Tips for Computer Running Slow

[SueK]

Ok guys, is your computer running slow or bogging down, well here are some tips that will help delete some of those files that are slowing done your computer performance. If you have Outlook Express in Windows XP for sending email, open it up and delete any messages you no longer need in the inbox, pictures and movies that people send, take up alot of space on your hard drive.Then click on the Sent folder and delete all the files in the sent folder. Alot of people don't even think about Outlook Express keeps a copy of all the email messages you have ever sent to anyone. I have known people that have never emptied this folder and had thousands of files in the sent folder. You can also delete programs that you have never used, like I had Quicken ( finances) and never used it. You can do this offline, go to(Click Start)(Click Control Panel)(Click on Add or Remove Programs) find the program that you don't use any at all and click on change/delete and it will remove the program, DON'T CLICK ON ANYTHING THAT YOU ARE UNSURE OF! THERE IS ALOT OF IMPORTANT FILES HERE ALSO. Another way to clean files up is to put your pictures on CD'S. Pics take up alot of space. Hope this helps!

[DonnaJim23]

Thanks for the info! My computer is so slow and your tips will help me a lot.

[Lynn_A]

Remember something as simple as defragging your hard drive can help. This is a procedure most people should do at least once a week, but I find the majority of people never bother with it. It leaves data scattered all over the drive and it takes time to pull it all together.

[Awaz]

Make sure that you have a good antivirus and antispyware installed. Most of the slowness comes from spyware or malware running in your computer. Make sure to delete temporary internet files periodically using tools>internet options> button in your IE.

[PatHIverson]

Ok guys, is your computer running slow or bogging down, well here are some tips that will help delete some of those files that are slowing done your computer performance. If you have Outlook Express in Windows XP for sending email, open it up and delete any messages you no longer need in the inbox, pictures and movies that people send, take up alot of space on your hard drive.Then click on the Sent folder and delete all the files in the sent folder. Alot of people don't even think about Outlook Express keeps a copy of all the email messages you have ever sent to anyone. I have known people that have never emptied this folder and had thousands of files in the sent folder. You can also delete programs that you have never used, like I had Quicken ( finances) and never used it. You can do this offline, go to(Click Start)(Click Control Panel)(Click on Add or Remove Programs) find the program that you don't use any at all and click on change/delete and it will remove the program, DON'T CLICK ON ANYTHING THAT YOU ARE UNSURE OF! THERE IS ALOT OF IMPORTANT FILES HERE ALSO. Another way to clean files up is to put your pictures on CD'S. Pics take up alot of space. Hope this helps!

This would speed up your outlook express, but not your computer.. YOu want to remove programs from you start up menu found in your msconfig command....

[jking]

If your computer just became slower. Try system restore, you'll be able to move all settings to few days earlier, before you got the virus, problem, etc.

[yeteti77]

1) A good Anti-virus.
2) Anti-Spyware (I use Malwarebytes and Hitman Pro).
3) Defrag (comes with PCs).
4) Dump unneeded files.
5) Update drivers to a stable version. Sometimes new releases can be buggy. Sometimes we also download for the wrong OS. ie. 32 bit rather than 64 bit.
6) Uninstall programs (if the problem recently occurred) and see if that works.
7) System restore to a good point.
8) Get a program like CCleaner and clean the registry.
6) If needed - Full re-format.

[RustySheriff]

This would speed up your outlook express, but not your computer.. YOu want to remove programs from you start up menu found in your msconfig command....

Yerp. Turn off all services that doesn't use microsoft and all programs that start on startup. That will help immediately on next boot. Turn on your antivirus and other things that you use all the time though.

[Stemming]

Make sure that you have a good antivirus and antispyware installed. Most of the slowness comes from spyware or malware running in your computer. Make sure to delete temporary internet files periodically using tools>internet options> button in your IE.

Thank you all for sharing your views... This is a very general problem that we all face but find no solution.. I am sure this is going to help a lot of computer users like me who dint know about this procedure before

[HayZee518]

By default, the mouse is configured to use the Double-click to open an item (single-click to select) setting in Windows XP. To configure the mouse to use the Single-click to open an item (point to select) setting, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then click My Computer.
On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
On the General tab, click Single-click to open an item (point to select), and then click OK.

[LarryHome]

Make sure that you have a good antivirus and antispyware installed. Most of the slowness comes from spyware or malware running in your computer. Make sure to delete temporary internet files periodically using tools>internet options> button in your IE.

Most of the slowness of a computer usually comes from anti-virus programs that use up an awful lot of memory in the background. This is one of the main reasons why many users remain frustrated even after taking some of the necessary steps mentioned previously in this thread. So my advice is to check that you have an anti-virus software that runs smoothly in the background. I won't name any of the bad ones, but I will name a very good one which I use called AVG. It is the best anti-virus program I have used out of the whole lot by far! Best of all, and most incredibly, it's absolutely free!

[HayZee518]

AVG free only protects the computer. It does not do file downloads, email scans, malicious programs trying to access your computer. Adwil's AVAST does all those things and more AND they are absolutely free too! They have an onboard free running scan during all online times on the internet. They have daily updates to their heuristic scan definitions.

[LarryHome]

AVG free only protects the computer. It does not do file downloads, email scans, malicious programs trying to access your computer. Adwil's AVAST does all those things and more AND they are absolutely free too! They have an onboard free running scan during all online times on the internet. They have daily updates to their heuristic scan definitions.

Mine does. It is called AVG Internet Security so it's main aim is protecting you from attacks on the internet, whilst also protecting the computer like normal anti-viruses. It also highlights sites in search engine results that are safe to visit, and sites that have some form of malware or malicious program running on them. I can give you the direct link to where I got it from if you like?