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The single most common complaint people have about their computers is slow performance. Most of the time they will tolerate a slow computer for quite a long time until they decide something needs to be done about it. Surprisingly, resolving this problem is fairly simple. The reason computers run slow almost always boils down to one or more of the following three things.

• Viruses and malware
• Insufficient memory
• Unnecessary programs running in the background

• Viruses and malware

  This is probably the number one reason for slow performing computers and if not addressed immediately can be the most difficult to fix. If you suspect you have a virus, the best course of action is to close all of your applications and stop using the computer. If you have antivirus software installed you should make sure it is up to date and then do a scan of your system. Use the quick scan option of your antivirus program to save time. This will detect and attempt to remove active viruses while scanning only the vital areas of your computer. If you don’t have an antivirus program installed you should purchase and install one immediately. After the virus scan is complete restart the computer and scan again. Continue to do this until the virus scan shows the computer is clean. Once you are sure the virus is no longer active do a full scan to get rid of any additional traces of the virus. If after several restarts, the antivirus software still indicates your computer is infected or if you still see signs that the computer has a virus then the virus will have to be manually removed. Since manually removing a virus can be a complex procedure that requires technical experience it is probably best to have it done by a professional.

• Insufficient memory (RAM)

  If your computer is more than two or three years old, chances are it may have insufficient memory (RAM) to run your programs and operating system efficiently. Memory is not to be confused with disk space. Disk space resides on your hard drive and is where all of your program and data files are stored. Memory is a temporary storage area where your programs are loaded and run from. Memory is hundreds of times faster than your hard drive. If you run out of memory, your computer then starts using your hard disk space in its place, causing your computer to run slower and slower as you open and work in more programs. The minimum amount of memory you should have installed in your computer differs depending on which version of Windows you are running and how you use your computer. Here are the minimum amounts we recommend for the average computer.

  	Minimum	Preferred
  Windows XP	1GB	2GB
  Windows 7 32 bit	2GB	4GB
  Windows 7 64 bit	4GB	8GB

  If you are running with less than these recommended minimums you will experience a severe degradation in performance. By upgrading your memory to the preferred amounts you will see a dramatic increase in performance. By adding more than the preferred amounts you will increase performance but not as noticeably. If you work with more memory intensive applications such as graphic design or CAD programs you will require even more memory than the amounts listed above. You can check which operating system is running and the amount of memory installed by opening the System icon in the Windows Control Panel. Be aware that if the system is not a 64 bit operating system it will not recognize more than 4GB of memory.

• Unnecessary programs running in the background

  Every time you install a program on your computer it will probably install one or more background processes that will run on your computer, even if the program is not open. Some of these processes are necessary, some are not. These processes will do various things such as checking for updates, allowing the programs to open quicker, allowing programs to integrate with other programs, performing maintenance tasks, etc. A quick way to get an idea of how many background programs might be running is to take a look at how many icons are on the bottom right corner of your task bar. If there are a lot of them then chances are there are a lot of background programs running. A good way to prevent these background programs from installing is to read all the prompts and check boxes that are displayed when installing new programs on your computer. If you are being asked if you want to install something you don’t specifically want or need then don’t install it. You can always add it later if you change your mind. If you are only going to be using the program occasionally opt out of the automatic startup options. If it not necessary to have the latest updates installed every day, don’t enable automatic updates. You can have it update manually when you open the program instead. Windows, Java, Flash, and antivirus updates are examples of updates you would want to have installed automatically since they are vital to your system and web browser. For others, such as QuickBooks or Adobe Acrobat, for example, you should use your discretion.

Frequently asked questions

Will the amount of disk space used affect computer performance?

No. Only if your free disk space is critically low will computer performance be affected. If your free disk space falls below 10GB you should start thinking about upgrading your hard drive or deleting some files to make more room. Otherwise, you can store as much data as you want on your hard drive without any appreciable affect on performance.

If I delete unneccesary files from my computer will it run faster?

No. See the previous question.

Will upgrading my hard drive speed up my computer?

Hard drives come in different speeds, architectures, and configurations. Therefore, upgrading will improve performance if you upgrade to a different type of drive or configuration.

Will defragmenting my hard drive improve performance?

Yes. Although the performance increase will only be noticeable if the drive is severely fragmented, it is still a good idea to do this once or twice a year.

Does having a lot of icons on my desktop slow my computer down?

No. The icons on your desktop are just files, folders, and shortcuts and don’t have any affect on performance.

Should I use a registry cleaner?

There is a lot of disagreement on this question. The best answer in this context is probably no. Most experts will tell you that there is very little, if any, performance benefit from using them. There is also a degree of risk involved when making automated wholesale changes to the registry. A poorly written registry cleaning application could cause irreparable damage to your operating system, so if you feel the need to use one, make sure you verify its reputation and quality first.

Will uninstalling programs speed up my computer?

No, unless the program is running a background process. In this case, the background component can usually be disabled through the program's options.