If you have a slow computerand you don’t know why, you might be experiencing one or more common problems. Slow computing can occur over time or can be the result of a malware infection of some type. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll know when your computer has been infected because there’s a good chance you won’t!

Your computer could be infected by a particularly nasty piece of malware that turns your computer into what’s known as a zombie. This malware allows your computer to be controlled by someone else when you log onto the Internet. This remote control can slow your computer down tremendously.

Worse than that, the malware often collects and forwards your private information to other people, who can use your information to steal your money, real and online assets, distribute spam and infect other computers to create what is known as a botnet army.

Not surprisingly, this malware leaves behind a mess. To gain control of your computer, the mlaware must make changes to your computer’s registry file. While your anti-virus or anti-spyware software may detect these programs, they may not clean up the entire mess.

How do you know if you’ve been infected? Look for slow Internet connections and network activity when you’re not actively downloading or uploading files. Look for unusual errors that pop up. Check the Task Manager to see which programs are running and how much CPU time or memory space they’re taking up. If you find something suspicious, close your Internet programs (like your browser and email), and run your anti-virus program. If the program finds nothing, consider installing a second anti-virus program to catch possible problems.

In addition to these deliberate malware infections, your computer’s registry can also become bogged down with old, abandoned registry entries that were made to support a particular program. Uninstallers are notorious for leaving information behind, and this abandoned information can clog up your registry and slow your computer down.

Enter RegCure

RegCure is a top-rated program designed to keep your computer’s registry clean. No extra entries, no leftover registry keys, no broken DLLs. Removing these things from your registry means that you also eliminate the causes of most screen crashes and freezes. That’s great news because computer crashes can damage necessary files, perpetuating the problem and slowing your computer to a halt.

RegCure also backs up your registry completely before making any changes, so if you don’t like what you get once your registry has been cleaned, you can always go back to what you had!

Photo Credit: Andrew Beierle