Why is my computer slow?

Question

I have a Windows Vista with "4GB" of ram, I have always maintained it cleaning history, fragmenting, all that good stuff, and have had it for about year and a half....the point is that is slow...why

Answer 1

the best answer is that they just do! but there is alot you can do to fix it. even if you DE-fragment, there are still many other things that will slow it down. its kind of hard to explain why it happens sorry. but ou can fix it



I wrote a massive guide that guarantees that your computer will be alot faster. This will let you open up websites faster also!

This is from my personal website. The reason i dont post it here is because its that big!



http://www.germaneventshub.com/pb/wp_fc0af043/wp_fc0af043.html



If you like it please let me know!



Richard



Certifications:

MCSE (microsoft technician)

CSSA (Sonicwall technician)

Dell, HP, Gateway, Acer, Lenovo/IBM, PowerSpec certified technician





Helpful Programs:

(all these programs are 100% free lifetime programs, if your asked to pay for it you clicked the wrong link)



CCLEANER

(http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/)



DISK DEFRAG and REGISTRY DEFRAG

(http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/)

Feel free to also get System Information! Its very helpful.



AVG FREE

(http://www.download.com/AVG-Anti-Virus-Free-Edition/3000-2239_4-10320142.html?part=dl-AVGAntiVir&subj=dl&tag=button)

(make sure that you click the big green Download Now button)



SPYBOT

(http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/Spybot_Search_and_Destroy/1043809773/1)

(make sure you take the one with the check mark)



AD-AWARE

(http://www.download.com/1770-20_4-0.html?query=Ad+Aware+2008&tag=404&searchtype=downloads)

(make sure that you click the big green Download Now button)

Answer 2

Have you ever Defragged your computer? Fragmentation occurs as you create, download and edit files. The files get broken up into little pieces and saved wherever free space is available. Then the computer has to work extra hard (using many I/O cues) to open these fragmented files. The same occurs with a tranfer and makes the computer really slow. This severely degrades the speed, performance and reliability of your computer. Try Diskeeper 2008, it s an automatic defragger so you'll never have to worry about defragging again. You can download 30-day free trial-ware at www.diskeeper.com

Answer 3

The reason the computer gets slow is due to the registry files becoming corrupted, or messed up, in simple terms. These files tell the computer or laptop how to operate the software installed on the system. If any of these files get messed up, the computer is not sure what to do and this will really slow down the computer. The other scenario is where you download other software, screensavers, pictures, videos, or even music, and this will somehow change the settings on a registry file. When this happens, the original program that needs that file now has the wrong instructions in it. So, it will cause the computer to run slow, or in a worse case, crash.



You can speed up your computer with a thorough analysis and repair of your registry. The registry Scan will identify corrupt files, paths,and registry keys causing your computer to have errors and run slow.Go to http://www.registry-bot.com to download registry bot.It is the most advanced and comprehensive registry repair product on the market.It will speed up your computer and make windows startup faster.

http://www.registry-bot.com free download Registry Bot.

Answer 4

Everyone knows that Windows computers can sometimes slow down over time. While not an exhaustive list of solutions to problems, this collection presents some ways to speed up a computer.



1. De-Fragmenting

Over time, the data on your hard drive gets scattered. Defragmenting your hard drive puts your data back into sequential order, making it easier for Windows to access it. As a result, the performance of your computer will improve.

a) Right click of C Disk.

b) Click properties.

c) Click tools tab.

d) Click "Defragment now".

e) Click Defragment.



2. Uninstall Unneeded Programs

Removing programs that you no longer use can free up space on your computer and speed up your system's performance. However, you need to uninstall the programs properly to see much improvement; deleting them is not enough.



3. Stop Programs from starting on Windows boot

One way you can speed up your computer is to prevent programs from launching themselves at start-up. Not only do the unwanted programs delay the start of Windows, they also continue to slow down your computer since they use system resources.

a) Open your Start menu.

b) Click Run

c) In the command screen type "msconfig.exe"

d) In the "system configuration utility", click either "service" or "startup" tab

e) Uncheck all programs that you are no longer using.

f) Click "OK"



4. Check for Spyware and Adware

Spyware is software that allows companies to monitor what websites you visit or even access your computer. Adware is software that displays advertisements. Both use system resources and slow your computer down. Detecting and removing the programs will improve system performance.

Get the best one from: http://toptenantispyware.com to scan your pc



5. Clean your Registry

Microsoft Registry Problems = Slow Computer!

Use the tool: http://toptenantispyware.com/Tune_Up_Center.htm

Learn more information "why is my computer running so slow":http://toptenantispyware.com/RegComputerSlow_why.htm

Answer 5

Well just 4gb of ram wont help if your using 32 bit that means you can only use 3gb of ram and it depends alot on your processor. Your Graphics card could be completely bad a well. And welcome to the computer world stuff moves and comes and goes very quickly

Answer 6

nicely in virtually all communities, your internet is truly plugged into some container on or close for your street. even as each person plugged into that container attempt to max out their internet connections you would possibly want to journey some slower internet. As on your pc, it does have something to do with it. Your internet browser has to load, and your pc runs it. Viruses could also decelerate your pc and take up a lot of your internet connection, making it seem sluggish

Answer 7

How do I make my machine run faster?

--------------------------------

First step is to make sure you have adequate RAM. (You do) For XP and Vista 2 GB of RAM is recommended.



Sweep your machine clean of viruses and spyware



Run Microsoft Disk Clean Up (All Programs > Accessories > System Tools)



Then, reduce the number of processes that it runs at startup - scanners, toolbars, automatic updating things, IM clients, whatever. Everything that runs in the background makes your machine a bit slower. Delete the c**pware that comes from the computer manufacturer that you never use. A small program, PCDecrapifier http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/ can help in removing the excess programs that manufacturers load your hard drive up with.



To change Startup programs, use the System Configuration utility. Control Panel > Classic View > Administrative Tools > System Configuration utility



Or, get the Autoruns program (free) to turn off startup items http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx



In Vista, Control Panel > Programs > click Change startup programs.



Remember that Windows needs a bunch of different startup resources, so don't delete them unless you know what they are. Research them here http://www.windowsstartup.com/wso/search.php



Turn off the eye-candy, the interface shadows and zooms. Set your Control panel for maximum performance.



Make sure your operating system, video and motherboard drivers, and system software are up to date.



Clean out caches with CCleaner http://www.ccleaner.com

Glary Utilities: http://www.glaryutilities.com/



Delete old programs that you never use.



Use Task Manager (Control Alt Del) to see what processes are running on your machine and what's taking up processor power.



If your hard drive is nearly full, either delete a bunch of stuff and defragment, or consider upgrading to a new larger, faster hard drive. Hard drives slow down dramatically as they fill up,



http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,5155,00.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/atwork/getstarted/speed.mspx



http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/maintain/improveperf.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/northrup_restoreperf.mspx



http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/help/83ec0ffe-ee04-4d53-8b87-25d1f05c954e1033.mspx



If none of this works, consider backing up your data and reinstalling Windows. This will mean reinstalling all of your programs from their original disks, and reapplying updates, so it is a chunk of work, but it can result in speed gains on systems that have been running and accumulating junk for a long time



To reformat a machine requires that you have the original Windows disk or the Restore disk that came with your machine, or that you have a machine with the restore files in a hidden partition. Contact your machine's manufacturer if you do not have restore disks.