Revive a Slow Computer

Are you someone that has a computer that runs super slow? Most likely you are like most people who doesn’t have a new computer, you have a Slow Computer. This is a common problem unfortunately, and it drives lots of people crazy. So how do you fix it? Why might your computer be running at such a low speed? Well, there’s a lot of reasons for this, and we’re about to go into detail on what they are, and how to speed up your computer so that it’s actually doing the jobs that you want it to, and making your life a lot easier.

Too many Add-Ons

Lots of times, we are plagued with browser extensions, but often, they’re too good. They’re needed in some ways, but often, they begin to overtake your computer, and it causes a lot of problems. It might be slow not because of a virus, but because of any plugins added whenever you get a software downloaded for free. These add-ons might seem like they’re popup blockers or protecting searches, but they slow down your computer by doing the following:

• You download ads every single time

• They add extra extensions you don’t need

• The Plugins create toolbars that are unnecessary

So how do you fix it? Well, the way that you do it is you disable anything that you don’t need. If you’re using chrome, you want to go to the extension button, right click it, and from there, you want to uncheck the box to disable it, or throw it in the trashcan. For IE, you need to go to the tools tab, the add ons one, and then look at the offenders that are causing this problem and then disable them.

For Firefox, you simply go to the menu on the right, go to extensions, and from there disable any ones that are causing issues.

A failed hard drive

Next you have a failing hard drive. The unfortunate thing about this is that since it is composed off moving parts, they all tend to fail at some point. There isn’t a way to guard against it minus doing a backup and then getting a new one. This stinks, but it often does come about, and the first way to see if your computer is failing, is via a slow hard drive.

Solid state drives do tend to also break down, despite not having moving parts. Another huge part of it is that the data will also get corrupted in many cases as well. If that happens, it’s much harder to recover the data, and it makes it a nightmare for you.

So how do you fix it? Well, unfortunately, if it’s too screwed to fix, you’re out of luck. But, if you’re looking to find out if it is a hard drive problem, you should do the following:

• Run a hard drive check

• Use a program called HD Tune or another program to look at the overall health of your computer

• From here, you should see if it’s healthy or failing

• If you need to replace, do so, or if it’s something else, move on

• If you’re trying to protect this, don’t drop, throw, or cause impact to the hard drive

This is another one that you should be watching out for, so make sure that you do take the time to ensure it’s not the hard drive at fault.

Viruses

Then there are viruses. This is one that you probably will assume first. You could have one, and it’s definitely a cause for a slow computer. If you have spyware and other types of malware on your computer as well, you should definitely get this checked out, since this will slow down the computer, but it will also cause your browser to be hijacked, and it’s basically going to push you towards phishing and advertising sites with more viruses.

At the very worst, it will crash and ruin your computer.

They’re nasty, and if you don’t have antivirus software, you’re essentially going to be hit by something at some point. That’s why, if your computer is running slow, and you don’t have antivirus software on there, you definitely will want to consider this.

If it isn’t a virus, and you don’t have a virus scanning software on there to protect you, you can certainly get one. Avira is a great one, and we even have a full review of it and all of its capabilities, the pros, and the cons as well. If you need one, Avira is definitely one you can rely one. It’s a lifesaver, and you can check it out HERE to learn more about it. It works well, gets the job done, and it will scan for viruses.

The steps to check for viruses, are as follows:

• Open up your antivirus software

• Run a scan

• Look at the results

• Act accordingly and try to remove the virus either by yourself, or with the help of others

Viruses are no joke, and they can become quite a problem if you don’t take care of them right away. Do what you feel is right, and make sure that you do try to get this taken care of before it gets worse.

Too many programs are going at once

Have you ever tried to do a bunch of tasks at once? It drains you, right? Well, doing that same thing is exactly why computers tend to slow down as well. These computers often can handle a lot of tasks, but if it gets overloaded, it’s going to definitely become a problem.

If you run too many programs at once, you’re going to use up a ton of RAM. It does attach onto this, and if you don’t have RAM, it’s not going to be able to switch from a program to another program in a fluid manner. It also is demanding, and it will cause the memory and processing power to eke out as well, thereby shutting it down.

If you keep too many windows open, it’s going to suck up the processing power, simple as that.

