Why Is My Computer Running Slow - Stop Your computer slowing down Right Now

By: Brad Armstrong

Computer slowness can be caused by a variety of issues, which can be categorized in 2 categories: hardware or software. Computer hardware is the physical parts of the computer system, for example motherboard, CPU, RAM, etc.

Computer software are all the programs and applications that are installed on
your PC. Software includes the operating system like Microsoft Windows XP or
Vista and all of the applications such as Microsoft Office, Photoshop, etc.
Viruses, spyware and malware are software as well.

Things to check to find out  why is my computer running slow.

* Startup programs

* Virus and spyware scan

* Hard Drive out of free space

* Fragmented hard drive files

* Bad sector or corrupted files on your hard disk

The most common reason for computer slowness is unnecessary applications running
in the background. When new programs & applications are installed they will be configured to start automatically when your computer starts ad yu need to stop this. You can do this manually or by downloading and running a system and registry scanner to do it for you.

These applications are not always needed, and will take up a portion of your computer's memory (RAM) which in turn will slow your computer down. To check what applications start automatically, clicks on the start button, then click on run, then type 'msconfig' and click on OK. Once the Systems Configuration Utility is open, click on the Startup tab. On the startup tab you can select the programs that you want to start.

Unselecting any of the programs in the startup tab will not remove them from
your computer; it will merely keep them from starting automatically every time
you turn your PC on. I recommend unselecting all the applications that you
don't need. If you see software that you don't recognize it could be indication
of virus of spyware.

If your computer is running slow and you're getting a lot of pop-up windows, even when you're not using the computer, your computer is most likely infected with a virus and spyware. Everybody should have antivirus software installed, updated and running at all times. There are many antivirus and software packages to prvide you with a solution as to why is my computer running slow.

Regardless of antivirus software that you use, you should always keep it updated, and regularly scan your system for viruses. Most antivirus software don't check for spyware, so if your computer is infected by spyware, you should download a specialized system and registry scanner software to do this for you and stop your computer running slow.

Make sure your hard drive is not out of space. If it is, it's a good idea to get an upgrade, or delete some programs and files. Delete all of the temp files, temporary internet files and cookies, you could do it manually or use a system and registry scanner to do it for you.

When files are stored on your computer's hard drive they are not always stored in the most efficient way and can become fragmented. Fragmented files take a lot longer for your system to open or save. To start the defragmentation utility click on Start then programs -> accessories -> system tools -> disc defragmenter. Defragment all of the drives listed. The defragmentation process can take anywhere from about 5 minutes to a couple of hours, and sometimes needs to be repeated. I recommend defragmenting the computer hard drive about once a month to stop you asking why is my computer running slow.

Another cause of computer slowness could be a corrupted system file or a bad sector on the hard drive. Bad sectors can corrupt systems files which can slow down your PC or even keep it from running.To check and correct bad sectors run the scan disk (chkdsk) utility ot download a system scanner and optimzer to do it for you. Click here to scan your computer now with a system and registry scanner and stop your computer running slow.

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