Fixing Slow Computer and Internet Issues
As a computer technician, probably the number one complaint I hear is about slow computers and slow Internet access. Often the two problems are relocated. What slows the computer also slows the Internet. There are several simple steps you can take that will have made a huge difference in how your computer runs.
1) Clean the registry
The registry is a series of files that store information about every piece of hardware and program on your computer. Whenever something is added to the computer, it normally writes information into the registry. When something is removed, such as changing a piece of hardware or deleting a program, that information is not always removed. Over time the registry will become bloated with entries and commands that are no longer needed. This can slow a computer as it spends a lot of time loading unneeded entries and shifting through junk. It can also cause problems with conflicts between new programs and hardware and old entries.
There are many free registry cleaners that be downloaded. When run, these will clean out unneeded registry entries, speeding up the computer.
2) Scan for Spyware
"Spyware" refers to a class of unwanted programs that secretly make use of your Internet connection for their own purposes. Any time one is running on your computer it will slow both the Internet and the computer itself. There are many free programs that can be downloaded that will scan your computer for spyware and remove it.
However none of these programs is perfect. The list of what is considered to be "spyware" varies from program to program, so no single program is going to remove everything. One good strategy is to download two different spyware scanners, and alternate which you use each time you scan the computer. Hopefully each program will find anything "missed" by the other.
3) Restart your Wireless Router and Broadband Modem
Most routers and modems run 24x7x365. Over time, they can pick up errors, hold on to no longer needed IP address information, and be running no longer used wireless connection. An occasional reboot of both the router and Broadband modem can clear these issues. Make sure that no one is using the Internet at that time and then power down both the router and modem for about thirty seconds. (Unplugging them is the easiest way.) Then restart them both, modem first and then router.
You will not lose any settings, but will clear all the connections and errors and can speed up the Internet connection.
4) Clear the History and Temporary files from your browser
Web browsers like Internet Explorer and Firefox copy any web sites that you visit to your hard drive. This allows you to do a "back" or revisit a web page without having to re-download everything. However these files can cause problems if a web page is update or changed and you still have old files on your PC. It is a good idea to regularly clean all the Temporary Internet Files and History Files off your computer. The process for doing this varies with each browser and each version of the browser. Go into the "Help" section of your browser and search for help on "Clearing Temporary Files" and you should get step by step instructions for clearing them.
5) Clean up and defrag the Hard Drive
As a hard drive becomes full, it will run slower. It also causes files to become "fragmented", meaning they are spread out in small pieces all over your hard drive. Both these conditions will slow the computer. Windows includes free tools for cleaning up unneeded files and defragmenting the hard drive. Right click on the hard drive you want to clean/defrag and select Properties. You will see a Disk Cleanup button you can click to remove unneeded system files. You can then go to the Tools tab of the same window and run a Disk Defragment.
6) Remove any unneeded software
If you are like most people, you probably have games on your computer you have not played in months. Also four or five programs that do basically the same thing, and lots of software that you used once and then never needed again. The more of that software you remove, the faster your computer could run. From the Start Button go to the Control Panel and open the Add/Remove Programs icon. Look through the list of installed programs for any you can live without, select them, and you can remove them from your computer.
Follow these simple tips and you can speed up most computers and their Internet connections.
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