computer - Free!

Note: A link has been provided to the Homepage of each program where you can read more about the program and download the most current version. All these links will open new browser windows so you can just close those windows when you are ready to return to the club site. These programs were all freeware or shareware when added to this recommendation list. We don't recommend installing ALL of these programs during one session. You should go to the homepages of these programs, read about them, and decide which ones you would like to install first.

MEMORY MANAGERS Important: Select only one of these programs... you don't need both.

Rambooster...Windows fills up your computer's memory (RAM) little by little and finally RAM is filled with unnecessary data. Sooner or later you have to reboot your computer to make it work faster. By monitoring your RAM, your programs respond faster. RAM Idle is a free memory management program that is designed for Windows (95/98/2000/Me). With an easy to use interface, RAM Idle enables your applications to load faster and more responsively by making more physical memory available for the system. Use it to free up a selected amount of physical memory when the minimum level is reached. You can also use it to free up a selected amount of physical memory at a regular interval, and free up the physical memory manually as needed.

FILE CLEANERS and CACHE MANAGERS

Cleanup  Maintain the fresh speed your computer has at boot up. As you work and browse, your cache files get loaded and slow you down. Clean out those files with just a click of a button. Clean out cache and Temp files automatically.  Cacheman can automatically monitor and control the overloading of cache files. This can slow down browsing, graphics program and games.

CONNECTION SPEED MODIFIERS

Cablenut Automatically configure your modem settings to speed up your internet connection. Works for dialup, cable or DSL. Web pages load faster.

BROWSER SPEED ACCELERATOR

Opera  More than double your browser speed with this browser. Don't be confused, this not one of those awful accelerator programs that take over your computer. Opera is just the fastest browser available. Leaves Internet Explorer and Netscape at the starting blocks. Use it a few days and you'll be hooked. Google  Faster searching...The most popular quick search spider has now been integated into the Opera interface. It has it's own search box next to the URL address box built into the tool bar. Once you experience Google, you'll quickly see that using other search engines is a waste of time.

POP UP KILLER

Killad  Stop those annoying pop up messages that take up time and resources. Stop all those dastardly invaders of your system from planting unwanted cookies in your system. Prevent invasion of your privacy.

ELIMINATE JUNK MAIL

Every time you have to register for something, there's a chance that the email address you use will be shared with other parties and you'll start getting unsolicited and unwanted emails. The best way to avoid junk mail in your personal mailbox is to use a special email address. My suggestion is to use a Free web-based email account such as Mail.com or Free web email.  If you'd like a Super web-based mail client for serious personal use -- that you can access from anywhere in the world -- We recommend Eudora Web Mail

MISC. TWEAKING TOOLS

Startup Cop  Control Programs at startup. The more programs that launch at startup, the longer it takes to boot and the slower your system stays. Control what programs start at bootup with just a few clicks.  TopDesk  The easiest way to access all the icons on your desktop when it's covered up with multiple windows. One click to view -- one click to launch. Neat and configurable. Download Accelerator Plus  Double or even triple the speed of your downloads. Take advantage of download programs that can split a file and download the parts simultaneously. Resume failures right where you left off. Can be integrated into Opera as the automatic download program.

This grouping of software is the result of downloading and testing hundreds of programs in an effort to find those that not only can do the job, but are easy to work with. We always go for simpler programs that aren't made too complicated by trying to do too much. We hope you enjoy your new faster computer experience.