What to do if your computer is faulty. Computer slows down

I was even a little confused, because there could be hundreds of reasons. But after a few seconds I decided to start the discussion with the most common problems that can contribute to the computer not working properly. Many people still believe that it is enough to restart the computer and everything will immediately work normally, but this is far from a correct assumption. There are many cases in which a reboot will not help, and that’s what we’ll talk about today.

Local drive C is full

One of the most popular reasons why a computer slows down is improper use of memory. We download dozens of files to our computer every month and don’t always think about where they are saved. But this is very important, because computer memory is not endless and sooner or later everyone runs out. Only someone monitors this and deletes unnecessary files in time to upload new ones. And some people keep pushing a bunch of information until the computer completely crashes.

So, friends, it is very important to keep the information on your computer as clean as possible. And the most important thing is not to overload the local drive C. After all, it is on it that your operating system is stored by default. Therefore, when the memory is overloaded, the computer simply does not have the ability to physically work in the correct mode.

It probably won’t be enough to just say it. Let's now everyone who reads the article check the computer's memory and find out if there is such a problem at the moment. To do this, go to the “My Computer” shortcut or through Explorer, but the main thing is that a window opens in front of you, in which local and external drives will be listed. Among them, we are mainly interested in local drive C, so we look at it carefully, if the memory indicator is blue, it means everything is in order at the moment, but if it is highlighted in red, then rest assured it’s time to delete unnecessary information, thereby unloading system.

I think the meaning is generally clear, if you don’t like to keep things in order, don’t expect good, stable work from your computer. For those who take care of their equipment, nothing goes wrong:

Heavy load on components

In the first few seconds, many may wonder what kind of load is on the components that can cause the computer to malfunction? I hasten to dispel your guesses; in this section I want to remind you that you should not forget about the maximum capabilities of your PC. Let's say you bought a computer, about 4 years have passed and you want it to still work just as well, but unfortunately, in reality this will not happen. The parts inside the system unit operate at fairly high temperatures, which somehow accelerates the wear of the iron.

Here you just need to understand that an old computer will only work slower every year. Not because it was broken or misused, but simply because it was old. But it also happens that when you buy a new computer, some programs glitch or freeze. It’s a rather offensive situation in which everyone begins to worry, some even swear, saying that they just bought a new one, but everything is already buggy. It is worth being patient and trying to understand why the glitch or freeze is happening. After all, as a rule, everything is fine on a new PC, so the first thing you should pay attention to is the load that you put on your computer.

Most likely, when you run one or two programs, the computer will work normally, but if you run something else at the same time (a game in the browser, a player with music, and at the same time an anti-virus scan), then just at this moment a failure may occur, as a result everything works very well. slow or freezes completely. From this behavior we can conclude that the computer simply does not have enough physical power of its components, that is, you demand more from it than it can. Each machine has its own maximum capabilities and it is advisable to know them or at least understand them.

The modern generation is not poorly versed in the structure of system units and almost everyone can conduct small tests that will help determine which part of the computer does not provide the required power. But people born before the 90s, in most cases, have difficulty “defeating” the structure of computers. I cannot tell you in one article what characteristics and details you need to look at, what tests to carry out to identify the load. Therefore, for those who are interested in being “friends” with their computer, it will help diagnose the PC and track most of the most important performance parameters.

Infection with malware and viruses

Now we have moved on to the most understandable section of the article, at first glance. After all, I most often hear from friends, clients and just acquaintances that the computer is slow because there are a lot of viruses in it. And even though you try to prove that this may not be the reason, people, even without understanding the principle of operation of the operating system, will foam at the mouth to prove that the computer is glitching precisely because of viruses, which probably exist, but cannot be found.

In such cases, the “debriefing” time increases several times, because it is necessary not only to solve the problem, but also to explain to the person what the real reason is. Without going off topic, we should partially agree that there are really a lot of viruses and they often infect the computers of inattentive or careless users. Although most often they overtake curious people when downloading pirated software or when visiting sites with liberated content.

I can disappoint many by immediately saying that there is no ideal antivirus that will save you from any infection. Therefore, even after installing a reliable antivirus, do not lose your vigilance and always use your head. But if you haven’t been able to avoid infection or you just think that perhaps the virus could have gotten to you somehow by accident. It is clearly necessary to conduct a high-quality check aimed at a “deep” search for malicious files.

