Slow PC Problems and What To Do About Them

The speed of your computer is likely to change over time. Applications that you have installed on your PC since its purchase may slow your computer to a turtle’s pace. This is because even though new programs, applications and operating systems make our lives easier, they put a severe strain on the system resources and slow it down.

If you are like most people and cannot buy a new PC every two years but would like to use new applications efficiently on your old PC, you will need to make optimal use of your system resources. This article helps you understand problems regarding a slow computer and how to fix them.

1. Ensure that your Hard Disk is Healthy: The health of your hard disk is dependent on two things. One is the amount of data and second is how the data is organized. Your operating system provides you with two easy-to-use tools that you can deploy on a regular basis to perform maintenance tasks on your PC. These are:
   1. Disk Cleanup: Cleans up your hard drive by removing unnecessary files and frees up precious space.
   2. Disk Defragmenter: Defragments the space in your hard drive and makes it faster to access information.

You can access these tools through your Start-Up menu in your operating system. You must perform these two tasks regularly to get the best performance out of your PC.

1. Keep your Registry Error Free: Your Windows registry is extensively used by your PC while you are working since it contains critical data about each software and hardware component of your system. A large amount of data is continuously added and removed from your registry when your PC is operational. A registry overloaded with redundant information is likely to cause registry errors and slow down your PC. Therefore, it is crucial for the speed of your computer that you clean your registry frequently. You can opt for a popular tool known as Registry Cleaning Programs to keep your registry error free.
2. Protect your PC against Malware: One of the common symptoms of malware infection is a slow computer. Of course malware has the potential to cause more serious damage, but if you find that your computer has started to slow down, it could be a warning sign of a virus or a spyware. Some of these viruses or spyware can gain entry into your system under the disguise of a genuine file or program name. A popular but notorious example of this is the iexplore.exe virus. You must not operate your computer without protection tools such as anti-virus and anti-spyware installed on it. Once you have these tools, use them adequately to ensure proper instructions and follow three important guidelines.
   1. Keep online protection always ON.
   2. Perform a complete scan of the system every week.
   3. Keep these tools updated with the latest definitions to ensure that you are ready to combat the latest security threats.

Essential Tasks To Maintain A Healthy Computer

Computers have several adv­­antages that are useful both in business as well as personal life. People not only use computers to earn a living, but also for things like communication, entertainment, education and photo albums. Whatever way you use your PC, it is most likely to work better if it is healthy and well-maintained. On the other hand, if you ignore this important aspect, there are chances that one or all of the following things may occur:

1. Hard disk gets cluttered with unnecessary data.
2. File system becomes chaotic and unstructured.
3. In absence of backup, chances of data loss increases and scope of restoring the loss decreases.
4. Lack of software updates leads to slow down and computer errors.
5. Vulnerability to malware infections such as virus and spyware increases.
6. On the whole, system performance goes down substantially.

It is recommended that you perform the following essential tasks in order to maintain a healthy computer.

1. Clean your hard drive and defrag it: Your hard drive is one of the key reasons that indicate the health and performance of your PC. In order to speed up your slow computer, you must perform two essential maintenance services for your hard disk. The first is Disk Cleanup that cleans up unnecessary files from your hard disk. Second, involves defragmenting your drive using the Disk Defragmenter utility. This tool rearranges the files on your hard disk and makes them faster to access. You can perform these two functions at regular intervals by accessing System Tools in your Start menu.
2. Remove unwanted programs: One of the reasons a new computer is fast and healthy is that it has fewer programs and applications installed on it. Over time, you may install additional applications as and when required on your computer. Some of the programs you may install initially but then decide to discontinue them. These days, toolbars are very popular among web browsers and you may try various tool bars before deciding on which one to use. For example, may be you install a yahoo tool bar but then decide that you don’t need it. It is a good idea to remove yahoo toolbar completely if you do not plan to use it. This will help free up valuable system resources, speed up your computer and reduce the chance for errors.
3. Clean Windows Registry: Another reason that your computer may suffer from bad health is due to an unclean Windows registry. The registry is a critical component that ensures the smooth functioning of your PC. It is therefore recommended that you clean your registry thoroughly. This will minimize the chances of the registry becoming corrupt or bloated with unnecessary information and producing registry errors. You can chose to do the cleaning manually or use the services of a reliable registry cleaner that can automatically clean your registry in just a few minutes. Registry cleaner tools are quite user-friendly, easy-to-use and advanced, therefore most PC users opt for these tools to clean up their registry.

A recent survey established that most computer users find DLL errors among the most frustrating computer problems. This could be because either they are not aware of DLL files or they find that these errors are very difficult to resolve without adequate knowledge of troubleshooting. However, DLL errors can be easily resolved as well as prevented if you are aware of the origin of DLL files, their significance, and common causes of DLL errors.

