Do you remember bringing your new computer home from the store? It was shiny, sleek and oh- so fast! But now? Well, the years haven’t been so kind to it, have they? It’s slow, sluggish and sometimes you want to throw it out the window. So, what happened? Why did you go from Hare to Tortoise?

Let’s look at some of the reasons your computer might have slowed down over time.

Startup Programs

When you install some programs they set themselves to start running as soon as you turn on your computer. This slows down your boot up time and also makes everything you do on your computer slower. By slimming down the number of programs allowed to run at startup we can increase the computers speed.

Hard Drive is Too Full

When a hard drive reaches 95% of capacity it will start to affect the performance of the computer. This is because your computer uses the hard drive to store temporary files as it works and if there isn’t enough free space for it to use, it can cause a slow down of up to 50%. You can read about freeing up space in Windows 10 here.

You Computer Caught a Virus

Computer Viruses come in a variety of types. They can do anything from collect information to use up your processing power to mine Bitcoin. Whatever they are doing, it puts extra strain on your computer and can cause slowdowns. If you suspect you have a virus, you can book it in for a Virus Removal and Tune-Up to get it running faster.

Your Antivirus Program is Over-Zealous

Not all Anti-Virus programs are created equally. Some take up a huge amount of your computer’s resources. You might be able to get it to use fewer resources by scheduling scans for when you aren’t actively using your computer, but not all anti-virus software lets you control this. You may want to consider switching to Y-Not Tech Services’ Stress-Free Anti-Virus.

Your Hard Drive is Dying

A dying Hard Drive can make your computer do all kinds of weird things. Freeze ups and slowdowns are common symptoms of a dying Hard Drive. Studies suggest that a Hard Drive running with average use will start to fail after about 3 years. This is because they are made up of moving parts and spin thousands of times a day. If your hard drive is failing Y-Not Tech Services recommends upgrading to a Solid State Drive. They are much faster than Hard Drives and usually last longer too. The tradeoff is that they are more expensive per gigabyte than a hard drive, but the prices of Solid State Drives are coming down all the time and they are very reasonable now.

Your Computer is Under Powered

Sometimes your computer just isn’t up to the type of tasks you require of it. It might not have enough RAM (Random Access Memory) or a fast enough processor for what you need to be able to do. If this is the case, we can look at upgrade options for you to get you the power you need.

Your Computer Needs a Cleaning

Dust clogging up the vents in your computer will keep it from cooling properly. A hot computer is a slow computer, so it might be time to clean your computer up. A proper cleaning means taking the cover off so you can get at the innards of your computer and get all the dust and debris that has gotten in there out. If you need help with this you can contact us and book it in for a cleaning.

Bonus: Your Computer Needs a Reboot

This is an ongoing joke in IT and Computer Repair communities, but that’s because it often works. Sometimes your operating system just needs a fresh start! By rebooting (not sleep or hibernate) you completely clear the working memory (RAM) and give it the fresh start it sometimes needs. I recently had a client contact me because their PC was really slow. It was especially evident in Windows Explorer where it would take a long time to load each folder. My first thought went to a failing hard drive, but when I did a remote control of the computer to run a hard drive test I noticed that the computer hadn’t been rebooted in over two weeks. I did a reboot and it was good to go! No more slow loading. So, when in doubt, try turning it off and on again.

These are some of the common causes of a slow computer. If your computer is running slow you can book it in and Y-Not Tech Services will figure out why it is slow and get it running like new again.