5 best ways to improve your laptop/ computer speed performance to yield a better result that will it faster than ever before.

The best way to improve computer performance is proper maintenance. This means putting some work into setting up the computer properly to begin with. Get rid of any junk software that came with it, and then install only what's really necessary. That includes some good security software to keep malware off your machine. I like Kaspersky Internet Security. Not a huge fan of Norton or McAffee, but there may be a few other good ones out there. read: How to Easily Update Your Old Mozilla Firefox to the Latest Version Without Total Download and Manual Installation

1. UNNECESSARY UPDATES

I usually disable the auto update feature on everything except for the security software and manually update the other software when required. In most cases, it isn't. The main exceptions being your web browser, adobe flash, and adobe reader. Those probably need to be updated about once or twice a year. Windows doesn't generally need to be updated, but you may want to install the latest service pack when you set up the computer for the first time or when you need to reinstall windows.

The windows auto update feature is a disaster waiting for a place to happen, so please don't use it. You can do a manual update of windows from time to time, but it's really not that critical and there is a certain amount of risk of screwing up your computer each time you do it. The updates on the other pieces of software aren't as dangerous, but they tend to decrease computer performance and put up a lot of annoying pop up messages.

2. CCLEANER

The other thing I recommend is a piece of software called CCleaner. You can use it to clean out temporary files from your computer and the registry cleaner is good for cleaning out junk left behind after a program has been uninstalled. Use the regular cleaner religiously and the registry cleaner after you install or uninstall software. Getting rid of temporary fills helps computer performance, especially your web browser, and is a big help in terms of computer security. Temporary internet files are the usual path for malware to get into your computer. Take them out as they come in the door and your security software doesn't need to work as hard.

3. SAFE COMPUTER PRACTICES

The next thing to consider is safe computing habits. The first is to avoid high risk web sites. Hacker sites, porn sites, and peer to peer software sharing (frostwire, limewire, etc.) should be avoided unless you like malware infesting your computer. The games on facebook aren't a bad thing to avoid either. They can be virused as well.

4. ACCIDENTAL INSTALLS

What's next? Be careful about what kinds of software gets accidentally installed on your computer. When you install one piece of software it will oftentimes try to dump something else on your computer. Trial versions, and toolbar are your worst enemies. You don't need them and you don't want them. Don't allow them to be installed on your computer and remove them when they are accidentally installed.

5. FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS POLICY

They say good fences make good neighbors, but good neighbors also don't mess with your computer. A problem I often see is with friends, family members, etc. making changes to someone's computer and really messing things up. Be careful about who uses your computer and what they do on it. No one should be installing software or making changes to your computer except for you or the person you have doing maintenance on it. (Technician, computer nerd relative, etc.) And if you have a person doing maintenance on it, pick one person and leave things to them. Too many cooks spoil the soup.
People don't come into your house and repaint your walls a different color, but don't always realize that it's not alright to make changes to your computer. Make certain they have a clear understanding of your policies on this before they touch your keyboard. If they can't handle these sorts of restrictions, then they need to work on their own computer or go to the library and use the computers there.