I don’t see the point in analyzing each type of infection and how to solve it; I simply don’t have enough energy, time and knowledge. Therefore, I am ready to offer you an excellent, universal solution to the problem. I have already written a detailed article with practical examples and a video that explains how to correctly find and remove a virus from a computer?

Many errors in the database registry

Not everyone knows what the registry is and why it can slow down the computer. Let's try to bring a little clarity to this, I will try to write in the simplest possible language that everyone can understand. So, the registry is a huge database that simply stores operating system settings.

To understand a little better what is happening, let me tell you that when you install any new application (program or game), new entries (settings) will appear in the registry, designed for the correct operation of this application.

Modern computers have fairly high performance. Even the cheapest system unit runs an order of magnitude faster than a gaming computer from ten years ago. Unfortunately, sooner or later any personal computer user is faced with significant system slowdown. Any action takes much longer than it did before. Playing media files, launching applications, and even moving from one directory to another takes an extremely long time.

The most unpleasant thing in this case is that many factors can cause deterioration in PC performance. However, you can identify a number of the most common reasons and find out how to deal with them. So, why does your computer slow down and how can you try to fix it?

Perhaps one of the main reasons for the deterioration of computer performance is associated with the entry of malicious software into the operating system. Fortunately, PC virus infection can be easily distinguished from other factors. Once malware gets in, the computer not only slows down, but also the interface slows down, the operating system regularly crashes. The most common signs of viruses entering your computer include:

Computer freezes for no reason
Inability to delete one or another
An unidentified file appears in all directories
Destruction of text and graphic files
Encrypting user files
Ads appearing on the desktop

To clean a PC from viruses, the user will have to sacrifice some data. The fact is that even after installing anti-virus software, not all files will pass quarantine. Most of the data, unfortunately, will be deleted.

One way or another, a person has only one option: install reliable anti-virus software and conduct a full system scan, agreeing to delete “incurable” files.

The most reliable antivirus programs include: dr. Web, NOD32 and Kaspersky.

What advice can you give to users? Everything is very simple, after installing Windows, the first thing to do is install anti-virus software, after which the user should only use applications from official sites, or, in extreme cases, from .

Splitting the hard drive into two local disks is certainly useful. In case of any problems with the OS, the user simply reinstalls the system.

But sometimes users allocate an extremely small amount of space for the operating system. As a result, after installing Windows, there is little free space left on “C” (the letter Windows assigns to the system drive by default), and if you install several large applications, such as Photoshop or After Effects, there will be even less free space left.

Over time, a lot of temporary files, game saves, temporary files, unfinished projects and much more accumulate on the local C drive.

To clean up garbage, the easiest way is to use the CCleaner program, the database of which contains files that can be deleted without consequences for the operating system. In addition, a PC user should regularly delete browser history.

I can give you one more piece of advice. Recently, more and more people are using the Google Chrome browser. This browser has one convenient feature, namely, the creation of multiple profiles. Many people get carried away with this feature, creating dozens of profiles, but one profile takes up about 500 megabytes of disk space.

Surely many users are familiar with the situation when the computer works relatively stable, but when starting even the simplest game, the PC begins to make annoying noise, and the processor is loaded at 100%.

Unfortunately, this is a common problem among those users who purchased a ready-made system unit. Many people simply do not know that a computer is not a TV or any other electronic device. The structure of the system unit is designed in such a way that during the day, a huge volume of air passes through its case, and along with it, dust gets onto the parts. Over time, coolers, radiators and the surface of components begin to become covered with a layer of dust.

As a result, the cooling system is unable to properly cope with cooling the computer.

To check the temperature of the power supply, just place your palm on the back of the case; in some cases, the temperature is such that you simply cannot hold your hand.

To check the temperature of other components, you will need third-party software, such as AIDA64.

Normal temperatures under load should be approximately as follows:

Processor - no more than 60 degrees Celsius
System board - within 40 degrees
Video card - no more than 70
Hard drive - up to 40 degrees

Of course, this all depends on the individual details of each build. For example, AMD processors run hotter than Intel processors.

