Question : Problem: Computer speed

I have a 1996 Gateway G6 266 computer using Win98. Are there things that I can do to increase the speed of my computer. It seems to be getting sluggish. One thing I haven't done is clean the dust from the tower. Could this help?

Answer : Problem: Computer speed

(1) How much free disk space do you have? One of the most common causes of system slowdown is having less than 15% or so of disk space free, because Windows spends a lot of time jumping around trying to find places to store temporary information. If you system is doing a lot of 'disk thrashing' (in other words, the hard disk activity indicator is on much of the time and you can hear it making sounds constantly), you may need to free up space taken by temporary files no longer being used, such as in your internet disk cache and your Windows temp directory, and also files that you have downloaded and no longer need. (2) Try also using Defrag to make sure your files are not split up all over your hard disk.  (3) Install more memory if you have less than 32 Mb.  (4) There may not be anything actually wrong - the software you are using now compared to when you  first bought your system may simply be making heavier demands on its capabilities.