Why is my computer so slow?
If you find your PC has slowed down a lot, it may not always be a virus or some kind of malware. It could be one of several reasons and here are some self-help steps to show you the way. Here are some likely reasons and suggestions to help you if your computer has slowed down a lot. First, if your computer is more then 4 years old, it likely can't keep up with all that is required to browse the web, check your email, download and upload your pictures as well as videos. You should consider replacing it with a new one. If your computer is newer and you find it is a lot slower then it was when you first bought it, try these things to help speed it back up:
- Defragment your hard drive. This will help speed up your programs and data storage on your hard drive and is likely the main culprit. Accessing a file (like a text, word or program file) on a defragmented hard drive is comparable to having a deck of cards scattered through out every room in your house. Rather then storing them in a box or in one location, every time you want to play cards, you have to go to each room of your house to get parts of that card deck. The same can be said about a defragmented file: your computer has to access parts of the file all over the hard drive platter (like a plate) and slows things down tremendously. Vista should have this scheduled automatically however with Windows XP you will need to do this with Scheduled Tasks (under Accessories / System Tools)
- Check your antivirus software. Sometimes, certain brands of antivirus or Internet security software can really slow your computer down. Also, make sure its up-to-date. Viruses themselves as well as malware (spyware, adware, etc.) can cause a computer to slow down. Check out ESET's Nod32 on my Recommended Utilities page. And, if you have a full scan scheduled during your time of work, that will really slow things down. Schedule your automatic scans for sometime after midnight, daily, and leave your computer one every few nights to make sure its done.
- Add more memory (RAM) to your computer. If your computer has less then 1 GB of RAM for a computer with Windows XP or 2 GB of RAM for a computer with Windows Vista, it will certainly help speed up your computer if you add more memory to your computer. If you don't know your way around the inside of a computer, make sure you seek professional help to do this. Feel free to contact me if you live close in my area and I can help you with this.
If none of the above helps, I suggest you seek professional assistance with your computer.
~ Bill
