Why is My Computer Slow?

Almost everyone who's used a P.C. at one time or another has asked the question "Why the ( expletive deleted ) is my computer so slow?" This article will help explain why and give you a some tips on how to get your computer fast again.

There are a handful of reasons your computer might be slow; I am going to cover the most common ones and I promise I will try to keep it simple.

Public enemy number one for slow speed in my experience is too many start-up processes. The common story is you go to the store, pick up a shiny new computer, turn it on and you can't believe how nice and quick it is. And then you go to Facebook, and look! They have a cool add-on for your web browser, you have to install that right? :) You get the idea. Over time, all of these little add-ons and programs add up to one huge cyber-weight. The problem is, your computer is pulling all of that extra weight with the same old engine it came with. In other words, you have the original CPU and memory trying to run a lot more software. You may have heard the term "bloatware" kicked around. All the non-essential extras that use up your computer's resources are bloatware.

So how do you get back to the good old days of cruising the Web in style? Two ways that I recommend:

1. Hire a technician to do it for you.
2. Try to clean it up yourself.

The first one you can probably handle assuming you can Google the term "computer repair (your city)".

So let's go right to number two. You'll need a few tools. Not screwdrivers or hammers, but some good software tools. Don't worry, they're all free.

The first one is built-in. Go to the Windows Start Menu and click Control Panel. You will see a link called "Programs." Click it and then click "Uninstall Programs." After a few seconds you'll see a list of all the programs installed on your computer. Simply look through the list and uninstall anything you don't need. Just remember, once you uninstall it, it will be completely off of the computer.

After a reboot, download the tools below.

Ccleaner at http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/
Ccleaner has proven to be an excellent tool for cleaning out and fixing a multitude of problems caused by software in your computer.

Malwarebytes at http://www.malwarebytes.org/
I install this on all of my clients' computers. You scan with it manually once per week and it helps clean out viruses and malware in general that your main antivirus program may have missed. Keep in mind, our goal is to minimize background processes; hence, why I recommend Malwarebytes and running it manually.

Another great way to speed up your computer is with upgrades. You can install more RAM and if you have a few extra bucks, spring for a solid-state hard drive. You'll be surprised at the difference.