Computer is running slow. What should I try first?

There are many reasons for a computers speed degradation over time. Here are just a few and their possible solution. If these do not seem to help you may need to check for viruses or spyware on your system.

Does your computer have too many programs running?

Check your task bar near the clock. The icons located here are in what is called the system tray. These tray icons represent programs which are running in the background. They take up valuable ram and cpu time. Each one that is not in use should be disabled. To disable a program you are not working with, go to the icon in question and right click on the icon. If available left click on the exit or quit located in the menu which pops up. The icon should be removed. This is a good way to find out if a running program is using to many resources. After removing some of these icons does your computer speed up? If so you can remove these items from the system try permanantly by checking the programs preferences. The programs individual preferences in most cases will have an option to "Run at Startup." Removing this option will keep the program from loading on startup and keep your computer running quickly.

How long has it been since you last defragmented your hard drive?

Hard drives record information on their surface by finding free space and dropping the infromation in these empty spaces. As your computer ages these spaces get broken up making it harder for the computer to load and save infromation in a contiguous manner. Check to see if your computer has a large amount of fragmentation by going to START/ACESSORIES/SYSTEM TOOLS/DISK DEFRAGMENTOR. From here you can analyze your drive. Anything listed in RED is fragmented. Ideally there should be very little red on this graph. If you see a lot of red, hit defragment. This function should be done at least once every 2 weeks to keep your system running smoothly.

System Restore Point is too large?

Depending on how important your information may be, it may be possible to reduce the size of your System Restore Files. If you have backup software already running such as RETROSPECT or ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE, you may wish to deactivate this feature altogether.

Are your virtual memory settings correctly setup?

Virtual memory settings are sometimes set up at the factory when your computer is manufactured. The ideal setting for most users is SYSTEM MANAGED SIZE. To check your current settings and make adjustments, right click on my computer, then go to the advanced tab. This will put you in the following window to the right. While you are here you may wish to turn off some of these special features. They require a lot of memory and cpu time to function. This will help speed up older computers with slower cpu speeds. We suggest turning off all of these features for best performance which is a one click option!

Once you have set your options on the screen above click on the ADVANCED tab on the top of that window. From here you will be able to navigate to the Virual Memory page by clicking on the CHANGE button. Set your virtual memory for SYSTEM MANAGED SIZE then click SET. This will apply the changes. You will have to reboot your computer after clicking ok for the changes to apply.

Does your computer have enough RAM?

Windows XP Requires a minimum of 256MB of Physical RAM to function properly, however even this amount of ram may be to liilte depending on what software you have running in the background. These days it is suggested that you have no less than 1GB of RAM on your computer system to keep things running smoothly.

Viruses, Spyware, Malware?

If all of the above solutions fail to bring your computer up to speed then the chances are good that you have some type of malicious software running on your system. Purchase an antivirus and Spyware scanning software to help you remove anything else from the system that may not be seen up front.