A slow computer may signal virus issues. Often, “viral infection” is the premature diagnosis that’s applied to a slow computer, but it’s not always accurate. Slow computer performance can be the result of many things, an accumulation of problems, or a single catastrophic problem. Sorting out what’s going on may take time or require the assistance of a professional. Before you do anything else, run a virus scan to see if you can identify any viral infections, and clean up whatever you find.

Help! My Computer Is Slow!

If your computer is connected to a network, the first step I’d recommend is disconnecting it. Sometimes, network services can cause a computer to slow down or monopolize its processor. By disconnecting the computer, you isolate it from the network, and in doing so, you “divide your problem in half.”

If, after disconnecting your computer from the network, the computer immediately perks up, you know that the problem is related to the network. The computer is sharing information over the network or is waiting for an event to “time out” before moving on. A computer (yours or someone else’s) or network device whose network interface has gone bad may be tying up the network by generating a lot of useless network traffic. Your network administrator may be able to help you determine the location of the bad device. If you’re working on a home network, you may need to disconnect or restart individual network devices until the culprit is found.

If your computer remains slow after disconnecting from the network, you’ve at least isolated the problem to your computer. With system tools like the Task Manager and Performance Monitor, you can determine what percentage of your CPU’s time is being devoted to each process.

If there’s a process that’s consuming 100% (or close to 100%) of your CPU cycles, shut down the task and restart it. If a restart fixes the problem, you may have saved yourself time and money. If restarting the task doesn’t solve the problem, try restarting the computer. (The task may have gone “bad” because some part of the OS is no longer functioning properly. By restarting the computer, you ensure that the OS has gotten a fresh start.)

If the problem persists, use the Task Manager to examine the programs that are running each time your computer starts up. Shut down all non-essential applications and add them back in one at a time to see if you can spot the application that slows down the works.

If a particular application causes problems, make sure your system is “well-endowed” enough to run the application, and consult with the manufacturer’s technical support group to see if there are updates or patches available to fix the issue.

If nothing seems to solve the issue, try a registry cleaner like RegCure. Periodic maintenance of the registry will help keep your computer running smoothly.

Photo Credit: Duncan Harris, via Flickr