SafetyNET
This issues topic: Why is my home computer running slow?
Why is my home computer running slow?
I hear that question more that anything else. There are many possible reasons why your home computer is running slow. Here are some tips you can use at home. (Legal Disclaimer: If your computer starts smoking, blows up, or anything you don’t like after reading this article, it’s not my fault)
1st Have you deleted all of those temp files?
Deleting unused files allows Windows to run faster by freeing up valuable hard disk space. These unused files are typically Temporary Files, URL history, cookies, form history, and files present in Recycle bin. It’s also not a bad idea to remove programs you don’t use anymore. An easy way to do both is by using the free program Ccleaner (www.ccleaner.com).
2nd When is the last time you defragged your computer?
A fragmented drive causes a slow system. Imagine your hard disk is a huge file cabinet with millions of drawers (thanks to Roberto Di Cosmo for this comparison). Each drawer can only contain a fixed amount of data. Therefore, files that are larger than what such a drawer can contain need to be split up and housed in many file drawers. Some files are so large that they need thousands of drawers. Of course, accessing these files is much easier when the drawers they occupy are close to one another in the file cabinet. Windows basically works like this: it empties the drawers when a file is removed, splits up any new file into smaller pieces to fit the size of a drawer, and randomly stuffs each piece into the first available empty drawer anywhere on the hard disk. Defragmenting your hard drive basically puts all the files back together in a nice and proper order.
Easy steps to defragment your drive:
1. Click start, then click, run....
2. type: "defrag c:" or "defrag c: -b"
The -b switch will invoke a boot sector defrag which will speed up your boot process. Run it a few times.Note, if using windows vista, or 7 you will need to type cmd, then right click on it and choose run as an administrator.
Or download the free application like Defraggler (www.defraggler.com/)
3rd Too many craplets running
What is a craplet? Some computer nerd in attempt to be funny meshed the, “C” word with applet (another name for a program), to make craplet. It’s basically any program on your computer that you really don’t need, but it’s a running anyway, using the computers valuable resources.
Some of these are like Adobe Acrobat Reader which has a program called Reader_sl. These programs run as your computer starts up. Some more examples are qttask for QuickTime, ituneshelper for iTunes, jusched for Java, realsched for Real Player, and the list goes on and on. By disabling these start-up apps, you will free your computer from doing unnecessary processes while it’s trying to boot up. Most of these programs are really just checking if there are any updates for the program it is associated with. Adobe reader will still work, even if Reader_sl is disabled, for example. Note if you have an Ipod, you might want to leave the itunes files alone.
To remove them:
1. Click start
2. Go to run
3. Type msconfig, and click ok
4. go to the start-up tab and uncheck the apps you don’t want to started when your computer boots up
(CAUTION: don’t uncheck everything. Some of these applets are needed when your computer starts up, like your virus protection. You can find out by Googling the name of the applet.)
A program that helps remove craplets is called pcdecrapifier (www.pcdecrapifier.com). Its very easy to use, and has the ability to backup any changes that are made. You can also go to http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/ and do a free scan of your computer. It will provide you with suggestion on how to secure and speed up your machine. If you’re looking for security scans, http://www.auditmypc.com is another great site.
Of course these tips will only do so much, low ram, ancient PC, you might want to install a minimal Linux distro like Xubuntu.
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