So why does Windows slow down over time ?
You bought your shiny new computer or laptop some time ago. But you notice as time goes by your computer is getting slower and slower. It's time to speed Windows up.
Unfortunately Windows can slow down. At Expert Computer Repairs Bristol we have a computer and laptop tune up service. We will examine your system to see why it is slow and perform optimisations to speed it up so it runs quicker. We perform all the steps below and many more. It is all part of our computer MOT service. If your computer is running slow then contact us today on 07585 351 487.
There are many reasons why Windows will slow down after you have been using your computer or laptop for a while. This is a list of some of the problems and some of the things that can be done to speed it up.
One of the first things to check is to see if there is any malware on your computer. Malware has been divided into a number of types that most people have heard of. These are viruses, worms, trogans, rootkits and keyloggers. Each of these work in a different way and the most famous of these are viruses.
Malware can be written to do many things. One of the worst things it can do is to steal your logon details for banks, online shopping websites and other websites that you log onto such as your e-mail accounts.
One defence against malware is to install programs such as anti-virus and anti-spyware software. There are a number of paid and free anti-virus and anti-spyware softwares that can be installed. They scan all the files on your hard drive looking files that have been infected. These files are then flagged as viruses, spyware or other malware.
However these programs have their own problems. They can only catch viruses, spyware and other malware after the malware has been identified and added to the malware database. In the case of viruses, this means it is still possible to catch a virus before your anti virus software knows about the virus. These anti-malware programs also run in the background and can slow your computer down. It is also possible for these programs to be subverted by malware so your anti-malware software will not find them.
At Expert Computer Repairs Bristol we recommend seting up a non administration account for your usual day to day computing. Make sure your computer is up to date with all the latest Windows software updates and anti-malware definitions and run your anti-malware software regularly. We can configure your computer to do this automatically and, should you get a virus, we can help you remove that virus from your system.
Overtime Windows becomes full of junk files. These are the files left behind after browsing the Internet, after installing and uninstalling programs and just running Windows. These files take up space on your hard drive and clog your computer up. Deleting these files will free up space on your hard drive.
Another related issue is the amount of space on your hard drive. Windows needs part of the hard drive space to run correctly. If your hard drive becomes too full then Windows does not have enough space. In cases like these it is possible to move Windows onto another, larger hard drive or remove junk files from the existing hard drive.
At Expert Computer Repairs Bristol we can perform this service for you allowing you to keep your existing Windows installation or we can advise on external hard drives.
Windows can also slow down because the hard drive's files can become fragmented or corrupted. It is quicker for your computer to load a file if all the different parts of that file are next to each other on the hard drive. Otherwise, when Windows needs to read a file it must then jump all over the hard disc looking for all the different parts of the file. This takes time and will slow your computer down.
Defragmenting your hard drive can help alleviate this problem for a while. Defragmenting you drive will make sure all parts of a file are next to each other, speeding up your computer. However, defragmenting a hard drive is not without risks. If there is a power cut or the defragmentation software crashes, Windows can be left in an unusable state.
At Expert Computer Repairs Bristol we recommend backing up the hard drive before any operation like this is performed so if there are any problems you have a backup. When Expert Computer Repairs Bristol performs any service that could potentially cause Windows corruption we always backup the hard drive first so if there are any problems then you are safe in the knowledge Windows is backed up. When we are confident your system is running correctly then we delete the backup.
Installing software on your computer can also slow your computer down. Software that is never used should be uninstalled. Some software will install components that are not required by the software. These components increase the time it takes for your computer to start up. They also slow your computer down because run on your computer while you are trying to do things
At Expert Computer Repairs Bristol we can configure your computer or laptop to start running just the programs and services that you actually use.
Windows, itself, can become slow due to corruption of its registry. The registry is an area where Windows keeps all it settings. Running registry cleaning software can be used to remove unrequired or orphanded registry entries that can build up over time.
Expert Computer Repairs Bristol highly recommends backing up your registry before cleaning or editing the registry.
Computers can also slow down because of hardware issues. Installing the newest drivers for your hardware can increase the speed at which Windows will run at.
It may be a case that your computer is underpowered for what you are trying to use it for. Upgrading certain components such as memory can have a significant effect on speed.