If this problem is not solved for a long time, the computer components begin to wear out quickly, and eventually the PC will simply fail.

To solve this problem, you need to disassemble the system unit, clean every part from dust (especially) and replace the thermal paste on the processor, video card and motherboard chipset.

Gradual wear of the hard drive

Each part in the system unit has a limited service life. However, some components fail earlier than others; for example, a processor rarely fails, while a hard drive works stably for no more than five years on average.

The service life of a hard drive most often depends on the quality of manufacturing, however, some user actions can significantly extend the service life of the component.

Firstly, as mentioned above, it is necessary to monitor the temperature of the part, and secondly, carry out.

The structure of the hard drive is designed in such a way that the head moves along the surface of the magnetic plate, reading the information scattered on it.

For example, in order to play a video file, the heads move across the entire surface of the hard drive looking for the necessary information, and accordingly, over time, the moving mechanisms wear out a lot. Defragmentation is designed to group information about a file in one place, instead of searching for it throughout the entire drive.

Lack of RAM as a reason for computer slowdown

When any application is launched, its data is loaded into, accordingly, the more complex the task assigned to the system, the more RAM will be spent on its execution. Some modern games require at least 16 gigabytes of RAM.

The shortage of RAM is especially acute when working with browsers. The more tabs you have open, the more your RAM is loaded.

There are many solutions to this problem, for example, increasing the size of the paging file, due to which, after the RAM is full, the data will be charged into a specially designated sector on the hard drive, but at the same time, the speed of the computer will invariably decrease.

The only way out of this situation is to purchase additional RAM. Unfortunately, if a buyer is using DDR2 or DDR3 and decides to upgrade to a newer type of memory, DDR4, along with the RAM, they will have to change the motherboard.

If we compare the system unit with the human body, the processor can be called its heart. It is thanks to the central processor that all calculations are performed on the computer.

A weak processor is not able to play high-definition videos, run high-performance games, convert multimedia files, etc.

Many PC users try to increase the frequency of the component, but unfortunately, this can not be done with every processor, and the resulting power will still not be enough for complex calculations.

Unfortunately, as with RAM, this part will have to be replaced.

Surely many people are annoyed when, after turning on the computer, previously installed applications, such as Skype, antivirus software or uTorrent, start popping up on the screen.

Not only does it prevent you from getting started quickly, but it also affects the overall performance of the system.

To disable autoloading, in the settings of each program you need to uncheck the “load the program with Windows” option.

You should leave autoloading only in those programs where it is truly important, for example anti-virus software or Alcohol 120% virtual disks.

Many PC users are not even aware of the existence of the registry, but it is where all the information about installed applications, registration, system settings, etc. is stored.

Over time, the registry becomes filled with garbage left behind by deleted applications, which prevents the system from working as expected.

To solve this problem, you must either have a good understanding of the registry, or use the same CCleaner application, which will automatically delete all unnecessary entries.

The computer slows down when using the browser

Many users complain that the computer slows down when working with . Unfortunately, the problem is rarely in the browser.

Indeed, sometimes the Flash player crashes, which leads to a RAM leak, but this happens extremely rarely.

The browser itself is very demanding on processor performance, and especially on RAM. In this case, a person must simply replace the outdated components of the system unit. In addition, it would be a good idea to clear your browser cache and browsing history from time to time.

We have looked at the main reasons why your computer slows down. For stable operation of the system, regular maintenance of the personal computer is necessary, both technical and software. If you handle computer equipment with care, your computer can last for many years.

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If you don't take care of your computer, sooner or later you'll have to answer a nasty question?

Answering this question, we will give 6 steps, following which regularly, you will forget what a slow computer is or a computer is slow.

To prevent overheating of components, it is necessary to regularly clean the computer from dust and other contaminants. As a result of overheating, a protection mechanism is activated in the processor and graphics adapter - throttling. As a result, performance decreases and the computer begins to think for a long time - slow down.

This is noticeable under load. Let's say you work in Word, then turn on a high-definition movie or game and the slowdowns begin. At the same time, you can hear a lot of noise from the cooling systems, which are trying to blow air through the radiator fins clogged with dust.

Therefore, the first thing you need to do is look into your system unit or laptop cooling system at least once a year and clean it.

