Occasionally, I provide tech support, and the most common issue my clients have is an excessively slow computer. This happens to all computers over time (even Macs, but to a lesser extent I'm told). Disk fragmentation, malware, poorly written software and memory leaks all can contribute to this problem. What can be done to speed up an old, slow computer? There are several options:
1. Free up disk space: Although some tech experts suggest this (e.g. Microsoft), I don't recommend wasting your time with this. I'm mentioning only because it's commonly thought that this is an effective measure in speeding up your computer. It isn't. Unless you have less than, say, 10 GB of free disk space–a rarity in this day of obscenely large hard drives–this will likely do nothing to speed up your computer. The only thing deleting files will likely do is speed up the time it takes to load whatever folder you have cleaned up, which I suppose could be noticeable if you have hundreds of files on your desktop that can be deleted or moved into other folders.
2. Defragment your hard drive: Freeing up disk space can only speed up your computer if you have very little free disk space. However, disk fragmentation can occur even on large hard drives with lots of free disk space. Unless you have over 50% free space or have recently defragged, I'd give defragmenting a try.
To find Windows' defragmenting utility, go to My Computer (Windows XP) or Computer (Vista), select your C:\ drive, and launch the disk properties by holding down Alt and pressing Enter. Go to the Tools tab and press Defragment Now. Defragmenting can take several hours. I recommend defragging XP machines at least annually. Newer machines with larger hard drives may not need defragging as often.
Or, for much faster defragmenting, use a 3rd party disk defragmenter, like Auslogics Disk Defrag.
3. Remove Extra Programs: The most likely cause for a slow computer is the footprint left by installing programs. New services may be added, the registry is augmented, and new programs may run in the background, using up memory and processor time. All these things slow the computer down. The biggest offenders are malware and other programs that silently run in the background.
Whenever I remove programs to speed a computer, I always start with the web browser toolbars that are inevitably installed. This doesn't do much to speed up the computer but can speed up the user's Internet browser and these toolbars are almost always unused anyway. I then remove any other unnecessary programs, usually multiple copies of anti-virus software, anti-malware software, firewalls and other "helpful" programs. A single computer only needs one anti-virus program constantly combing the hard drive (I use AVG Free, but I also recommend avast! Free Antivirus, Norton, or McAfee). Other anti-malware programs are not as important, especially if you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, both of which have adequate built-in firewall and anti-malware programs. However, if you feel the need to supplement your anti-virus program, I'd suggest Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware or something similar to scan your computer weekly or less often. Having more than one program constantly scanning your computer is just going to bring your computer to a grinding halt.
There are other unnecessary programs that may be running in the background. Special screensavers, custom cursors, ubiquitous hardware utilities (the things HP installs on your computer before you buy it), and other alliterative programs are all "fun" utilities that often run in the background and are launched at startup. Check your lower-right taskbar for these programs and uninstall them if you can, or at least stop them from running at startup. Disabling programs from running at startup may require using MSCONFIG, which I don't recommend for anyone but advanced users. Windows Vista and 7 can simply use Windows Defender to disable programs that run at startup.
4. Restart: This may be an obvious one for some, but I had one client who was having speed problems with his computer because he simply hadn't restarted or powered down his computer in months. PCs need to be shut down every now and then. I'm not sure how often, but I'd recommend restarting weekly.
5. Add RAM: The problem with your computer could be hardware. Upgrading to a faster (7400 rpm or SSD) hard drive or getting a faster processor would definitely speed things up. However, these fixes are expensive, time consuming and sometimes difficult if you are trying to put new parts in an old computer. The cost of getting the tech guys at Fry's to install a SSD and new processor can be more expensive than buying a new, low-end computer. A cheap, quick fix is to simply install more RAM. Simply find out what kind of RAM you have, buy more of it (512 MB – 1 GB is good for Windows XP, 4 – 6 GB is good for Windows Vista and 7), and pop that stick in your computer.
6. Fix your hard drive/registry: Other tech experts recommend things like scanning your hard drive for bad sectors and using registry cleaning utilities. Most hard drives that I have scanned don't have bad sectors. As for registry cleaning software, I've honestly never tried any.
7. Reinstall Windows: The nuclear option. Sure, it takes a long time to back up all your files, reinstall Windows, update Windows, reload all your files, and reinstall all your programs; but this will make your computer run like new again, unless you have a serious hardware problem. The older your computer is, the more noticeable the difference. If this doesn't work for you, it's time to buy a new computer.
