While I remember, for those whose pc's may be running slowly there are a few things that you can do to make it run faster, and they are all free.
1. Download CC Cleaner, and clear out the registry.
2. Download WhatsInStartup, and deactivate all of those programs that start up automatically when you turn your pc on, they all soak up CPU time and they are a menace. I only have two programs that run from startup, one is the sound card control panel for an add-on, and the other is Microsoft Security Essentials.
3. If you are running anti-virus programs, then use CC Cleaner to delete them, then run the registry cleaner again.
4. Download Microsoft Security Essentials. It is an excellent AV application, it comes direct from MS, and you get automatic updates. It is totally free and being from MS, it does not cause you problems and conflicts.
5. MSE also automatically disables Windows Defender, as it does the same job, if it does not disappear from StartUp then you can disable it using CC Cleaner.
6. When running any game make sure that all other applications are closed.
7. Check the icons in the lower right hand corner of your screen, if anything is running in the background that you don't need then close them (they will appear the next time that you boot up anyway). Many of these programs have an automatic update functionality and without you knowing they are spending CPU time contacting the manufacturer and checking for updates.
8. Once you have got your pc 'clean', run Defragmentation. It will tidy your Hard Drive up and allow the disk to be accessed faster.
9. If you want to run a game in a lower resolution than you normally use, you probably go and change it manually each time. You can download Hotkey Resolution Changer. This allows you to select a hotkey combination to instantly switch between two resolutions of your choice, very handy!
10. If you are running Vista, make sure that your hard drive is running NTFS as the file system, not FAT32. Vista is set up to work on an NTFS system, and does not like FAT32 at all. If your disk is FAT32, then the only remedy is to backup the drive and reformat it, then do a complete re-install...so if you have a few days to spare....
I hope that helps someone!
Cheers
Rob G