Why Is My Computer So Slow? Why Is My Computer So Slow On Start Up?

Why is my computer so slow? This is a question asked by many computers users who, after  purchasing a brand new computer that runs at a blazing speed, are puzzled to find out that after several months later the computer starts running painfully slow. Well, you are not alone, if you belong to the same league as who wonder  why is my computer so slow? This post is just about the answers to the question.

Most of the time,  it is in fact not  the computers to blame but it is because you have not maintained your computer to keep running at its peak performance level. So, why does a computer begin slowing down? It can be lots of various things that play a role here.

Why Is my Computer So Slow? What Can I do to fix it?

First of all you need to make sure your computer is free from viruses, Trojans,malware, spyware and other malicious programs since they are mostly the common culprits that make your computer run slow.  A spyware , for example,  can perform illicit activities  without your knowledge by sending hidden data to a specified destination  to exploit your system weakness, as a result your personal data such as login details, password, credit card information may be compromised. These malicious activities may render your computer sluggish. So before you proceed , you need to scan your computer with an updated antivirus to make sure your machine is clean. If you have not installed an antivirus on your computer or notebook  see the following links to find out more; For  Windows/ Windows 7 users : Best Antivirus For Windows 7 , For Mac users  : Best Antivirus for Mac. In many instances after you scan and clean your machine for viruses and Trojans  your computer is still stubbornly sluggish, and as a result you will still ask yourself  “why is my computer still so slow?”  follow the bellow instructions to find out the answers.

Delete unnecessary files and programs

The more files and programs you have, the slower  your computer will perform, therefore, you need to delete data or programs you do not  really need and eat into your disk space.  By removing these files you can speed up the computer startup and gives energy to the computer. All computer operating systems come with built-in tools to clean up junk files, such as unneeded Windows files, browser history, temporary internet  files, cookies, recent document etc. Many prefer a third party application to clean up those files the  simultaneously. One of the most popular applications that can do these tasks is  CCleaner, a free yet powerful system performance enhancer that can clean up junk files as well us clean up cluttered computer registry.

Clean up your Desktop

Too many program shortcuts  on computer desktop can make your computer sluggish and lose its speed. Try to use the most frequently used program shortcuts only.

Hard drive corrupted or fragmented

Run Scandisk or something equivalent to help ensure that there is nothing physically wrong with the computer hard disk drive. Run disk defragmenter to make sure data is arranged in the best possible order. For Windows 7 See the following link for more details :  Windows schedule defrag.

Background programs Slow Down Your Computer

If have  an antivirus scanner on the computer, spyware protection program, or other security utility make sure it’s not running in the background as you’re working with your machine . Often when these programs begin to scan the computer it can decrease the computer performance.

Computer or processor is overheating

Make sure that your computer and processor is not overheating, extreme heating can trigger a substantial reduction in computer performance, some processors will even decrease the speed of the processor automatically to help compensate for the heat related issues.

Upgrade your memory

If you have had your computer for more than one year it is likely your  computer does not meet the memory requirements any longer. It is , therefore, highly recommended that you should  have a computer with at least 1GB of memory to keep up with the latest software updates that require larger memory.

Not enough hard disk drive space

Make sure that you have at least 200-500MB of free hard disk space. This available space allows the computer to have room for the swap file to increase in size as well as room for temporary files. Delete unnecessary large  files such as videos and other multimedia files.

Hardware conflicts

Verify that the Device Manager has no conflicts and make sure you have installed the most up-to-date drivers for your computer hardware, specifically the latest video drivers. Having out-of-date drivers may lead to various computer  issues.

Hardware issues can also make your PC slow

If your computer continues to be sluggish after implementing each of the above suggestions it is likely that the computer is having a severe hardware-related problem like a failed component in the computer. This could be a flaw or faulty or other component that stops to work.

Last Resort : Reinstall computer

Lastly, if not any of the above-mentioned solutions solve your problems, it is suggested that you reinstall your computer  and start over.

 Why Is My Computer So Slow On Start Up?

Why is my computer so slow on start up? The main reason behind slow computer startup is typically because there are too many applications loading when the computer is on. Excessive startup programs may eat into computer resources and can also make computer run slow as there will be many applications running simultaneously.

To reduce then number of applications that load at startup go to Start  then Run  , and then type Msconfig, go over the startup lists and uncheck unneeded programs and applications. Make sure you create a system restore prior to disabling any startup programs to avoid screwing up with the application needed for the computer to load. System restore is a Windows tool to restore Windows to configurations set on certain dates. To create a Windows restore point Go to Start —>  Run,  type Msconfig , on the General tab click on the  “Launch a System Restore” button and follow the next instructions.

The second most common cause for a slow computer startup is there are too many Windows services running on the computer. Enable only essential Windows services, for example if you connect to the internet via a modem or router you can disable network-related services, or if you don’t use your computer or laptop to print documents you can deactivate “Print Spooler”. Refer to the previous post on which unnecessary Windows services that can be disabled, visit the following link: why is my Windows Vista computer so slow ?

How to disable unnecessary Windows services?

Click on start  run , type msconfig  and click OK.  You will be prompted with  System Configuration Utility Windows. Click on services tab and uncheck the unnecessary services. Make sure that you do not disable services that Windows needs to run properly. Click Apply and OK. After disabling certain Windows services you will need to reboot your machine.  Upon restart, you will be prompted by the System Configuration Utility Windows , make sure you tick  the box ‘Do Not Show It Again’.

Which Windows Services to disable?

To disable a unnecessary  Windows services right click on My Computer and click on Manage, double click on Services & Applications, then  hit the Services Tab. Disable services that have no dependencies by right clicking on any service , and then click properties., after that click on Dependency  tab. If there is no dependencies shown on the two boxes bellow the Dependency tab, you can safely disable a service.

Bellow is an excellent video guide explaining how to make you Windows 7 faster by among other thing disabling unnecessary Windows services.

I hope that after going over the above step-by-step instructions you will be able to get your computer back to its peak performance, run faster and not ask again the question why is my computer so slow 

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