10 Tips - How to Fix a Slow Running Computer

Now that everything has gone digital, from paying bills online to ordering basic groceries from the comfort of your living room with just a few clicks on your computer...It’s no longer a secret, your computer or laptop has earned its place as one of those priceless toys in your house. One that we can barely live without!

If you think I’m joking, wait until your computer stops to work properly as it should and then when that happens, perhaps-maybe-then, we should revisit my statement above. I look forward to that conversation!

One thing which you may notice after you've had your computer for a while is that it just isn't running as quickly as it used to. It used to be fast, but now...how many times have you caught yourself staring at the ceiling or tapping your hands waiting for your computer to finish processing your requests! And how many computer freeze, annoying pop-up ads and lost works have you been dealing with of late?

Like the rest of us, naturally, you're wondering why your computer is running so much more slowly than it used to - and more to the point, what, if anything you can do to fix that problem and speed it up. The good news is that you can in fact do something. You don’t have to keep using such a slow computer.

There are a lot of different things which can cause a computer's performance to go downhill. Some of the problems your computer might be experience are problems that can be fixed easily, while others may require professional help or in some cases, you may as well find it more cost effective to go ahead and just purchase another new PC. Keep reading to learn more about some of the most common causes of a slow computer.

 10 Simple Steps to Fix a Slow Running Computer

1.) You're running too many programs at once:

One of the most common reasons that computers run slow is that there are simply too many things going on at once. While modern PCs can do some amazing things, they can only do so much at once.

• 5 Tips - how to improve computer memory

If you're running Windows (which we'll assume you are), look at what programs are automatically running at startup; you can do this through the msconfig utility (go to Run in your menu and type in msconfig to start it). This utility allows you to disable some of the programs which you don't need - between this and manually closing any programs you aren't using, this can dramatically improve your PC's performance.

2.) You need to defragment your hard drive:

When your computer stores information, it doesn't always store it in one place; a single Word document, for instance, may be stored as several pieces scattered all over your hard drive.

This is known as fragmentation and over time, it can result in a significant loss of speed. Fortunately, it's also a very easy problem to fix.

• Learn more about how to defragment your hard drive here

Defragmenting your computer may by itself sometimes be able to fix a slow running computer. But, it is true that, defragmenting your computer can make a huge difference; this is something you should do on a regular basis, perhaps every few weeks to a month. Just run the disk defragmenter utility (in your menu under Accessories >> System Tools), which will rearrange the data on your hard drive in a manner which makes it quicker to access.

3.) You don't have enough memory installed:

The amount of RAM (random access memory) you have installed in your PC has a lot of effect on the speed of your computer. Generally speaking, the more RAM you have, the better your PC will perform. If your computer is running slow, you can add more memory to improve speed and performance and hopefully fix a slow running computer.

• What is a computer RAM
• 3 Tips on how to deal with a computer running slow

 How to Fix a Slow Running Computer and Get Rid of Virus or Spyware

4.) You might have a virus (or viruses!):

Viruses often have the effect of slowing down your computer, so if you've noticed that your PC isn't as fast as it used to be, you may want to check your computer for viruses (what is a virus on a computer), spyware and other malicious programs which could be affecting your performance. Like defragmenting, scanning your PC for viruses and spyware is something you should be doing regularly anyway, so go ahead and scan if you suspect that there could be a problem.

5.) You computer may have Spyware:

The reasons that your computer can be slow seem endless. With so many people and things to do on the internet, things are picked up and then stored on your computer.

You will find that while some of them are harmless and annoying others can actually do further damage to your system and will eventually cost you money to fix a slow running computer.

A good place to begin this process will be to run a spyware checker on your system. This software will detect programs that may be running without your authorization. While many of them tend to be annoying and in some cases also have adware attached to them, others can send information about your system to another computer and can cause some real headaches for you. Read more about spyware here

Depending on the spyware, you can actually have to reinstall your operating system. Some Virus and spyware will take the time to break down your system and can hide in a number of files. People who download a considerable amount of information off the internet will find this is a common problem.

To fix a slow running computer inflicted by virus or spyware infection, you’ll want to run a spyware or virus scan. You should be able to find any hidden viruses or spyware that can be erased and consequently be able to fix your computer.

6.) You might need to clean your registry:

The Windows registry is a database which Windows operating systems use to store information about hardware and configuration data. You may want to click on "What is a computer registry" to learn more about computer registry.

The fact that you install and uninstall software over time, bits of information can be left behind in the registry; and since your system is scanning through the registry almost constantly, the more clutter there is, the slower your PC will tend to be and the sooner you will be forced to fix a slow running computer. It's definitely worth a try and in many cases; it can go a long way towards getting your computer back up to speed.

7.) You might have outdated or incompatible drivers:

Every piece of hardware in your PC as well as peripherals like your monitor, printer, keyboard and mouse rely on files called device drivers. If you've replaced hardware or peripherals on your PC without removing the old device drivers, you may be experiencing a slowdown in performance due to conflicting drivers.

• Learn more about computer drivers here

You may also have this problem because of older, out of date drivers. This is something which is best left to well-designed software or experts to handle, since you could cause even worse problems by removing the wrong drivers from your system.

However, incompatible or outdated drivers is one possible cause of slowdowns in a slow computer. If you want to fix a slow running computer it is well worth checking if your PC isn't performing like it used to.

  How to Fix a Slow Running Computer and Increase PC Speed

8.) Fine tune to speed up PC

Do you wonder what it would be like to have a nice and speedy computer? Well, you don't have to wonder anymore, because this is a very real possibility for you! You can realize increased computer speed, when you make some hardware changes. You can change the speed of the computer, even on an old computer, simply by upgrading the hard drive.

• Free PC scan to fix slow computer errors and speed up your PC

You might have thought that your old slugger was beyond repair, or upgrades. You have constantly heard about how fast computers become obsolete and might have thought against such and upgrade anyway. But you can still give the old slugger an upgrade, even as old as it may seem.

9.) Learn computer skills

What are some steps that you can take, when the PC is acting up all of a sudden? If you are having multiple issues, then think about the situation. You need some solid and clear solutions, in order to get down to the bottom of the problems for once and for all. Don't put this off;

Procrastinating isn't solving anything! First, you need to see if you can resolve your problems with little effort, and without spending a whole lot of money in the name of trying to "fix a slow running computer"

First, keep in mind that in most cases, the issues are with the software, and not the hardware. The software is the brain center of your computer. The brain needs to be in good shape, in order to function properly. So having said this, software issues need to be resolved right away.

Hopefully, the above nine tips on how to fix a slow computer have helped you. You may also want to consider learning computer skills online that will help you master the in and out of your computer system.

10.) - Your computer just might be close to retirement:

While this is a less common cause of slowdowns in a slow computer, every computer becomes obsolete eventually. New programs and operating systems simply require more computing power than older generations of software and eventually, you could find your PC just isn't capable of handling the tasks you need it to do. And also your old computer may start to have compatibility issues with the new modern software and technologies. 5 Tips on how to buy computers online

Unless your computer is at least a few years old, the real cause for a slow computer is probably one of the above reasons we have been discussing; but if you have an older computer and you've noticed a gradual slowdown over the years, then this might be your sign that it's time to upgrade to a newer model, rather than trying to fix a slow running computer.

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