"My computer is running slow!" - do these words ring a bell. If these words sound familiar, then read on. In this article, we will provide you with a step by step guide on how to take care of your slow PC.
Computer viruses are programs that adversely affect the performance of your machine. You must protect your PC from virus attacks by installing and running anti-virus software. Anti-virus software regularly scans the system, identifies the viruses and eliminates them. You can easily download free anti-virus software from the Internet.
A spyware is a program that installs itself on your system without your consent and interferes in your interaction with your computer. Besides being a security threat, spyware also hampers the functionality of your machine. To counter this, you can download an anti-spyware program from the Internet for free and run it on a regular basis to scan and remove malicious spyware programs.
The registry is a database that stores all configuration information of a Windows operating system related to installed hardware and software, user profiles, and system settings. It is imperative to clean your registry regularly to maintain smooth functioning of your machine. Experts recommended that you use a top-rated registry cleaner tool to regularly scan and clean your registry.
It is likely that your computer will have a substantial number of unused and unneeded files stored on it. These files take up a lot of space on your hard drive. So, why keep them? Run the free, built-in, Disk Cleanup utility to get rid of these files. Go to Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup and follow the prompts.
Over time, the files on your computer get fragmented. As a result, the computer takes more time in retrieving the file. To avoid this, regularly defragment your hard disk. Go to Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter. Start with highlighting the drive you want to clean up and then select Analyze. Once this is complete, chose Defragment. Remember, defragmentation takes time. So do it when you can afford to be away from your computer for an hour or more.
Applications require Random Access Memory or RAM to run. If your system is more than a couple of years old or while purchasing you chose a minimal RAM option, then it would be a good idea to upgrade your RAM to at least 1 GB or more. Upgrading RAM won’t cost you much and it will help your PC run applications much faster.
If, after using all the above steps, your system still performs poorly then you can choose to re-format your hard drive. This method should be used only as a last resort, and you must be very clear about it. Backup all your data that exists on the hard drive because reformatting will erase all information that is stored on the hard drive. You must handle this process with great care and before attempting it is recommended that you refer to online help tutorials for step to step guidance on to how to reformat your drive. Computer repair in Bradford