Every computer user knows this experience. When you start using a brand new computer, it runs beautifully. Every program opens quickly, multiple programs run at once with no complications, and web pages load rapidly.
But over time, things start to slow down. Your computer takes longer to load the operating system, web pages seem to take forever to load, and running more than one program makes your system grind to a halt. Is it time to upgrade your computer?
Maybe – but before you run to the computer store, there are a few things you can try.
Run a malware scan
Even if you only visit safe websites, malware designers find sneaky ways to get suspicious programs onto your computer. Ad banners, Flash videos, and downloaded files are all ways to end up with malware on your computer. Running a malware scan will determine if there are suspicious programs, and remove them. This can help get your computer up to speed.
Reinstall your operating system
Every time you install a program and then uninstall it, it leaves some evidence of itself on your operating system. Over time, these various values can clog up your OS and leave it chugging slowly along. By moving all of your personal files to a safe location, such as a USB drive or a cloud storage site, you can wipe your hard drive and complete a fresh reinstall of your operating system. If you have weird, unspecific problems with your programs, this is often a good step to take.
Open your computer case and clean it out
Something computer users don’t always realise: computers generate quite a lot of dust. Too much dust will make a computer overheat, but there is a middle ground where the computer heats up enough to throttle back on the processor, but not enough to start flashing warnings at you. Get yourself some canned air, disconnect the power from the power supply, and see what you can do to get that case cleaned out.
Consider a new computer
If you’ve done all this, and your computer is still running very slow, or if these ideas are technologically intimidating for you, we can still help. Nerds 2 You offers data transfer services, new computer set up options, and general tuning for your computer. We’re happy to help you understand why your computer isn’t behaving, and fix it if we can. If we can’t, and we recommend a new computer, you’ll have a solid understanding of why, and how to move forward.
