the computer tutor blog tech information and answers to questions posed by my clients

Why Is My Computer So Slow?

This is a question I am often asked by my new clients. It is sometimes phrased a bit differently: "The computer takes forever to start up", "The internet is too slow", "I click on an icon and nothing happens", "The little blue circular thingy (or hourglass) keeps moving around and around"...etc.

I always explain to my clients that there are several reasons why a computer could be performing so slowly. The first thing to consider is age. How old is the computer? With age comes old, sluggish, low, and possibly even damaged memory or RAM (random access memory). This is a chip inside the computer that enables you to have multiple programs open at once and acts as a "short-term" memory for your computer to access data in current use. The more memory your computer has, the faster it will be able to access all of the current data in use. So if you want to be able to have Outlook, Internet, Photoshop, iTunes, and Word all open at the same time, you better have a good amount of RAM/memory to work with. And older computers (more than 4-5 years old) just don't have the amounts of RAM that the newer computers have today. Luckily, many of the older computers I speak of are capable of having replacement or additional RAM chips installed. And it is pretty easy to find out if this is the case. (Crucial.com provides a free tool that will scan your computer system and alert you of new memory that can be purchased as an upgrade!)

Of course, RAM/memory is not the only culprit. Here are several other factors to take into consideration:

Processor speed
An older computer will have a much lower processor or CPU speed (measured in MHz - for older computers and GHz for newer computers). This will affect how quickly your computer will respond to your input and how smoothly it will carry out the commands of different software applications.

Hard drive space
One time, I had a new client call me who said her laptop had become almost unusable. It was extremely sluggish and she kept getting error messages when she'd attempt to open most programs. When I sat down to take a look at it, I noticed the hard drive was pretty much maxed out! There were less than 100MB free! I immediately began uninstalling unused programs and deleting old files she no longer needed. When a computer's hard drive gets filled, the computer won't be able to run properly as there's no room for it to run!Even if a computer's hard drive isn't filled, as time goes on and a computer is used more and more, data gets saved and erased and we resave and delete again and again. A hard drive can become fragmented. So it's good to use the 'defragment' tool on a regular basis to 'clean up' your hard drive space.

The next two reasons for a slow/sluggish computer will be elaborated on in a future blog post.

Sometimes what my clients call a ‘slow computer’ is really a slow internet connection or bogged down internet browser issue. If the slowness is only noticed when online, then it's possible it is related to your ISP (internet service provider) ie. Verizon, Comcast, AOL (for those who still use that despite my recommendations)! It can also be caused by your internet modem and/or router. Certain internet browsers tend to be slower than others, as well.

Believe it or not, most, if not all, of my PC clients (as opposed to my MAC clients) make the assumption that the main cause for their slow computer is a virus or some other form of malware. Although it is definitely a good possibility, I always try to educate my clients on ALL possible causes.

In my next blog post, I will delve into the world of computer viruses and other malware to give you an insightful understanding of what's out there and what the symptoms are to look out for.

Till then -
Tara