Proven Ways to Kick Start That Slow PC

By B.E. Conrad

One of the most frequent complaints among computer users is the slow performance of their PC. Slow PC performance is also one of the most difficult problems to diagnose, since there are many, many things that can cause a PC to perform below its capability.

If your PC is of a very early vintage, it may simply be slow because the processor and memory are not able to handle today’s modern software applications and operating systems efficiently. If, however, your PC was purchased in the last couple of years, there is no reason it should perform sluggishly. It is important to look at a number of factors in order to get to the bottom of a slow performing PC.

Clearing Space

One of the first places to look when you have a slow PC is the space you have available on the hard drive. These days there are many files, from video clips to MP3 files to digital photographs, that take up a lot of storage space, and in time these files can clog even the largest hard drive.

In order to see if lack of hard drive space is the culprit, click on the Start button, then right click on My Computer. Right click on the drive letter that represents your hard drive (usually the C drive) and choose Properties. The amount of space that has been used will be shown in blue, while the amount of free space remaining will appear in pink. If you see little or no pink, chances are good you need to clear some space from your hard drive. Be careful when deleting files, however, and make sure you make a backup of files you may need to get back. If you have a CD or DVD burner you can always transfer old files to these digital media and then delete them from your hard drive.

Removing programs you no longer have a use for is another good way to free up needed hard drive space. Again, use caution when deleting old programs, and always remove them using the Add/Remove Programs icon from your Control Panel. You may want to make sure you have the original installation files for the program on CD, just in case you would need to reinstall the program in the future.

Defragging Computer

If the amount of space on your hard drive looks fine, the problem could be that your drive has become fragmented. As files are stored on a PC, they are not always stored in sequential order. Rather, they are stored in whatever location the computer can find space. Over time this can cause the drive to become fragmented, and that can in turn cause it to run at less than optimal efficiency. Defragging the drive is an easy task, and Windows XP provides a handy tool for doing it. In order to defrag your drive, go to Start, then All Programs, then Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter and follow the instructions. The tool will first analyze your drive to determine if defragging would be beneficial. If defragging the drive is recommended, close all running programs and start the process. Defragging the drive can take quite some time, so it may be a good idea to let the process run overnight.

Alternative Culprits

If neither hard drive space nor fragmentation is the problem, the problem may lie with spyware, adware or other malicious code running on your PC. It is all too easy for PC’s to become infected with these types of programs; sometimes all it takes is a visit to a compromised website. Fortunately, however, there are many programs written specifically to detect and remove spyware, adware and other malicious programs. It is a good idea to ask your computer savvy friends for recommendations, and to keep the programs you install up to date. It is a good idea to run an initial scan, remove the spyware and adware identified, and then run a second scan. Sometimes the first scan will miss a number of items, so running a second scan should give you the most assurance that your PC is clean.

After you have gotten your PC back to its best performance, it is important to take the steps necessary to keep it running in top condition. That means periodically checking the space on the hard drive, performing the occasional defrag and of course continuing to run daily adware, spyware and virus scans. And of course you should have an up to date virus scanning program running at all times, whether you are connected to the internet or not.

© Doityourself.com 2006