why is my computer slow?

Question

my computer was fast, but as time went on it got slow, what do u think might of caused this problem, what do i need to do so it can be fast again like it was when i first bought it, do i need to download any programs to fix this problem

Answer 1

There are MANY reasons for computer slow downs:



1 not enough memory

2 too many programs starting up with windows at boot up time

3 spyware

4 too many junk files

5 too many restore points

6 Microsoft Registry Problems = Slow Computer!



Routine maintenance the will definitely help restore your PC's speed to what it could/should be...

1. Increase your Virtual Memory, then

2. Download and run RegCure deactivate any startup programs that you DON'T want/need to run at boot time to optimize your startup

3. Uninstall any unwanted programs

4. Ensure that you have more than 500 MB's of free space on your C: drive. (if not, it's not IF your PC will crash...it's WHEN your PC crashes). If not, move your Music/Videos offline to DVD's or CD's.

5. Purge all temp folders and internet temp files

6. Run defrag again after all the cleanup you just did.

7.install Registry cleaner and run daily

Use the tool: http://downloadlk.net/themosteffectiveregistrycleaner.htm [if you do not have one]

9. install Antispyware and run daily

http://toptenantispyware.com [if you do not have one]



Learn more about "Why Is My Computer Running so Slow?" and "How to Speed it UP":



http://downloadlk.net/WhyIsMyComputerSlow.htm

Answer 2

If you have no memory or virus issues, here are the next two things to try:

1) Registry cleaner: Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, uninstalls etc. so this needs to be cleaned. This will optimize and remove redundant or unwanted items.



2) Defrag: Fragmentation severely degrades the performance and reliability of your computer. Fragmentation also occurs over the Internet when you download or transfer a files from the net, this affects the broadband. Try Diskeeper 2008, you can download 30-day trial-ware at www.diskeeper.com



And for good measure...

Delete any unused or unnecessary programs and files. These may be taking up space, memory and resources, thus slowing your computer. Also delete your cashe/ temp files, empty your recycle bin, clear your internet browsing history, etc.

Answer 3

If your virus/spyware free, there are a couple things you can do get your computer working faster. If you using your computer for normal stuff and not gaming. You don't always need more RAM you just need to perform a few maintenance task.



First, if you haven't cleaned your registry in a while. This is necessary. Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, un-installs etc. Each one of those events produces a key. That key needs your PC's resources and free space. So, if you clean your registry, you make more resources available for speed. Do a registry scan if you got more than 20 errors you should clean it.

http://www.delete-computer-history.com/what-is-the-best-registry-cleaner.html



2. Clear your Windows cache files, this is your temporary file. It can grow up to a large volume and stop your computer from using RAM properly. In a sense slow it down by preventing it from using free space.Here is how:



1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser

2. Click Start, click "Control Panel", and then double-click "Internet Options".

3. On the General tab, click "Delete Files" under Temporary Internet Files.

4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the "Delete all offline content" check box , and then click OK.

5. Click OK.



3. Manage your startups. Your excess CPU usage is due to too many programs running in the background. You can cut these to barebones by alter your msconfig. Here is how:



1. Open your Start menu.

2. Click Run

3. In the command screen type "msconfig.exe"

4. In the "system configuration utility",click either "service" or "startup" tab

5. Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using.

6. Click "OK"

Answer 4

For one, check how much data you have loaded. Do you have lots of movies, pictures, games or programs on your hard drive that you don't need anymore? Start by clearing those off. That might help you pick up some speed, as the computer won't have to wade through so much junk to get done what it needs to.



Second, if it's still slow, have your antivirus and antispyware utilities do a full scan of your system. Many pieces of malware will grab up as many of your system's resources as they can , so get rid of those. Besides, they're a general security hazard, anyway. You should perform these scans on a regular basis so you can catch stuff before it causes too much harm; I personally run a full scan on my computer every weekend, and it should take only an hour at maximum. How long it takes depends on how many files it has to chug through.



If there is no malware present, then you might want to defragment your hard drive. Over time, your computer fragments the files on your hard drive becaue it is too lazy to stick them back in the right order. Later, when it returns to access them again, it has to work harder to find them, causing a slowdown that progressively gets worse over time. I assuming here it's a Windows XP machine: Open up My Computer, right-click one of your hard drives (such as C:), and select Properties. Go under the Tools tab, and click the button "Defragment Now...". This won't actually defrag it; it will pull up a utility that will let you analyze each drive, get Windows's opinion and a color graph of your files, and defrag the drive(s) you need to. Defragmenting will take about a couple hours, depending (once again) on how many files you have on that hard drive. DO NOT LET THE COMPUTER LOSE POWER DURING DEFRAGMENTING; all of the hard drive's contents are temporarily stored in RAM during this process, and losing power means losing everything on that hard drive. After defragmentation, though, the computer should pick up a noticeable speed boost; I suggest checking how fragmented your drives are every couple months or so.

Answer 5

Downloading more programs would be the opposite of what you want to do. It's most likely that a program or some of the sort is making your computer run slow like a virus maybe. Try restoring your computer or recovering it.

Answer 6

i had the same problem, and now my computer is crashed and I'm watching for my dad to start to fix it (which isnt happening any time soon...). My problem seemed to be that i had LOADS of files on my hard drive, like photos and videos ive taken and MP3's i downloaded. Maybe if you have photos and videos, start putting them on CD-R's or a flash drive. That may clear up some room and let your computer run faster. Also install things like Ad-Aware and Norton Antivirus to make sure no viruses are slowing down your computer.

Answer 7

Using a registry cleaner can clean up your computer and then make your computer faster,Why?the reason is that there may be some registry errors and remnant,corrupt files and temp files in your computer to cause "computer slow".

Every time you install and uninstall software on your computer and surfing online you create junk in the computer registry.over time, the registry can grow to enormous proportions, especially if the various programs you've installed do not do a good job of deleting and/or updating it's Registry entries.You need to scan and clean your computer with registry cleaner to make it fast.Good Registry Cleaner will improve your computer and Internet performance dramatically!

There are some comparison and review of TOP 5 registry cleaners.

http://www.make-pc-fast.com/

You can download and scan your computer for free.

Answer 8

This happens to all PCs after a few years,..it's gonna happen eventually,..unfortunately. ;( (i'm having the same problem to!)



There are lots of reason's and there are lots of ways to keep you're PC running as good as possible.



Firstly,it is most probably down to how many files you have you have on you're PC and the space you have on you're HD.



Start-up Programme's that load when you boot you're PC make it start up slowly



Viruses that in you're system,..but you are unaware of existing.



I would Buy an External HD and connect it to you're PC.

When you want to download something,put it there instead.

This will free up you're Main system's memory and keep it running fast.



Disable processes that you don't need to boot up while you turn you're PC on and it will make allot of difference.



Do allot of maintenance on you're PC like Disc Clean up,Defragmenting etc etc.



Make sure you have a net Security package on you're PC to scan for anything that's dodgy.



Have a look at theses links to help you out more>http://www.wikihow.com/Defragment-Your-Computer

http://www.wikihow.com/Do-Computer-Maintenance-and-Reduce-Computer-Problems

http://www.wikihow.com/Defragment-Your-Computer

Answer 9

Check http://www.pcoptimizerprodownload.com

With pc optimizer pro you can safely clean, repair and optimize your computer.

It will help improve your system performance.