How to Fix Computer Problems & Speed Up Your Slow Computer

It can be frustrating to have a computer that takes a long time to complete even the simplest of tasks, especially if it had previously been a lot faster. As software is loaded on a PC, all manner of issues can crop up that cause problems with stability as well as making for a sluggish user experience. There are some ways you can clear up those problems and get your computer running fast and stable once more.

Instructions

1. Click on the "Start" button, then click on "Control Panel" and "Add/Remove Programs." Scroll through the list of programs that are installed on your PC and find the ones that you don't use. Click the "Remove" button to uninstall that software until you have a list that only has the software you want on your PC.

2. Click on "Start," then "Run." Type in "msconfig" and click the "OK" button. Click the tab labelled as "Startup" and uncheck any programs that you don't want automatically loading when your computer boots up. Programs that are set to run automatically take up a lot of computer resources which can cause conflicts with other software and slow down your PC. Click the "OK" button when finished.

3. Click on "Start" and then "My Computer." Right click on the primary hard drive (listed with the letter C) and then left click on "Properties" at the bottom of the menu that pops-up. Click on the "Tools" tab and then click the "Scan Now" button. This will launch the Windows scan disk utility, which will check your hard drive for errors. If the utility finds any problems, click on "Yes" when it prompts you to fix the problem.

4. Click on the "Defragment Now" button once the scan disk utility is finished scanning your hard disk for errors. The Windows Defrag utility will launch and analyze your hard drive. It will let you know if your hard drive needs to be defragged, so allow it to do so if needed. Defragging repositions the data on your hard drive so that it can be accessed quicker. The process will take an hour or more, so be sure you have no other programs running when you begin.

5. Run your antivirus software and click the "Update" button to make sure it is fully updated. Once your anti-virus has downloaded the latest updates that are available for it, click the "Scan Now" option to perform a system scan of your PC. Virus, Trojans and other malicious software may have been installed on your system before the antivirus update and can cause slowdowns and instability.

6. Launch the Internet Explorer web browser and enter "update.microsoft.com" into the URL box and click "Go" or press the Enter key on your keyboard (this site only works with Internet Explorer). Download any critical updates that are available for your PC. If you are running Vista or Windows 7, simply click on the "Start" button and in the search box type in "Windows update" and run the program that is listed. This will keep your OS up-to-date with any fixes for speed or stability issues.

References

• Debog: Slow Computer Fixes
• Microsoft: How to keep your Windows computer up-to-date
• Microsoft: 5 ways to speed up your PC