Why is my PC so slow?

Many things can cause a once speedy PC to become slow and inefficient.  Age and the quality of the PC definitely have an effect on speed.  However, there are other more serious issues that could be the cause of your PC’s sluggish movement.

1. Viruses and Malware: 

Viruses and Malware are programs that are used to purposely harm your computer.  Some of these programs simply take up space on your PC while others can corrupt or change your files.  Removing these malicious programs from your PC is vital in order to secure your personal information and speed up your PC.

2. Out-of-date programs or drivers: 

When you first install a program, it is new and runs smoothly.  However, after some time, it becomes old and easily corruptible.  Corrupted files cause your computer to run inefficiently.  It is a good idea to scan your PC every now and then and deal with these types of programs. 

3.  Cookies and Temp files: 

Cookies (not the delicious kind) store information about the websites you visit.  Cookies help the websites to load up faster.  While convenient, cookies and temp files can take up too much space on your computer.  Deleting them every now and then can help speed up your PC. 

 

4. Disk fragmentation:

This happens when your computer stores different pieces of information in different places on your hard drive.  This occurs frequently on older computers that use Windows XP or Vista.  By finding the source of the fragmentation and fixing it, your computer should show increasing speed and performance. 

5. Other Issues: 

If your PC is only slow when you are on the Internet, there may be nothing seriously wrong with your PC.   Sometimes your Internet service or old wireless router is to blame for your PC’s slow speed.  So if you use an older router or have dial-up (or something similar), maybe it is time for an upgrade.  You will be able to see a difference in your PC’s speed after you take the time to upgrade your systems. 

How can I fix these problems?  I’m not exactly familiar with computers… 

If you are not computer savvy, I recommend investing in some computer maintenance software.  Most of the programs on the web are pretty straightforward on what their program actually does.  Some even have easy to follow steps on how to use the programs effectively.  Read the program information and customer reviews before making any serious purchases.  But after you install one of these programs, it will find the errors in your PC and fix them so you don’t have to.