things to check if ... your computer is running slowly

If your computer's running slowly and you're getting fed up waiting for the computer to start after you turn it on, or for programs to load when you double-click the program icon, these are some things to check.

This is not a complete list of things that could be wrong (that would take a whole website on it's own!) but is a list of the common problems that can affect the performance of a computer.

Disk Space and Virtual Memory

One of the quickest things to check (which is why I've put it first) is the amount of spare disk space you have available.

Your computer uses part of your Hard Disk as a temporary working area (Virtual Memory) and if it's unable to find enough space this will have a major impact on the performance of your computer.

To read more detail about this, with steps on how to check the available space, click on the following link:

Disk Space and Memory Explained

Spyware

Being infected with Spyware is one of the commonest causes I've found that can cause a computer to run so slowly that it is almost unusable. Often this is accompanied by other symptoms such as unwanted pop-up ads.

You should always have reputable anti-Spyware software installed on your computer which both checks files as they enter your computer and also performs regular scans of your computer to check for and remove any Spyware that is already infecting it.

To read more information about what Spyware is, the risk to your computer and steps to deal with it, click on the following link:

Spyware - what it is and the risk to you

We have links to good anti-Spyware software on our Essential Software page.

Viruses

If your computer is infected with one or more viruses this is also likely to have an impact on the performance of your computer.

You should always have reputable anti-Virus software installed on your computer, which should be kept up to date.

Your anti-Virus software should be configured to scan all incoming files, including emails, as well as emails that you send. In addition, it is important that is configured to run regular scans of your computer (I recommend at least weekly) to remove any viruses that may not have been detected when they entered your computer.

Installed Programs

As you use your computer you are likely to install more and more programs. Most of these programs will only use the resources of your computer when you are running them (for example, a word processing program).

However, some programs will install a small function that runs all the time monitoring an aspect of your computer (for example, an online messaging service like MSN Messenger will run all the time, listening for messages).

While individually these are unlikely to have a negative effect on the performance of your computer, if you have many of them it could start to slow down.

Try removing any unwanted programs from your computer to help improve performance.

For more information on removing unwanted programs click on the following link:

Removing Unwanted Programs

Memory

It may be an idea to increase the memory in your computer (this is NOT the same as a larger Hard Disk).

Depending on the amount of memory your computer currently has and the programs you run, increasing the amount of memory can make a dramatic increase to the speed of your computer.

For more information on memory as well as how to check how much your computer has click on the following link:

Memory: how much you have ... and is it enough?

Defragment your Hard Disk Drive

Over time the information on your Hard Disk Drive becomes more and more fragmented. This results in your computer having to go to more places on the Hard Disk to access information. The end result of this is that it takes longer to open files, which slows the computer.

To read more about this, as well as steps to rectify the issue, click on the following link:

Defragmenting your Hard Disk to improve performance