Most common questions used to investigate
Are there any background processes running?
Is there any program running on your computer that may be using a lot of resources?
Check the task manager. Are there any programs running that you are currently not using?
Are there any startup programs configured in your system?
Using an antivirus software, scan your computer. Is there any virus showing on the scan?
Check your computer for spyware or malware. Is there any spyware or malware showing up on the scan?
Check your computer for temp files by typing "%temp%" in the search column of the start bar. Are there temp files present in your computer?
Do you have at least 200-500MB of free hard drive space in your main partition?
Run software to check the quality of the hard drive. Did the check reveal any faults with the hard disk?
Is there any error in the arrangement of data in your hard disk? You can check this by running specialized software.
Check the device manager. Is there an error being shown with any component?
Did you recently update Windows?
Is your CPU cooling fan working?
Does your computer have the right amount of RAM? Check the amount of RAM most suitable for your computer online.
Common conclusions
Some programs require a lot of resources which in turn slows down your computer. What you can do is while using such software is to close all other programs which are not being used. This should help speed up your computer.
You may terminate all such programs as these processes take a lot of ram to run. This should help speed up your computer.
You may terminate some of the startup programs that are not in use. These programs use up a lot of resources which in turn slows down the computer.
Check your computer for antivirus processes as they use up a lot of space. You can wait a bit for the processes to end or terminate the program manually.
Quarantine or delete the virus, as viruses use up resources and tamper with your computer, which in turn slows down other processes.
Quarantine or delete the spyware or malware programs as these software slow down your computer and are also a security threat.
You can delete all temp files which are not in use as these files often slow down your computer.
Free up some space as a computer requires at least 200-500MB of free space for it to create temp files which are used by the software running.
Change your hard disk as the reason for your slow computer may be a malfunctioning hard drive.
Run the Windows de-fragmentation feature which should help in increasing the speed of your computer.
Troubleshoot the error as sometimes the computer slows down due to a conflict in hardware.
Install all the recent windows updates as the latest updates are made to be less resource hungry which may increase the processing speed of your computer.
First clean your computer's internal hardware using a soft brush or a blow dryer and make sure the fan is working. Overheating can slow down your computer.
We suggest adding another chip of RAM since your computer seems to be unable to handle your current processing needs.
Contact a professional as the problem may be with your processor.
References
Related Problems
Author
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muneebbabar null
Hi! I’m Muneeb.
My background is in Electrical Engineering, IT and General Sciences . I enjoy writing about electronics, DIY and Self-Help. I’m always in pursuit of interesting materials and I love reading books and blogs about new technologies, IT solutions or DIY guides.
You can find me on LinkedIn at: [www.linkedin.com/in/muneeb-babar-]