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What causes a computer to slow down?
Many people often ask me what causes their computer to slow down over time. When the computer is new, everything runs nice and fast, but after a few years you start noticing that the computer takes longer to respond to your clicks and that programs take longer to load up. Understanding the different functions of the computer will help you to realize what might be slowing things down.
Is it an older computer, or is the computer used constantly?
Age and frequency of use are usually the two most common causes of a slow hard drive. Despite the type of drive, all hard drives wear out and slow down over time and they eventually break down, causing system crashes, “blue screens of death” and sometimes prevent the computer from running at all! Most of today's hard drives only last about 5 to 7 years, after that point you are running the risk of permanent hard drive failure... you will lose everything on the hard drive when this happens, including all of your programs, data files, music and photos, etc.
There isn't much you can do to prolong the life of your computer, except for proper surge protection and regular routine data backups. Where power protection is concerned, I recommend a battery backup (a.k.a. UPS or uninterpretable power supply) for the best protection in Berkshire County Massachusetts, where we get plenty of power surges, spikes, brownouts and power outages... but at the very least you should have a high-grade power strip.
Regular data backups are also very important! You should have an external hard drive that's large enough to hold all of your data, and you should be performing backups at least once a week. Another option for backups is using online backup services, but be wary of unknown brands. I normally suggest Carbonite for full online backups, and Dropbox for syncing a couple of GB of documents, because they are both reliable and well-known companies.
Is your computer slow on the internet, or is it slow overall?
Your internet speed is usually independent of the computer's speed. If the computer only runs slow when you're using the internet, hopping from page to page is slow, or downloading files is slow, the most likely cause is a slow internet connection... you may simply have a lower level of service, or maybe too many people are sharing your internet connection at one time.
If it's a slow connection speed you may be able to upgrade it with your internet provider. Another cause could be malfunctioning or out of date network equipment, sometimes upgrading your internet provider's modem will fix the problem, or getting a new router may help.
Does your computer have enough RAM?
Your computer uses a hard drive as long-term memory storage, to remember things and to keep your files when the computer gets turned off. Also, your computer uses RAM chips for short-term memory and for assisting your computer's processor while your computer is running. Lacking enough RAM is by far the most common cause of a computer running very slowly.
Windows computers use RAM to load programs and to swap programs to and from the foreground, etc. When there isn't enough RAM available, Windows uses a chunk of space on your hard drive as "virtual memory" to make up for the RAM it needs. Using virtual memory greatly slows down the computer's performance and also puts a lot of wear and tear on your hard drive (decreasing its life span). Here's what I normally recommend for minimum RAM:
- Windows XP = At least 2GB RAM
- Windows Vista and Windows 7 = At least 4GB RAM
- Windows 8 = At least 6GB RAM
Anything above those minimums is gravy and provides more overall performance. You will likely need need a professional to assess your computer, to determine how much RAM you have, how much you really need, and what specific kind of RAM you need to upgrade your computer... simply because there are literally thousands of types RAM chips available for computers. Installing the wrong type can crash your computer or cause data loss, etc.
Do you have too many documents, photos and music files?
Many people think that having too many data, music, and picture files slows down a hard drive, but this isn't necessarily true. Having tens of thousands of files will slow it down marginally due to the increased “seek time”, the time it takes for the drive to find files and deliver them to the computer on request.
As long as you have more than 20% free space remaining on your hard drive you should be okay, but less than 20% and Windows will start warning you about Low Disk Space. When you see this warning, you will have to delete files you don't need, uninstall programs you don't use, and you may have to offload excess files to external hard drives, flash drives or burnable DVD discs to free up hard drive space. In the worst case, you might need your hard drive upgraded to a larger drive.
Regular maintenance and cleanup will help to slightly improve the performance of your hard drive. About once a month you should first run Disk Cleanup (which removes temporary files and frees wasted space) and then run Disk Defragmenter (which attempts to reorganize files on the disk to help improve performance).
Are there too many programs running in the background?
The longer that you use a computer, the more programs and games you install and use. Many of today's programs install parts of themselves that will run continually in the background, which slows down the overall operation of the computer. These extra programs cause the computer to boot up slower as well. Many of these running programs aren't even needed, and too many of them will have your computer running like a constipated snail! Uninstalling programs that you no longer use (and that run in the background) should help to remove bottlenecks.
Note that Windows 8 computers are notorious for leaving Windows Apps open in the background, and more often than not there isn't an easy way to close these Apps when you're done using them. Some of my customers who use Windows 8 all day long in a normal office environment end up shutting down and restarting their computers once or twice a day to reduce this “background App” issue.
Are spyware and viruses running on your Computers?
As you surf the internet, you will most likely pick up spyware and viruses on the computer, and the longer you go without a professional cleanup, the higher your risk of catastrophic damage to your programs, your files, and even Windows itself! Even the best anti-virus programs on the market are only about 80% effective at protecting your computer. If you play lots of free games online, or if you download lots of free music and movies, you're in the highest risk group! Viruses run continually in the background, slowing down the computer as they try to infect files, and spyware will try to steal your personal and financial information, it will even try to hijack your browser and lead you to infected web sites and corrupted search results!
For retail programs, I tend to prefer Kaspersky products. If you don't want to be obligated to paying an annual fee for protection, then there are free anti-virus programs that you can use, such as Microsoft Security Essentials for Windows 7 and older computers, and Windows 8 already has Windows Defender built-in, which is basically the same core product as Security Essentials.
Keeping your anti-virus up to date and performing regular full scans with it on a monthly basis will help to protect your computer, but you should still contact someone like me for a professional cleanup and security check at least once or twice a year to ensure that your computer is truly virus-free.
Is your computer physically dirty, or is it used in a dirty environment?
If your computer is physically dirty and you can see dust and dirt collected in any of the computer's air vents, this also slows the computer down. All computers need good air circulation to prevent the internal components from overheating and failing. Excessive internal heat slows a computer down and can cause components to fail. A lot of dirt built up in a power supply or in the processor's fan can even cause a fire under the right conditions! A computer needs to breathe, and if it's dirty, it basically has emphysema!
You can keep your computer physically clean with canned air, which you can buy at computer and office supply stores, sometimes you'll even find it in stationery aisles in other stores. You can carefully use canned air to blow out clogged vents on computers. For towers, it's best to carefully remove the side panel and blow out the processor's cooling fan and heat sink regularly to prolong its lifespan. You can also use an air compressor to clean out a computer, but be sure to set its pressure for 100 psi or lower, otherwise you might damage circuits on the motherboard, etc.
Consult with a local professional
If you have your computer regularly tuned up by a professional, your computer will be kept running in tip-top shape, and the professional will keep an eye on the warning signs of failing hardware and components, etc. It's always best to use local services and shops versus overseas services because you have no idea if your personal information will be secure.
