fashentyOne of the most common issues in the world is a slow computer. Maybe your browser takes forever to load a page. Maybe you try to open Microsoft Word and your whole computer comes to a screeching halt. Nothing is more infuriating for a computer user than seeing that wheel go in circles and a NOT RESPONDING message flashing on the screen.
You’ve also already tried these things:
–Using CTRL ALT DEL
–Staring blankly at the screen with a sense of hopelessness
–Talking sweetly to the computer
– …And then screaming at it.
– Turning the computer off and then back on again
– Threatening to throw it out the window
Surprisingly, none of this works.
What could possibly be the problem?
Temporary Files Taking Over
Every time you go online, surf around, and then execute commands, a temporary file is created on your hard drive. Most people don’t think about them, so it’s easy to forget that they’re there and suddenly you have a computer full of these files. They drain your memory which then slows down the speed of your computer dramatically.
Obviously the easiest way to speed up your computer from this angle is to delete some or all of these files. Simply go to your C drive and locate your Windows folder. Inside it will be another folder called Temp. You can select all of them by hitting CTRL+A. Then hit the delete button nd watch them all go away.
Start-Up Uses Too Many Applications
“Computers are like humans in that they can multi-task” explains 3D scanning specialists Physical Digital. However, just like us as well, if you ask them to do too much, they’ll quickly become overwhelmed and unable to, well, compute.
When you’ve had a computer for a while you soon discover that some applications start up automatically when you log in. Many of them are unnecessary to start up until you need them, and will thus drain your system resources and make your computer slower.
Open up your task manager (CTRL ALT DEL) and click on the Start-Up tag. Have an older version of windows? Hit the Start button and then Run. When you’re in Run, type “msconfig” which will take you to the aforementioned Start-Up tag.
This will show you all the applications that automatically run. Click to disable any that you don’t want automatically running. Keep in mind that some applications ARE necessary, such as your anti-virus. However, frivolous apps such as entertainment ones are fine to disable until you need them. If you’re not sure what it is, leave it on.
Low Memory
At some point you’re going to have used up a lot of your PC’s memory. And the more memory that gets used up, the slower your computer will be. This is why it’s never a bad idea to invest in some extra memory and storage for your computer.
One thing you can do is add another hard drive. Yet this can get expensive. Instead you may want to consider an external hard drive that connects via a USB port. This will let you store files such as your media, and will relieve your internal memory.
Unnecessary Programs
One last thing to consider is how many unnecessary programs you may have on your computer.
It’s not uncommon to surf the web and download files that we either don’t need at all or only needed that one time. Once they’re on your system, however, they are always there, draining your resources. This may be harmless at first, but as you start accumulating them they quickly add up.
Uninstall these programs by going into the control panel and finding the programs on your system. New versions of Windows make it very simple to uninstall them. Simply click on them and choose the uninstall option. You will probably have to restart your computer to see any positive effects take to your system.
If none of the above works, then you may need to take your computer into a professional. There may be something more sinister going on.
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