Quick Tips For A Slow Computer

Is The Problem Temporary?

The first step in finding a fix for your slow computer is to figure out whether your problem is temporary or chronic. Temporary problems that can slow down computers include processes that have gone wild or gotten stuck, transient instabilities in the operating system, memory allocation problems, and overload.

All of these problems are the “quick-fix” types, which can be cured with a reboot. Sometimes, rebooting isn’t even necessary to kick your computer back into high gear. This is true when processes get stuck or when you’re simply asking your computer to do more than it can handle.

There are a few ways to find and root out process problems. The Task Manager, which you can access using Ctrl+Alt+Del, will help you view processes that are currently running, those that are stuck and those that are consuming a significant amount of memory.

What’s “significant?” Sustained memory or processor consumption in the range of 80%-90% is definitely a suspicious sign of trouble. Processes can briefly consume a lot of CPU cycles or available memory, especially if they’re doing something heavy-duty, but if the processor or memory usage remains high, try shutting down the offending application. If the application won’t cooperate, that’s a good indication that something’s gone wrong. You can use the End Task function in the Task Manager to shut the errant process off. If your computer operation returns to normal, you’re probably going to notice an improvement in your computer performance.

While you’re looking at your processes, take a look at what’s running. If you notice that you have a lot of applications running that you’re not using, close them and see if that helps your computer performance. Each application takes up a certain amount of RAM. If you open too many applications, or your applications take up too much memory, your computer can slow down noticeably as it tries to accommodate all of your applications.

If you have applications running that you didn’t specifically start, chances are good that you have your computer configured to start your applications automatically. This also can chew up a lot of your RAM.

Next week, I’ll have more suggestions on what you can do to speed up a slow computer.

Photo Credit: denharsh, via Flickr

Will Re-Installing Windows Take Care Of A Slow Computer?

Is Reinstallation Necessary?

Reinstallation may have been necessary – even preferred – at one time to take care of slow computer problems. In my view, it’s akin to pulling out the biggest hammer in the toolbox. I tend to avoid re-installation until I’ve exhausted all other options. I do this partially because there are a lot of settings and adjustments I’ve made to my personal computer that I simply don’t want to lose.

There is also the issue that once a fresh installation of the operating system has been carried out, you may find yourself spending an additional hour (or hours) applying every patch and service pack that’s been issued since the new OS was introduced. If your version of the OS is new, this can be relatively painless. If not, you could be applying 40-60 patches and one or more service packs to your “fresh” installation. And you also run the risk that after completing this Herculean task, you’ll still be left with a slow computer.

A better approach is to determine why the computer is behaving slowly in the first place. Computers can slow down for a variety of reasons – including lack of physical memory, lack of available disk space, and significant fragmentation on the hard disk. You could also experience problems with device drivers that have begun to misbehave. There’s also the odd possibility that a recent OS update or patch isn’t performing as expected.

Once you’ve determined that your computer has sufficient resources to run the applications you use, you can also check the network connection and the servers you’re connecting to. If your computer operates normally with its network card disabled, your problem isn’t likely to be solved by replacing the OS.

People tend to ascribe odd computer behavior to viral infections. While it’s true that viruses can certainly slow down your computer and decrease its ability to perform, a good anti-virus program will not only detect and remove offending malware, it will also prevent your computer from being impacted in the first place.

I advise people to download a registry cleaner like SpeedUpMyPC because it not only manages the registry, it also optimizes the computer for the best possible performance. If you’re not impressed with your computer’s performance, download a copy of SpeedUpMyPC and see for yourself why more than a million PC users rely on it to speed up their computer performance.

Photo Credit: Abraham.williams, via Flickr

New Slow DOS Attack Could Cripple Computer

Slow DOS Attack Concept Not New

The idea of attacking a Web server one piece at a time isn’t new. In 2009, Slowloris demonstrated the “death-by-a-thousand-HTTP-requests” approach, in which partial page requests are dribbled out in a maddeningly slow fashion. After awhile, Slowloris can clog up most or all available TCP ports, effectively stopping the server in its tracks.

The latest evolution of the slow death takes a different approach. Instead of issuing partial requests, Slow Read issues full page requests but then slows down the server by reading the response ever so slowly. In addition, the attack could exploit the variable TCP packet size to create zillions of exceedingly tiny packets, which are then read oh-so-slowly. The server, which is ready to send data, must hold unread packets in a buffer, waiting for the attacker to request more data. If a number of malefactors applied this to the same server, the server would simply stop working for legitimate users as it waited to ship little, tiny data packets to the slow readers of the world.

