Problem:
Do computers slow down when they get older?
Question: My computer seems to be slower.
Like, I'll click on the defrag function, and it thinks about it
for 15 - 20 seconds before the dialog box comes on. I
thought defragging would be the whole solution. It
didn't help at all. I then ask why is my computer getting
slower and slower?
Answer: Some classic reasons a computer slows
down.
1. It's possible that your computer may have
so many background programs running that there is not enough
main memory to run your main programs. All icons in your
computer's
system
tray are background programs using memory.
To see and remove all running background programs:
a. Press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys at the same time.
b. Click any program or task except Explorer or Systray.
c. Then click End Task.
Repeat steps b and c to quit all programs except Explorer and
Systray which are necessary components of Microsoft Windows.
You should now have a clean system, however you
have just removed the programs from your
computer's
memory, they will all return the next time you
start Windows.
If you don't want certain background programs starting when you
boot, use the Start/Search function to find the program and
either configure it not to run at startup, remove it from
Programs/Startup, or delete it from your system.
2. Your hard drive could be too full of data
to function efficiently. There should be at least
300MB-500MBs of free space to allow for disk file chores. Note
that this mostly applies to the C: drive or whatever drive your
Window's cache is on.
If your C: drive is too full, delete unused programs on the C:
drive to make space.
3. Your computer could have a fragmented hard
drive. This results from programs being loaded and deleted.
Run the Window's hard drive defragmenter (Defrag) once a month.
4. If you have 256 MB of memory or less, or
you like to play games, you may not have enough system memory to
run your software efficiently. You should probably upgrade
to 512 MB or more of
system
memory
5. You could have old or conflicting Windows
device drivers. An example would be you might actually have
two entirely different video drivers on your system and Windows
could actually be alternately using both of them.
To prevent this problem, First
boot
the
computer in Safe Mode by pressing and holding
the F8 key during startup, after the DOS memory check has
completed.
While in Safe Mode select Start/Settings/Control
Panel/System/Devices. Click on all the devices and see if the
various drivers have any yellow or red exclamation marks (which
indicates a driver conflict) and also determine if there are any
duplicate drivers that can be eliminated.
You may have to delete and reload a driver to correct these
problems. Duplicate drivers can and should be deleted.
6. As each new Windows program is installed
and uninstalled, it leaves behind parts of itself that can slow
down or crash your computer. These are mostly .dlls and
other
shared
files.
It's also very possible when uninstalling a program that needed
Windows system files can be deleted. When your computer asks if
you want to uninstall shared files it's usually safest to say no
-- even if your uninstall program claims the files are not being
used.
Old Windows drivers can be found by booting into Safe Mode, then
opening Control Panel/System/Devices and ridding your system of
old drivers.
Another option is to use various system cleaning software, like
Norton
Utilities
, Windoctor etc.
Otherwise, the only real answer to this problem
is to reload Windows into a new directory which eliminates all
old junk and leftover files. This is something to do last, as
you will also have to reload all your Windows settings, drivers,
and programs.
7. Your computer could be full of
adware, spyware, viruses, or trojans. These are all
nasty programs that literally take over the functioning of your
computer so they can run their programs. You definitely don't
want any of this junk on your computer. To get rid of these
parasite programs, and to prevent them from installing in the
first place, you need and up-to-date firewall, anti-virus, and
spyware
removal
programs.
These are three separate software programs that must be running
at all times except for when you are not plugged into the
Internet. It is very important that these
programs continuously update themselves or they will become
out-dated and will no longer be useful. These programs can be
purchased together or from separate manufacturers.