Before cleaning, be sure to unplug the power cord from the computer and remove the battery from the laptop.

It is also necessary to blow out dust from the power supply. It is best to blow with an old vacuum cleaner, and do not suck, but rather blow. The effect is much better. You can watch and read how to clean your computer from dust.

Another great option is to connect the drive to another computer with an updated antivirus and scan the entire hard drive. This is especially true if you cannot even enter safe mode. In this option, it is possible to treat and remove those viruses and Trojans that cannot be removed when the operating system is loaded, since at the time of treatment the infected files are in use and occupied by the operating system.

I highly recommend looking at the Virus Removal section. There is a series of articles about how to cure a computer in different ways, including how to remove a banner from the desktop.

Step number two is to remove viruses, install an antivirus and update it daily.

Recovering system files

In short:

Launch the command line as administrator. and select Command Prompt (Administrator).
We write sfc /scannow and press Enter.
We are waiting for completion.

If damaged system files were found and they were not restored, read carefully.

Cleaning your computer with Glary Utilites

The fourth step is to optimize your computer using Glary Utilities and similar programs. The program is an analogue of CCLeaner, with which you can also do almost all of the steps below.

You can download the latest version of Glary Utilities from the official website http://www.glarysoft.com/

If you want to quickly clean the system, then go to the tab 1-Click. Click Find problems.

We wait until the program detects problems and click To correct …

We are waiting for Glary Utilities to fix the problems.

In the window that opens, look through the entire list of programs, find unused ones, highlight and press them Remove this program.

To make it easier to find unused programs, you can select Rarely used on the left side of the window.

Unnecessary programs have now been removed let's clean up startup. Open the startup manager.

In the top table (Programs that run with Windows), we look through all the elements and uncheck those that should not load. For example µTorrent. You can also turn off those that you don’t always use. These programs can be launched from a shortcut on the desktop or from the Start menu

And the most interesting thing. Table Delayed launch programs. We have already discussed how you can speed up the loading of the operating system using delayed startup. There we used the Task Scheduler. It is probably used here in the same way, but the interface is much more convenient.

For that, so that the program does not start immediately highlight it in the top table. Click Insert (the button between the tables). Double-click on the delay time (the default is 30 seconds) and set the desired one. In the picture above you can see how my loading is spread out over time. I'll probably return Skype. We need it right away. In order to remove the delayed launch of a program, select it in the table and click Cancel.

We have optimized autoloading (you can read more about autoloading).

Now, if you did the 1-Click cleaning, then you don’t have to clean the registry and disk. If not, then run it and then Disk Cleanup. I’ll show you with an example of cleaning the registry.

In the window that opens, click on the left Search for errors. We are waiting for the errors to be found. Click Fix the registry

Now it would be nice update remaining programs to the latest versions. Let's hope these latest versions will be faster and more stable. Click on the icon Software update.

Below on the same page you can download beta versions of the programs. I don't usually do this. I download and install only normal versions.

For an even more thorough cleaning of your hard drive, you can remove Duplicate Files, Empty Folders, and Broken Shortcuts. These items are located on the Modules tab.

The fourth step turned out to be voluminous. Here we removed programs, optimized startup, updated outdated programs and fought with duplicates. The main part is done.

RAM and paging file

The fifth step is to have enough RAM in your computer. If there is not enough memory, then the system has to work with the paging file. The paging file, or pagefile.sys, is a place on your drive where data from RAM that is not being used at that moment is placed.

It's no secret that HDDs are the slowest device in our computers. And when using the swap file, the entire computer slows down. Therefore, there is only one recommendation: increase the RAM, but leave the swap file. On the system disk, it is desirable that the paging file size be 200 MB. This will be enough to record memory minidumps. The latter are necessary for diagnosing blue screens of death.

I'll tell you how I achieve a balance between visual effects and performance.

Conclusion

In this article, we have provided 7 steps to improve the speed of your computer. The main points, it seems to me, are cleaning the computer from dust and preventing the computer from viruses and checking system files. Try to regularly follow at least part of these recommendations and your computer will not cease to please you.

I also recommend an article on a similar topic - System optimization using Windows. I recently wrote an article about Internet Safety. I hope you find it interesting.

