Have you ever received a brand new PC that feels sluggish out of the box? Often times computer vendors will load their products up with tons of useless software that most people will never use. This software will not only sit there doing nothing for you, but will also cause immediate performance issues. Streamlining is the name of the game. Remove everything that doesn’t have a specific and useful purpose. Don’t let anything start-up that doesn’t make your world a better place to live. Get rid of that pre-installed anti-virus software and replace it with something more efficient. Depending on if the computer is for private or business purposes, I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials, Symantec’s small business solutions, or Microsoft’s Forefront line.
If the computer is used for the basics (web browsing, email, word processing) and /or business, I recommend buying a business class machine from Dell. Why do I recommend Dell? It is my personal experience that they are the easiest to maintain and also hold a good track record of reliability. Back to the topic of this post…many of their business class machines, that I have worked with recently, come very streamlined out of the box.