DLL files or Dynamic Link Library files came into existence with the goal of achieving efficiency and saving precious hard disk space during the early days of computers. It was noticed that there were certain functions that were required by different computer applications and it made sense to have common files which could be shared by all these applications. The reasons why DLL file errors occur are:

1. Missing DLL files, which can happen if one or more required DLL files are accidently uninstalled. For example, you may see the xvidcore.dll not found error message when you try to play XviD media files, but you have either uninstalled or do not have the XviD codec on your PC.
2. The application you are trying to install contains one or more corrupt DLL files.
3. Problems and issues on your hard drive that have resulted in an invalid DLL file.
4. An existing good DLL file is overwritten by another DLL file that is incompatible or damaged or outdated.
5. A malware has infected one or more DLL files.

Now that you have understood the key reasons behind this error, you must be wondering how to fix DLL errors. This article enlists 4 important steps that you can take to troubleshoot DLL errors:

1. First and foremost, you must analyze what your computer is trying to tell you. This means trying to make sense of the error message. It is likely to contain a DLL file name to begin with. It may also tell you what has happened to that file whether it is missing, not found, invalid or has encountered some other problem. The primary mode of troubleshooting such DLL errors is to search for the specified file and save the file in the correct folder.
2. In case you are not able to understand the error message, a good way to resolve the problem is to recreate the system scenario before the error happened. This can be achieved by using the System Restore facility provided in the System Tools category of your Windows Start menu. You can restore the system to the time before the error took place.
3. Sometimes, you may have a fair idea of what has caused that particular error. For example, if you were in the middle of an installation process of an application, you know something went wrong with the files associated with that application. You must try to investigate the problem by uninstalling the program. If the problem is removed after uninstallation, you must contact the program manufacturer for support.
4. Lastly, more computer users prefer using an automatic tool known as registry cleaner to resolve all kinds of computer errors including DLL errors. Registry cleaners use advanced algorithms to resolve these errors and even repair DLL files that are part of the problem. So, if you are one of those users who would like to resolve DLL errors quickly and effectively, you can install a registry cleaner on your system.

If your PC is painstakingly slow, or freezes often, we recommend you check the registry of your PC. More often than not registry errors are the cause of your PC problems. The registry is the most critical component of a computer. The registry contains complete configuration information regarding all the hardware and software installed on the machine. It also stores the system and network settings, and user profiles. For any function you perform on your machine, such as opening an application, installing new software or removing an application, entries are added, removed or modified within the registry.

The registry of a new PC is compact and contains only basic information required for its functioning. Over a period of time, as you use your machine the size of the registry grows. Also, it is common that a number of invalid entries or keys will creep into the registry. For instance, when you close a program or uninstall an application it is possible that its corresponding key will get left behind in the registry. Software crashes also leave corrupt entries within the registry. Various third party software may fill up the registry with unwanted entries. Additionally, many trial software and freeware programs add hidden or embedded entries within the registry. Malware programs, such as viruses, spyware and adware also add malicious entries within the registry. The result of all this is that a number of invalid entries or keys accumulate within the registry, causing it to grow at an unwarranted rate. Registry bloating is one of the main causes of a windows registry error.

The registry is the most important part of an operating system. For an error free system with stable performance, it is important that you maintain good registry health by keeping it free from unnecessary information.

To prevent registry problems and repair them, we recommend that you regularly scan and clean your registry with an advanced registry cleaner. Many computer experts recommend that you use a compatible registry cleaner Vista or XP tool. One of the main benefits of these tools is that they automate the registry cleaning process. This makes the tool viable even for users who are not very technically sound. There are many registry cleaning tools that are available on the internet and you can easily choose one that meets your system configuration.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of using a top-rated registry cleaner. An advanced registry cleaner enables you to perform a deep scan of the registry to remove obsolete entries, invalid entries and registry holes. It also enables you to make regular back-ups of the registry. It is always prudent to make a registry back-up before running a registry scan. This helps you restore the registry to the last working condition in case of a problem. Registry cleaners also allow you to defrag the registry to make the registry compact and more accessible to software programs. We also recommend that you use advanced anti-spyware and anti-virus software to safeguard your machine from virus attacks and malware programs.

Now that you understand the importance of the registry and how to keep it error free we hope you have a trouble free PC to work on for a long time.

I’m sure you have heard people using the word Format when you talk about computers and drives, but what does it mean to actually format a drive. Formatting, blowing out, wiping clean, or emptying a hard disk simply means erasing all data from the disk and preparing it for fresh Operating System install. When you format a disk it removes everything that was stored on the disk, fixes any errors (unless you’re doing a quick format) and re-writes the file tables, and mbr (Master Boot Record). Formatting is the ultimate cleaning process for any hard disk. It’s actually a good idea to format you disk after a while and re-install your OS and programs (maybe once a year) just to give it cleaning. But always remember to back up anything on the computer you want to keep and put back into it after you re-install the operating system.

