How to Speed up HP Mini NetBook that Runs Slow or Freezes

This question is actually from a reader, though not necessarily related to data security, I decided to share it with you.

"I know your blog is all about data security, but I wanted to give it a try. Hope you can help me out. My HP Mini 210 netbook is running super slow and freezes recently. I kind of worry it would totally stop working, thus put my files and data in danger. Any ideas how to speed it up?"

Below are just some personal opinions after researching and based on my own experience using a Windows PC.

What might be hurting your HP Mini's performance?

• Malicious software. If your HP Mini has infected with some kind of virus, malware, spyware etc, performance can be affected. Even worse, it may cause your HP work abnormally such as files inaccessible, not able to access hard drive etc. You can use Microsoft Security Essentials to scan and remove the virus.
• Registry errors. Since your HP network probably installed with Windows operating system, registry issues such as Windows registry missing, redundant etc. can happen. The errors can make your HP sluggish and freeze occasionally. 
• Overload startup programs. This can directly cause your HP Mini slow to start up to Windows desktop, making you feel it hangs. 
• Device driver issues. If your HP hardware device drivers haven't been updated for a while, then the outdated or malfunctioning drivers can cause hardware issues and make your computer slow.
• Too many programs working at background. This is always a bad habit, multitasking simply won't do any good to computers.
• Other causes such as overheating, not enough disk space, outdated hardware, poor system protection software etc. can lead to a slow HP computer.

How to Speed it Up?

In general, there are a few free techniques you can apply to make your HP run a bit faster such as disk defragmentatuion, disk cleaning, remove programs that you no longer want, clean those unneeded files to free up disk space, etc. However, these manual methods can be quite time-consuming as you have to tackle every problem one by one. Plus, it requires technical skills. To save time, you can use software to speed up your netbook (also no need to learn tech stuff). And, if you can afford, the best way is to spend some money on hardware upgrade. For example, replace the hard drive with a new SSD (solid state drive), add an extra RAM.

Here are some useful resources in case you want to explore.

• Why a HP Laptop Runs Slow: a quite comprehensive guide to fix different kinds of HP slow issues.
• You Don't Need to Regularly Reinstall Windows: the myth that Windows slows down over time, and how to solve the problem.
• How to speed up Windows 7: the ultimate guide to speeding up a slow PC.