So how do you fix it? Well, there are a few things you got to do:

• Shut your computer down

• Shut down background programs by going to them in the file menu

• You can also drag all of the icons and flip them over to shut them down

Shutting down too many programs does help, and it makes it way easier for your computer to run as well.

Too many browser Tabs

One way to get your computer to really run slow, is to have too many browser tabs open. Open tabs are usually something that you need to have opened, but it can cause you to lose a ton of RAM. Often, if you have multiple browsers open as well, it can cause this same issue. So, if you have Chrome, but also Edge open, you’re going to have a way slower computer. If they’re auto refreshing as well, or even have video and streaming playing, guess what? You’re going to have a super slow computer.

While having a lot of browser tabs might seem like a good idea, it actually doesn’t help at all, and this crucial information definitely isn’t going to make your life easier, so you definitely want to make sure that you keep your browser tabs as clean as possible. Ideally, run on one browser at once, and if you don’t need a tab open for whatever reason, shut it down. You can pin it to the top as a bookmark so that when you come back to it, you can definitely use it again.

Rogue programs taking over

It’s not always the app or video streaming that can eat at your processing power, it can actually be a program that hasn’t shut down, or it’s stuck in a loop.

Lots of rogue programs can cause computer processing power to be eaten, and overall, it’s not good. It definitely is important to make sure that you shut down everything as needed if you’re not using it.

So how do you fix it? Well, you basically have to do the following:

• Check the processing power programs and processes and how much it’s using by going to the task manager

• From here, you can look at the programs and see the power

• If the program is running but not being used, you can force it to quit

• When you have a browse doing this, make sure you close any that aren’t being used

In essence, you want to shut down everything you’re not using so that it’s not crowding the computer and making things worse for you.

Your antivirus is acting wild

Sometimes it’s not the virus themselves, but the antivirus program that’s causing a lot of problems. Lots of them are too active, and they might be running scans all the time, or at the worst of times. The virus scans will slow down your work since they are background processes. Lots of times, these are weekly scans, which suck up a wealth of the processing power. But, there are a few ways for you to fix it.

• First, check to see if the antivirus program is running

• Configure it so that it’s running these scans when not in use

• If you can’t change it cause it’s free, you might have to upgrade

Sometimes it’s the program running too well that will cause the computer to slow down. If you begin to notice that your computer is running slow, and this is a culprit, try to configure it so that you don’t have to have it happen while you’re working with it, or just upgrade to better software.

Your Hard Drive is Full

A hard drive being full is a great way to make your computer run super slow. That’s when things start to feel like they’re crawling, and sometimes a full hard drive actually can prevent stuff from even starting up. It’s best to make sure that you optimize this, whether it be moving it to cloud, or not keeping things that you don’t use.

Now, hard drive space includes many things, including the following:

• Temporary files

• Programs

• Program updates

• Downloads that are either manual or automatic

• Pictures

• Documents

• Extras that might not even be noticed

The best thing for you to do is to make sure that you clear out this space. You want to check the C drive usually unless it’s something else, and you can go to Properties to look at this.

Essentially, you want to deep clean your computer to get rid of programs that aren’t used and defunct downloads, along with temp files.

Bloatware is something that also sits on your computer, and it’s good to use. This is something that does create problems, since often it causes the computer to run slow. If you do defragging, it can help as well. system backups are also a huge culprit, along with restore points so it’s best to really just keep one and go with that.

Dust Your Room!

Then there is your room. Did you know that dust is a culprit? It can cause problems not just externally, but internally as well. It causes ventilation problems which causes the processors to cool, and it can make the computer run slow. If your computer is hot as well, it actually can cause the malfunctions and crashes to become even worse with time.

Have you ever had your laptop heat up? You should probably take some dust remover and get at it. You also should make sure that the vents are open and not left blocked. This can make a huge difference.

Essentially, you should dust your computer completely. It’s that simple, and if you need to, you can use a vacuum, but be careful. Use that, or compressed air in order to make sure every single ounce of dust gets removed. It can save your computer in some ways.

These are the typical issues associated with slow computers. If you find your computer is running at a super slow speed, start to look at these culprits, and try to make sure that they’re taken care of. You definitely want to make sure you’re doing this, since it can make a difference between a computer that works well, and one that is struggling to keep going and is super slow.