Sluggish PC Performance

Dozens of issues can cause a PC to perform sluggishly.

There are dozens of reasons for sluggish PC performance. Usually, the computer user can diagnose the problem himself. Most problems with your PC can be lumped into a broad group, such as corrupt drivers, and then worked down to a specific problem.

Types

A PC can become sluggish doing only certain tasks or the entire system can be slow. A computer could become sluggish, for example, only when starting it up or running a certain application.

Causes

Most issues with a sluggish PC boil down to a few broad categories: no disk space, uninstalled software leaving behind bad files, bad data, lack of updates, overheating, a faulty operation system or malfunctioning hardware, according to Computer Hope.

Considerations

There is a difference between slow computer performance and a slow Internet connection. Web pages loading too slowly are usually the result of external factors.

Tip

You can speed up any PC, even a new one, by deleting unused programs and running as few programs at a time as possible, according to Microsoft. Turn off as many animations as possible and restart your PC at least once a week.

References

• Ralph The Geek: Common Causes of a slow PC
• Colby-Sawyer College: Slow Computer Syndrome
• Computer Hope: My computer is running slow what steps can I do to fix it?
• Microsoft: Optimize Windows 7 for better performance