Best regards, Anton Dyachenko

Windows 7 is the most popular operating system, but like any program, it may not work properly. The reasons may be different, from a banal lack of system resources to virus infection. If your computer or laptop running Windows 7 is very slow, you need to eliminate possible sources of slow operation.

If you want to see the system resource usage monitor, press the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc and go to the “Performance” tab.

Here you can see the % of processor and RAM load and determine what is missing to complete the assigned tasks. If your computer is running slowly or freezes, then sequentially eliminate all possible causes.

Lack of overall PC power

Windows 7 requires certain power to run:

Dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 1 GHz or higher.
RAM from 1 GB.
Video card supporting DirectX9 or higher.

These are resources that are needed for the operation of the OS itself. Therefore, for normal operation on a computer or laptop, it is recommended to have a reserve of resources 2 times greater than what is required for the OS. Otherwise, everything will slow down greatly and work will be almost impossible.

What to do if there are not enough resources? You can buy additional RAM and a more powerful processor.

Temperature violation

The cooling system may not cope with the assigned tasks, which leads to an increase in the temperature of the devices to a critical level. As a result, the devices automatically limit their performance and the computer slows down to a minimum or freezes to give them a chance to cool down. The reasons may be different. Perhaps the computer has not been cleaned of dust for a long time or the thermal paste has not been replaced, so the radiators are clogged and do not allow air flow. Or maybe the cooler was chosen incorrectly or it is simply physically worn out. Clean the system unit or laptop or install a more powerful cooling system to correct the situation. Such procedures must be done with extreme caution so as not to damage the board elements.

It is necessary to clean the boards from dust 1-2 times a year, depending on the operating conditions.

Lack of free space

For Windows to work effectively, you need free space on the system disk. If the physical amount of RAM is not enough, the system uses the page file as temporary storage. To see the size of the required space for the paging file on the disk of a laptop or PC, you need to go to the control panel. Select “System” - additional system parameters. On the “Advanced” tab, open “Performance Options” and select “Advanced”.

If there is less free space on the system disk than the system requires, then you need to clean it of unnecessary files, transfer important information to another disk or external storage media.

IMPORTANT! The desktop and the My Documents folder also belong to the system drive.

Virus threats

There are many different types of computer viruses, each of which is focused on a specific action. The activity of some viruses requires a large amount of system resources, as a result of which the execution of user operations slows down many times. In addition, the execution of virus processes has high priority and they are executed first, which greatly slows down work on the PC. The solution may be to install an antivirus program on your laptop.

In some cases, viruses block any installation of programs, so you must first get rid of viruses using express scanners that do not require installation. The most effective representatives of such funds are Dr. Web Cureit and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool, which help clean your PC, laptop or tablet from viruses in just 10-30 minutes.

If the execution of any operations is blocked, the PC freezes, then you can carry out anti-virus measures by booting from a USB flash drive or boot disk.

Registry and startup spam

During long-term operation of Windows, erroneous entries accumulate in the system registry, which slow down the operation of the OS. It is necessary to periodically diagnose the system registry and optimize it to maintain its integrity and improve the performance of the computer. You can carry out this procedure using CCleaner, which helps to effectively clean the system of computer debris.

Many programs that users install are loaded automatically with the system. Such programs use system resources, but are not used by the user in everyday life. Therefore, you can disable their autoloading and enable it only when required. This can be done using CCleaner or standard Windows tools. Press the Win + R combination and enter the msconfig command. Select the Startup tab and disable downloading unnecessary applications.

Damage to system files

Often the computer slows down due to damaged or missing Windows system files. The reasons can be varied - errors resulting from long-term (more than a year) use of the OS, the consequences of damage by viruses, accidental deletion of some files, or violation of the integrity of the system after removing some programs.

A simple solution to the problem may be to restore the operating system. This process does not affect installed programs and drivers, but only restores the standard configuration of system files. Your computer or laptop should start working faster.

If the file violation is critical and recovery is impossible, then you can consider reinstalling Windows 7. This is recommended if other methods of solving the problem did not help.

Hardware damage

If the PC periodically freezes completely, then the reason may lie in physical damage/breakage of components and functional elements of the board - processor, video card, RAM, chipset, bridge, capacitors, cooler. It is quite difficult to identify such a malfunction; it is necessary to carry out special tests and diagnostics. It is better to do such work in service centers.

