From startup to surfing to gaming, here are five ways you can clean up an old PC to make it look youngagain.1. Speed Up Your StartupIf an entire pot of coffee can brew in the time it takes for your computer to boot, it’s time to make some changes. Most likely your computer is not slow – it’s the dozens of programs turning onduring startup that are slowing it down.Download a comprehensive tool likeAutorunsto easily disable certain programs during your startup. Or try Windows’ slightly less thorough, built-in utility,MSConfig. To find it, go to Search or Run under Start and type “msconfig.” Under the “Startup” tab, uncheck the boxes of the programs you don’t need to run every time your computer is turned on, for instance, iTunes or your printer. If you don’t recognizea program, leave it be. Restart yourcomputer and watch it fly.2. Clear It OutIf painfully slow surfing is your main problem, there are a couple quick changes you can make.Are you an Internet Explorer user? Get rid of it. Google Chrome is the best browser on the market now, known for speedy surfing. Under Chrome, go to Clear Browsing Dataand check the boxes of temporary Internet files like cookies, cache, download history and browsing history.To take further precaution, try a program likeCCleanerfrom Piriform. The free software program removes temporary files from all of your browsers, as well as Windows and the registry, to make your PC run faster.3. Slim DownThis involves more than just uninstalling programs you don’t use anymore. If you’re not totally committed to the usual suspects, like Windows Media Player and Microsoft Office, switch to something that requires less computing power. Free applications can easily replace go-to programs, while speeding up your PC and giving you additional features at the same time.VLC Media Playeris a lightweight, open source media player that ripsDVDs, streams video and recognizes any unprotected mediaformat.FoxIt Reader, an alternative to Adobe Reader, does more than just open PDFs all whileusing less RAM. Edit documents, open multiple PDFs in tabs and more.AbiWord, a free and open source word processor, and Apache’sOpen Office, a free and open source full-fledge suite, can easily fill the void of Microsoft Office.4. Automate Your UpdatesUpdates are annoying. It’s easy to click “remind me later” and avoid the notifications, until you’re so frustrated with your computer thatyou finally set aside an entire afternoon to update everything.Let’s solve this. Go toMy Computer > Properties > Automatic Updates. Make sure this is set to Download and Install Automatically. To completely cover your bases, find out if any programs need to be updated manually by downloadingUpdate Checkerfrom FileHippo.com. The fast and free program scans your computer and reports back with any available updates in seconds.5. Make Some UpgradesIf you’re into gaming, a $150 investment in a graphics card might be worth your while. Forewarning: You’ll have to toy with your motherboard to make this upgrade happen, but there area lot of online tutorials you can follow.Finally, the most effective way to speed up your PC – which also requires tinkering – is to add moreRAM (random access memory). You can find 4GB of memory for under $50 online. If you have less than 2GB (go toMy Computer > Propertiesto find out), an upgrade should be in your future.