How to Fix a Slow PC

What Can Be Done to Fix a Slow PC?

A fast PC eventually turns into a slow PC. This is true for everybody who has brought home a new computer with Windows on it. Problems start cropping up as PCs get older. But don’t toss that ailing PC into the trash just yet. There’s still a lot of things you can do to speed up your PC.

How to Speed Up a Slow PC

A slow PC can often be attributed to limited RAM and a cluttered hard drive. To make a computer run faster, consider adding more RAM, and free up as much space on the hard drive as possible (full hard drives will make the system slow). Defragging the hard drive on a regular basis will also help fix slow computer issues. But there’s a bunch of other things that can be done to speed up the PC you have at home or in the office. Read on.

• The Quick CD Eject. Right-click the CD drive letter located in My Computer and click on the Eject tab instead of pressing the button on the drive. Doing so will remove any other icons that have grown associated with the CD drive and speed up the PC (this is for older Windows versions).
• Keep your PC cool. Both the motherboard and computer processor are sensitive to heat. If temperatures continue to rise, the processor will likely slow down in order to avoid using up too much energy. The colder PCs are, the better it’ll be for the electronics. Getting items like memory coolers, hard drive coolers and case fans will not only help speed up the PC, it’ll also allow computer parts to last longer and prevent damage caused by heat. Dust can cause heat to build up so it would also be a good idea to clean the case periodically. This helps improve performance and prevent problems.
• Anti-stretch wallpapers. Do NOT “stretch” the wallpaper on a Windows 98 PC as it will slow Windows down when dragging icons around the computer’s desktop.
• Repair disk errors. While defragging could resolve the worst of disk problems, errors could still be present in other places on the disk drive. The constant storing and deletion of files on the hard drive can slow PC functioning. Check for similar issues – run another Windows utility. Go to the Start menu and select My Computer. Then right-click on the drive you’d like to examine for errors. In the dropdown menu, proceed to Properties and click Tools. Here, check the box labeled “Scan and attempt recovery of bad sectors” and hit Start. When given the option to fix all the bad sectors, choose “Yes.” Repairing any bad areas in the drive will help speed up the PC.
• Run Auslogics BoostSpeed 4, a PC opimization tool and speed up tool that digs deep into your system and lets you know what’s slowing it down so you can tweak it easily (using the tool itself, not manually!).

These are just some of the many things you can do to fix slow PC systems. While the list here is in no way exhaustive, it ought to help you get started on the right PC speedup path. Other minor upgrades worth trying to fix slow computer functioning are purchasing newer processors (when they go on sale), and switching to SATA hard drives (if the motherboard you have supports it). Data transfers between the hard drive and the motherboard will be much faster if such improvements are implemented.