People usually format their disk when they are manipulating partitions, encounter viruses, or get a computer from someone else and just want to clean it out and start fresh. Before you go formatting your drives all willy nilly, please remember and take into consideration that formatting your disk will delete EVERYTHING on the disk, including the operating system (Windows, Linux, etc.). So if you are interested in doing a disk format for a fresh start then you need to make sure you are prepared to install an operating system.

There are different ways of formatting because there are so many different circumstances that people want to format. When you are setting up a dual boot, there are different ways you can go about formatting the partition you want the secondary OS to go on. If you just want to erase everything and start fresh then you will need either the OS Installation Disk(s), a boot disk, or the OEM OS disk(s) that may or may not have came with your computer.

The easiest way to start fresh is to just use the installation disk(s) of the OS you are installing (assuming you are using Windows and installing Windows). When you go to install Windows it will allow you to format the disk during the installation.

One of the top culprits of a slow computer is too many processes. What is a process you ask? A process is anything on your computer that is running and using memory (RAM or Virtual Memory) at any given time. To see a list of the processes that are running on your computer just…

• Hit the legendary Ctrl + Alt + Del buttons on your keyboard (just once, don’t repeat or you will probably restart your computer) it may take a second for the Task Manager to show up, but it will.
• Then when the Task Manager shows up just click the Processes tab to see a list of your running processes.
• It should look like this…

You probably won’t have all the same processes as mine does above, but these are your running processes. Notice the Memory Usage of each of your running processes…

Try to roughly add up how much memory your processes are using and compare your total to your total amount of system RAM which can be found in your System Information. (shortcut - press the Windows key + Pause Break Key)

• Click Start
• Go to All Programs
• Go to Accessories
• Go to System Tools
• Click System Information
• Should look something like this…

Now comparing your amount or RAM with you total Ram usage in your processes you can judge for yourself if you are using too much RAM or not.

You can also check out the Performance Tab in your task manager…

Notice your PF (Page File or Virtual Memory) Usage, this should be kept as low as possible.

If you are getting messages that prevent you from opening programs because you do not have sufficient RAM then that is a clear sign that you need to either increase you RAM or disable some processes in your system. The best advice I can give is to not have anything running you don’t need running. If you have Yahoo Messenger, Myspace Messenger, MSN Messenger, Anti-Virus Program, Firewall, and a bunch of other icons running in your system tray at any given time, chances are you are not using all those programs at the same time so it is a good idea to close what you are not using.

I recommend downloading a great FREE program called CCleaner from Download.com. It is a great tool for cleaning your computer, your registry, unused programs, and it also helps you control your startup programs (which in turn decreases your processes, which in turn speeds up your system).

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The best way to clean up your processes go by this step by step process…

1. Examine your system tray (eg. - ) and take note of the programs that are running that you don’t want to automatically run when you turn on your computer.
2. Next open CCleaner (which I hope you downloaded because it is an essential part of this process) and do a cleaner analysis and clean your computer of the unneeded files.
3. Then it’s not a bad idea to go ahead and clean your registry (make sure to backup your registry when it asks you to).
4. Then click on tools and find those programs you’ve taken note of you don’t want anymore and remove them.
5. After you’ve removed your unwanted programs, click on startup and delete any entries you don’t want automatically starting up when you turn on your computer. (If you don’t know what some of those processes are, a great site to look up processes to find out what they are, what they do, and if you need them is Process Library. You can find pretty much any process on that site and find out if you need it or not.)
6. When you’ve done all those things, Restart your computer and see if your performance has improved.
7. If you don’t notice any faster performance, open up your task manager, and look at the processes that are running.
8. Go to the Process Library web site and check out all the processes that are running to see if you need them or not. (Some processes that may be slowing down your computer can also be viruses so be sure to check your processes thoroughly at Process Library.)

In this day and age privacy is very important to everyone. When you surf the web maybe you don’t want the next person to see what sites you have been to. Whether it’s your banking sites or adult sites that you don’t want your children following in your footsteps. Whatever the reasons may be, there are ways of covering your tracks on the internet.

Clearing your browsing history is a great way to keep your private web surfing PRIVATE. In Internet Explorer 7, deleting you browsing history is as simple as…

1. Clicking Tools
2. Then click Delete Browsing History

From here you can delete a number of things like your History which is you previously visited sites’ urls, your Cookies which are basically small files that record information about you on the web (such as usernames, and login information). You can delete your Temporary Internet Files, which is a small cache that holds downloaded web pages and media so they can retrieve them faster in repeat visits. Passwords you tell Internet Explorer to remember can also be deleted from here. Lastly, Form Data can be cleared as well which is repetitive information you may have typed into forms such as applications or shipping information.