The result: one seriously slow computer. What is the likelihood that the Internet will suddenly screech to a halt with this? Not much. Server admins can prevent this kind of attack by configuring Web servers (or any server – really – that uses TCP/IP) to refuse connections to requestors that set unreasonably small data packet sizes. They could also address the issue by timing out requests. If a page request can’t be completed (on the recipient’s side) within a certain reasonable period of time, the connection could be (and should be) dropped.

The theoretical attack, however, does underscore the role of data transmission in computer performance. Sometimes computers that are connected to a network are exceedingly slow – not because something’s wrong with them – but because something’s wrong with the computer on the other end of the connection.

That’s always something to take into consideration when trying to troubleshoot a computer problem. If the problem occurs during a network connection, disconnect the computer from the network. If performance improves, you know that the problem is related to the network connection and not to the computer in question.

Photo Credit: ivanpw, via Flickr

Keep A Slow Computer? Yes, But Why?

How Old Is Old?

For businesses, three years is getting a little long in the tooth for desktop computers, but a three-year old computer is still quite serviceable. Such a computer can generally run the latest version of the operating system and can manage most, if not all, peripheral devices. The form factor should be relatively small, so it doesn’t take up much room on the floor or on the desktop.
If a three-year-old computer is running slowly, try the usual maintenance tricks like freeing space on the hard drive, defragmenting the hard disk and performing some clean-up maintenance tasks. Don’t forget to use a registry cleaner like SpeedUpMyPC. SpeedUpMyPC not only cleans the registry, but also optimizes the computer for the kind of work you do. It makes a real performance difference!

For businesses with a four-year-old computer, replacement is a gray area. If the computer has been updated to the latest operating system and is performing well, there’s no reason to get rid of the computer based solely on its age. Many businesses choose to take their oldest machines out of the line of heavy fire and relegate them to softer duties at this point. That’s always a good option. Again, if the PC is performing slowly, give SpeedUpMyPC a shot at cleaning out the registry and optimizing the computer’s performance. If the computer isn’t running the latest operating system and there’s no real likelihood that you’ll upgrade the OS, it may make sense to upgrade the OS simply by replacing the computer.

For businesses with five year old computers, you’re more likely to benefit by replacing the computer with newer models. This is a great opportunity to preserve the performance of a new computer, by the way. Load SpeedUpMyPC onto a new computer and keep your computer is new operating condition, even as you use the computer.

For personal computers, I dispense the advice I always give: if the computer does what you need it to do and you’re not inclined to replace it, don’t. Use SpeedUpMyPC to keep your older computer running in tip-top shape and perform regular maintenance tasks as needed. Replace your computer when you want to upgrade, rather than by looking to the calendar for guidance.

Photo Credit: Alan Light, via Flickr

Speed Up Your Computer With These Tips

Consider These For Your Computer

One of the reasons your computer may be slow is that it relies on a physical hard disk to store and retrieve data. Don’t limit your definition of data to just the files you store. When you’re working on your computer, your operating system is stored on your hard disk, so every time you call on your OS to do something, you increase the risk that your computer will need to activate its hard disk to complete your request.

Mechanical items are comparatively slow, so when the hard disk gets involved, your computer will slow down. So how can you avoid this? Well, consider switching to a solid-state drive (SSD). They’re much faster than a mechanical hard disk and the all-around speed of your computer will improve remarkably.

Solid-state drives aren’t without their faults, but if speed is what you’re going for, this is definitely one area in which you can recover some otherwise “lost” time. The use of solid-state memory isn’t new. After all, that’s essentially what a USB drive is. As a replacement for mechanical hard disks, SSDs have been around for laptops for awhile. In the laptop environment, SSDs actually make a lot of sense because they’re at a lower risk of accidental damage from being dropped or mishandled.

They’re also really lightweight – a big plus when you’re lugging around a laptop! But how do they perform? In some operations – like read and write – SSDs typically outperform mechanical hard disks. They also offer marginal improvements in power consumption on laptops, though not significant enough to write home about. Another big bonus – they don’t generate a lot of heat, which can be uncomfortable for the user and can lead to early component fatigue in some configurations.

So what are the three main disadvantages of solid state drives? Cost, cost, and cost. Solid state drives are significantly more expensive than regular hard disk drives, so right now, the only opt-ins for SSDs are for those users who need the advantages of SSDs more than they need the several hundred dollars’ difference in price. The good news is that if you do opt for a solid-state drive, Windows 7 is optimized to make the best use of the device, so you can be assured that you’ll get excellent performance for your outlay.

Photo Credit: IntelFreePress, via Flickr