Is Your Computer Running Slow?

Things you can check

  • Remove unnecessary programs
  • Carry out Virus and Spyware scan
  • Upgrade RAM if not enough
  • Hard Drive nearly full - add another hard drive
  • De-fragment your hard drive
  • Overheating due to dust - clean

The most common reason for computer slowness is unnecessary applications running in the background. When new programs & applications are installed they are often configured to start automatically when your computer starts. These applications are not always needed, and will take up a portion of your computer's memory (RAM) which in turn will slow your computer down. You should remove any programs you no longer use, including any trial software that may have been installed when you bought the computer.

Certain Services are started by default when Windows is started and are often not necessary for most users. These can be disabled or prevented from starting automatically, to check what services are running on your machine click on the start button, then click on run, then type services.msc. Once the Services utility is open you can see what services are running and starting automatically, and change the startup type if necessary.

If your computer is running slow and you're getting a lot of pop-up windows, even when you're not online, your computer is most likely infected with a virus and/or spyware. Everybody should have antivirus software installed, updated and running at all times. I would personally recommend using AVG Free. Regardless of the antivirus software you use, you should always keep it updated, and regularly scan your system for viruses. Most antivirus software doesn't check for spyware, so if your computer is infected by spyware, you should download a specialised spyware removal software. There are two programs that I use myself, Spybot and Adaware, both of which are both absolutely free to use. Once you download and install these programs, make sure to run the updates and scan your entire computer.

Make sure your hard drive is not out of space. If it is, it's a good idea to upgrade your hard drive for a larger one or add another drive or uninstall some programs you no longer use. Delete all of the temp files, temporary internet files and cookies, you could do it manually or use another free program called CCleaner.