Many people buy new computers because their current one starts running slow. With rapidly increasing processor speeds and larger amounts of memory becoming cheaper, spending a few hundred dollars does not seem so bad if it will get you back to the speed you are used to. But, any reliable computer technician will tell you that even a five or six year old computer can still run reasonably fast if it's tuned up properly.
For a computer a tune up is almost entirely software related. Every time you install a program or visit a website or download anything, there are changes made to your system that, over time, can drag performance down to a crawl. One quick way to check your systems health is to look at your resources as follows:
1. Right-click on the taskbar (this is the solid area to the left of the Start button) and choose Task Manager.
2. Click on the Performance tab and look at CPU Usage and Physical Memory Available.
3. If the CPU is running more than 15% and you have no other programs running, you may have a hidden process running in the background. Click on the Processes tab and click on the CPU column to show the item using the most of your processor. If the name of the process is unfamiliar, look it up at www.tasklist.org for a better definition.
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4. You can follow the same procedure if you find that memory available is low.
A very common cause of memory and CPU usage is spyware or malware. These are hidden programs that get installed inadvertently when you download something or try a "free" software program. If you suspect that you have some of this unwanted software, the good news is that you can usually remove it completely and gain back a lot of performance.
A search on Google.com for "spyware removal" or "adware removal" will give you many options of tools to clean this unwanted software from your computer. Most of them are free and are very effective.
Another alternative is to re-install the operating system, but that will require re-installation of all programs and documents. Just make sure you have everything backed up to CD, tape or an external drive before you try this. Most home computers today commonly contain important documents and digital pictures that may be irreplaceable if lost.
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Sean Graver is the author of many articles on computer troubleshooting for both desktop and server platforms. He is the Lead Systems Engineer for a software company in Redmond, WA managing datacenter operations in the US, UK and Australia. His computer experience extends back the late 70's and he regularly works with small business owners to automate repetitive process and streamline operations. Please visit his website,
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