Slow PC
I regularly do compression and defragmentation routines but my PC is still slow. What else can I do
Asked by: Richard Hall
Learning Zone
An extensive resource of easy-to-use technology guides
An extensive resource of easy-to-use technology guides
You too could be a Digital Champion
Subscribe to our newsletter
Enter your email below to receive our newsletter.
January 13th, 2010 at 7:55 am
Hi Richard,
Removing temporary files and defragging regularly both help.
However, if your PC is more than a couple of years old, it is likely to have less memory (RAM) than is ideal nowadays and this can slow the machine down.
Assuming you’re running Windows, you can check how much RAM your PC has by opening My Computer and selecting View System Information. This will display a page which details your operating system and the amount of installed RAM.
If you are running XP, you need at least 1GB of RAM for the PC to run well. 2GB is better. With Vista, you need at least 2GB to run well.
RAM is relatively cheap and easy to install, but it’s important to get the right type. Companies such as Crucial (www.crucial.com) offer free utilities which report on the type of RAM your PC uses and what your upgrade options are.
January 20th, 2010 at 8:34 am
Hi, though you have defragmented disk, I have some advice for you.
Before defragmenting disk, you should do something in advance.
1. You should clean up the junk files and information.
Since your system work for a long time, the junk files may cram many unconscious operations may result in junk files. They are temporary files when installing the programs, cache files after browsing, DLL files left by deleting software and error files produced by shutting down the computer forcedly.
It is common that most users are inclined to use the disk cleaning up programs in the Windows, at the same time, you can also turn to certain more powerful defragmenter to help you.
2. You should check and restore any mistake in the hard disk.
Of course, you can have a try of the Disk Scan Program of Windows firstly. Although it really takes a lot of time to repair it, as long as you are patient enough, the most errors and mistakes can be restored after complete and detailed scanning.
January 28th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I use a free software program called Ccleaner. You have the options of checking a whole list of items to get rid of – and I check the whole lot apart from the clear Free Space option. Plus there is a Registry Cleaner which clears away all those old files left behind when you uninstall programs. It knows all the programs on your computer, and you can delete unwanted programs directly from there. I’ve used it for a few years now, and never had any problems: http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner