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Why is My Computer Sluggish?
If your computer has become sluggish and unresponsive, it may be time to go through a few maintenance routines. The time you spend doing this will undoubtedly save you time and frustration in the long run. There are a number of reasons why your pc is running slow as of late. The most likely culprits are too many programs automatically starting, a hard drive that is badly fragmented, and spyware eating up your resources.
Stop Programs From Loading Automatically
First of all, whenever you install programs, many of these will try to load into memory when you first boot up your computer. Even if you don't use them, they will still clog your memory, crippling your performance. Most do this as a marketing tactic - by being visible in your System Tray on the lower right, you are more likely to use it over other competing programs.
To take back control, there are a number of programs that let you manage what can and can't start by itself. Startup Inspector is an excellent example of such a tool. It is a free program that provides an easy to use interface that allows a user to configure their startup preferences. This alone can significantly restore performance for your computer. After installing, simply uncheck what you don't want loading into your system at startup. Usually, this will be everything but your anti-virus software!
If you don't want to install another program, Windows has a built-in program that does the same thing. Go to Start, Run, and type in msconfig. Go to the Startup tab and uncheck what programs you don't want loading up. The next time you boot your computer, you will be given a dialogue box that you changed your settings. Click the "Do not show this message" box so it no longer appears.
Msconfig is a very powerful tool, so if you are not an advanced user, make sure to only change the settings in the Startup tab. The other tabs control other internal Windows processes. It is available in Windows ME and above, so if you use older Windows systems, try Startup Inspector instead.
Defrag Your Hard Drive
Hard drive fragmentation can also significantly impair performance. Fragmentation occurs naturally as you write and erase memory in the hard drive. For best performance, a file's memory should be located in one long block in the hard drive. As a drive goes through the wear and tear of normal use however, memory gets jumbled up and separated. Fewer and fewer blocks of unused memory are available, and the drive is forced to spread new files all over the place. This causes the disk to spin further to read a single file, sometimes resulting in the constant clicking noise known as "thrashing."
This not only reduces performance, but also the lifetime of your hard drive. Luckily, preventing and repairing this situation is easy enough. Aptly enough, the process of undoing this problem is known as "defragging." To start the defragmenter, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Defragment. This process is best scheduled to run when you won't be using the computer. Defragmentation is a fairly intensive process, and trying to use the computer at the same time may be unproductive.
Boosting Your Computer's Memory
Another reason your computer may be slower is a lack of enough physical memory. When you first began using your computer, there won't be too many background processes going on. As time goes on and you add more programs, more and more memory is being consumed, especially with games and graphics programs.
If you find that things still take too long despite having only what you need running, it may be time for a memory upgrade. This is especially true if you start getting warning messages about Windows running low on virtual memory. Giving your computer another stick of RAM can be a real speed booster.
Doing the defrag, cleaning up the disk, and carefully managing what is allowed to run at startup can bring your computer back into shape. Performance degradation can be quite severe once too many programs start running, so putting less of a strain on your computer can add up to a big gain in speed and usability.
By Chris Molnar, author of Slowcomputerhelp.com. Click here to read the Slow Computer Emergency Repair Kit , a complete manual on what causes a computer to run slow and a step-by-step visual guide to fixing it. The ebook also includes detailed steps on installing memory yourself.