In order to keep your computer running at optimal performance, there are some things you should do on a regular basis from the time you pull it out of the box. You computer is a very fragile machine with a variety of components that work together to produce a users desired output. Computers allow people to do anything from writing school papers to downloading music to assisting in developing experimental aircraft in the United States Air Force. So as you can see computers hold a very special place in today’s society so it is very important to take good care of them.

There are a few important actions that MUST be completed even by the most casual computer user…

(Click on topic to learn more)

1. Disk Cleanup
2. Disk Defragment
3. Virus Scan

These are probably the 3 most important actions to perform on your computer on a regular basis to keep it running at peak performance.

Disk Cleanup clear your cookies, temporary internet files, empties recycle bin, compresses old files, and more. There are also other great programs out there (such as CCleaner, Cleanup Assistant, Zappit System Cleaner, and WinDirStat which are all free) to use for this that goes a little further and cleans your registry, shreds files to make them untraceable, and gives you more of a visual layout of your hard drive(s).

Disk Defragment involves moving files around on your hard disk in a more organized manor which helps the read/write heads on your disk(s) to save and retrieve files faster and more efficiently. Disk Defragmenting is an important thing to do because it keeps your hard disk(s) (which is where virtually ALL of your information is held) healthy and pro-longs the life of the drive(s). Alternatives to the Windows Disk Defragmenter are available a Download.com such as Auslogics Disk Defragmenter, and Perfect Disk8 which are free downloads.

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In order to complete the Virus Scan your must have an Anti-Virus program installed on your computer. Avast Anti-Virus and AVG Anti-Virus are two great free Anti-Virus programs but the free versions do not come equipped with firewalls. But don’t panic, because if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher, you have a great firewall already, just make sure it is up and running. (See Firewall Tutorial)

You may have heard people say that if you clear your cookies your computer will run faster. That may be true, but it’s not really that simple and straight - forward. A cookie is a little text file which your browser saves to your computer when you ask it (not necessarily with your permission always) to remember something.

Let’s say you sign into your e-mail and you check that little box under the password box that says “Remember Me on this Computer.” Well when that box is checked and you sign in your browser automatically saves your sign-in information to a folder on your computer (usually your cookies folder) where it looks for that information the next time you go to sign-in to your e-mail. Now one or two cookie files in your cookie folder is not going to have an effect on your computer’s performance, but after months or maybe years of not clearing your cookies may not sit too well with your hard drive.
It’s a good idea to clear your cookies for a couple of reasons…

• Security purposes
• Hard Disk Space

A hacker can possible get vital information from your cookie files, like your banking sign-in information for identity theft, or e-mail sign-in information to gain access to your precious love letters from your secret lover. Although cookies are generally very small
Clearing your cookies is actually very easy. Be sure to check out my Video Tutorial on Clearing Your Cookies.

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(Internet Explorer 7)

1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click Tools
3. Click Internet Options
4. Under the Browsing History header Click Delete…
5. When the Delete Browsing History window pops up you have several options
6. It’s a great idea just to go ahead and Delete all… which will delete your Temporary internet files, Cookies, History, Form data, and passwords that you may have saved. But if you don’t want to delete everything you can just click Delete cookies…
7. Then Click Yes when it asks if you are sure you want to delete your cookies.

The best way to keep your computer protected from viruses is to have…

· Anti-Virus

· Anti-Spyware

· Firewall

Having an anti-virus program installed and running on your PC is by far one the best virus prevention techniques. An anti-virus program constantly scans and monitors your computer for any suspicious files or activity. You can also schedule automatic system scans to automate your system security. Norton Anti-Virus and McAfee Anti-Virus are two great virus protection programs and they cost anywhere between $40 and $60. Avast develops a free anti-virus for home users and it is great virus protection for the budget shopper. Make sure to always have the anti-virus program running for complete protection.

Having a great firewall installed is another must have against virus protection. A firewall monitors all incoming internet traffic for suspicious or unknown activity.
Beginning with Windows XP (SP2) Microsoft began to provide a great built-in firewall.

Some manufacturers such as Norton and McAfee have developed Internet Security Suites which include the Anti-Virus, Firewall, and Anti-Spyware all in one program. It’s great to purchase a full Internet Security Suite because it can be a little easier to manage, but their are some pocket friendly programs such as Avast Anti-Virus and AVG Anti-Virus which both provide free home edition anti-virus programs. They don’t come equipped with firewalls unless you purchase the Internet Security Suite, but if you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or higher then you already have a great firewall (see Windows XP Firewall Tutorial). all three programs work better together when there by the same manufacture, and it’s also easier to manage the different entities.