TechGamesBlog.com

by justin.parmelee

Common Causes for Computer Slow Down from a Tech Guru.

#1 Your computer is running really slow and you notice anytime you do something you hear this really loud sound coming from the Computer(Aka the box under the table) First thing you want to think about when you hear your computer making horribly loud noises is how old is it? Generally computers will last anywhere between 3-5 years, around the 3 year mark most computers Main Storage Medium Known as the “Hard Disk Drive” Starts to go bad. Generally if you are in this situation where your computer is 3-5 years old and it’s so nausiatingly slow that you can’t stand it chances are you need a new hard disk drive.

Hard disk drives generally cost around 30-100 dollars based on size, speed, and Type of Connector. A nice cheap place to buy a hard disk drive is http://www.newegg.com or http://www.tigerdirect.com. Biggest issue with this type of problem is this, the hard drive contains all your information and is what makes the computer boot up and new hard drives do not come preloaded and ready to use. All in all you have to have the “System Restore Disk’s” that came with the computer and at least enough knowledge of how to Install a hard disk drive into a computer tower. For this particular problem seeking the help of a Tech Store is a good idea. Although I do not want to badmouth anyone Bestbuy and stores like it will often charge too much to perform this service making it not cost effective there goal is often to try to get you to buy a new computer then to fix your old one.

On a side note if your computer is 3-5 years old or more chances are your computers hard disk drive may go bad. If you fit this bill I would reccomend backing up your important documents and pictures just in case by burning them to CDs or DVD’s or copying them to another computer. It is always sad when someone loses there whole picture collection from 5 years Plus.

#2 This reason is probably second only to the hard drive age problem, Insufficent memory problems. Below is a List of Operating Systems and there minimun Requirements. Also will be listed there actual requirements to run correctly.

Windows 98 – Min 64 Megabytes of RAM Actual amount required to run properly 128MB

Windows XP – Min 128 Megabyts of RAM Actual amount required to run properly 512MB

Windows Vista – Min 1024 Megabytes of RAM Actual amount required to run properly 2024MB

Windows 7 Min Min 1024 Megabytes of RAM Actual amount Required to run properly 1024MB(Reccomended 1512MB’s)

Most Computers are sold with the Bare minimum required in fact a lot of Windows vista computers were sold with below minimum required memory capacity.

To check your memory Hold down the Windows key on the Keyboard then press the pause break button, or click on the start menu right click on computer and then click properties. This will tell you what Operating System you have and how much total RAM is in your computer.

What is the fix for this? Increasing the memory on the computer or laptop. Keep in mind that the small computers known as netbooks have specifically limited memory upgrade options so netbooks usually can not be upgraded.

Most computer stores keep memory in stock just for such occasions that people come in with a slow computer and need memory upgrades. If you have the technical knowledge to install ram chips or know a friend who is A+ certified this is a good time to put them or him/her to good use. You can purchase most memory chips from places like http://www.Newegg.com or http://www.TigerDirect.com, amazon.com also carries memory chips.

There are 3 common types of memory chips these days and 2 sub class’s

DDR1. DDR2, and DDR3

Each chip has been made in both Laptop size and Desktop size and are generally arranged by speed of the chips. Although it does not hurt to have different speed chips it is generally accepted that the computer will run more stable if all the memory chip’s match up.

Places like bestbuy or other retail stores will generall only carry the newest type of ram which is ddr3 so don’t buy ddr3 memory by mistake for your computer that uses ddr1 or 2 memory.To determine your memory type you may need the help of a techie friend.

#3 Here we come to some of the more easy to fix Slow down problems Otherwise known as Spybots, Malware, Virus’s, and General Program Clutter cause by installing “Free” Applications.

Lets start with the easiest problem to fix. Antivirus Software: Normaly you would think this is a good thing it keeps my computer clean and helps to defend against bad virus’s. However what most people don’t realize is They often have two Antivirus programs or more on there computer fighting with one another for control.

Figure out which antivirus program you want to use and uninstall all but one to speed up the computer useing the Add Remove Programs option in the Control panel. You can find a shortcut to the control panel on the Start Button Menu.

Toolbars Are Rampant and some of them are actually virus’s in disguise that will cause your computer to lose internet entirely. By going to the Start Menu > Control panel > Add Remove Programs you can pick and choose each unwanted tool bar that has been installed and uninstall them. These toolbars are often installed with programs like adobe flash player or Java. Some of these Toolbars like MYWEBSEARCH are actually malware if you ever see a toolbar called mywebsearch that is an important one to remove.

For Spybots and Malware I Reccomend the use of a very good program called “Malwarebytes” Run once a month it will keep your computer clean of evil spybots/malware that will slow your computer down. Another Helpful program is called ATF Cleaner this program with help clean up unwanted temporary internet files and junk that otherwise clutters up the computer. Also a lot of Virus’s, Spyware, and Malware lives in the temporary internet folders so it is good to clean them out once and a while.

Computers are creating an entirely new platform for playing games, between humans or between humans and computers. Guests: Trip Hawkins, Electronic Arts; Bill Budge, Game Designer; Chris Crawford, Atari; Steve Kitchen, Activision Products/Demos: Pinball Construction Set, One on One, Space Shuttle, Excaliber, Larry Bird Basketball Source: www.archive.org
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