Help - My PC is Running Slow!
Article By: Editor | Topic: Slow PC?
Computer technicians all around the world hear variations of this time and time again - “fix my slow computer”, “my PC is too slow” and the ever-popular “HELP!!!”. Slow running PCs are a problem today - but before you dismantle and lug your heavy desktop to the computer repair shop or part ways with your laptop for a few days, here are a few tricks that you can try to improve your PCs speed, even if you are completely clueless when it comes to computer repair.
Are you defragmenting your computer’s hard drive?
If you don’t know what this means - don’t worry, it’s not something that is overly complicated. Your computer’s hard drive stores all of your files and programs, and over time these files will become “fragmented” through general use and relocation. By running a defragmentation program, which is conveniently pre-installed on your Windows PC, you can improve your computer’s speed and efficiency quite a bit.
You can access the defragmentation tool on your computer by:
- Clicking on the start button
- Double clicking on “My Computer”
- Right-clicking with your mouse on “Local Disk”, generally C:
- Clicking on Properties >> Tools >> Defragment Now
Once the defragmentation tool loads up, just click on the start button - that’s it. If you haven’t defragmented your computer in a while, the defragmentation process may take a long time. However, it’s well worth the time investment.
Do you use your computer’s search function?
If you don’t already know it - your Windows PC includes a built-in search function where you can look for files and programs. Now, if you do not regularly use this built-in search function - you can turn off Indexing to improve your computer’s speed exponentially. By default your Windows PC indexes your files and stores this information in your computer’s memory to increase the speed of the built-in search tool. But - if you’re not using this tool on a regular basis, there is no need to waste your computer resources on a service that you’re not really benefiting from.
To turn off indexing, just:
- Click the start button
- Double click on “My Computer”
- Right click on “Local Disk” (usually C:)
- Click on Properties
- Uncheck the option “Allow indexing service to…”
That’s it. Now, unchecking this option will not disable your Windows search option, though it may run a bit slower. However, in terms of helping a PC that is running slow - this little fix can give your PC a huge speed boost.
Are you using a registry cleaner?
If you’re a novice computer user, chances are pretty high that you aren’t using a registry cleaning tool. However, especially when combined with our other tips here - you’ll likely enjoy a faster-running and smoother-running PC.
See, your computer’s registry is like the brain of your computer - it stores information on nearly every program you’ve installed and every process that your computer runs in the background that allows you to do whatever it is that you do with your computer. Over time your computer’s registry will get bogged down with empty entries and outdated information; this can cause your PC to run slowly and in some cases, cause errors with certain programs. A registry cleaner essentially cleans up your registry and helps your computer to run more efficiently and thus faster.
Now, your Windows PC does not have a registry cleaning tool pre-installed, but we suggest that you try RegCure’s registry cleaner - we’ve been using it for a while and it’s been a godsend that has enabled us to keep our computers running smoothly for the last year.
You don’t have to say “my PC is running slow” anymore!
Before you take the time, effort and costly step of taking your PC to a computer repair shop to fix your slow PC problem, try the steps above. In the majority of cases, defragmentation, cleaning your registry and disabling Windows’ indexing service will give you the speed boost you’ve been looking for - with a really small price tag to boot.
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