As a rule, after the initial installation of Windows 10, the computer simply “flies”: pages open in the browser very quickly and any, even the most resource-intensive programs are launched. But over time, users load the hard drive with necessary and unnecessary programs, which create additional load on the central processor. This dramatically affects the speed and performance of a laptop or computer. A considerable amount of resources is taken up by all sorts of gadgets and visual effects that some inexperienced users love to decorate their desktop with. Computers that were purchased five or ten years ago and are already obsolete “suffer” more from such ill-considered actions. They cannot maintain at a certain level the system requirements that are necessary for the normal operation of modern programs, and begin to slow down. To understand this problem and get rid of freezes and slowdowns in devices based on information technology, you need to carry out a step-by-step set of diagnostics.

Why does a computer or laptop with Windows 10 start to freeze and slow down: reasons and solutions

To figure out what is causing the computer to slow down, you need to conduct a comprehensive check of the device. All possible methods are already known and tested, all that remains is to get to the bottom of the specific problem. By correctly identifying the cause of device slowdown, it is possible to increase performance by twenty to thirty percent, which is especially important for outdated models of laptops and computers. The check will have to be carried out in stages, gradually eliminating the tested options.

Not enough processor power for new software

Excessive load on the central processor is one of the most common reasons that causes a computer to freeze and lead to a decrease in its performance.

Sometimes users themselves create additional load on the processor. For example, they install the 64-bit version of Windows 10 on a computer with four gigabytes of RAM, which can hardly cope with the amount of resources consumed for this edition of the distribution, despite the 64-bit processor. In addition, there is no guarantee that when all processor cores are used, one of them will not have a defect in the silicon crystals, which will negatively affect the speed properties of the product. In this case, switching to a 32-bit version of the operating system, which consumes much less resources, will help reduce the load. The standard amount of RAM of 4 gigabytes with a processor clock speed of 2.5 gigahertz is quite enough for her.

The cause of a computer freezing or slowing down may be a low-power processor that does not meet the system requirements imposed by modern programs. When several quite resource-intensive products are turned on simultaneously, it does not have time to cope with the flow of commands and begins to crash and freeze, which leads to constant slowdown in work.

You can check the load on the processor and get rid of currently unnecessary applications in a simple way:

Launch Task Manager by pressing the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del (you can also press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Del).
Click on the “Task Manager” menu item
Go to the "Performance" tab and view the percentage of CPU load.
View CPU percentage
Click the “Open Resource Monitor” icon at the bottom of the panel.
In the Resource Monitor panel, view CPU percentage and graphics usage
View CPU load in percentage and graphical form.
Select the applications that you don't currently need running and right-click on them. Click on the “End process” item.
Select unnecessary processes and terminate them

Often, additional processor load occurs due to the continued activity of a closed application. For example, the user was communicating with someone via Skype. At the end of the conversation, I closed the program, but the application still remained active and continued to load the processor with unnecessary commands, taking away some of the resources. This is where the “Resource Monitor” will help, in which you can complete the process manually.

It is advisable to have a processor load of between sixty and seventy percent. If it exceeds this figure, then the computer slows down, as the processor begins to skip and reset commands.

If the load is too high and the processor is clearly unable to cope with the volume of commands from running programs, there are only two ways to solve the problem:

purchase a new central processor with a higher clock speed;
do not run a large number of resource-intensive programs at the same time or reduce them to a minimum.

Before you rush to buy a new processor, you should definitely try to find out the reason why the performance has decreased. This will allow you to make the right decision and not waste money. The reasons for braking may be:

After taking initial steps to identify the causes of slowdowns in work, you can move on to a more thorough check of computer elements and system software.

Video: how to disable unnecessary processes through the Task Manager in Windows 10

Hard drive problems

Braking and freezing of a computer or laptop can occur due to problems with the hard drive, which can be either mechanical or software in nature. The main reasons for a slow computer:

Video: what to do if the hard drive is 100% loaded

Lack of RAM

One of the reasons why your computer slows down is a lack of RAM.

Modern software requires more and more resources, so the amount that was enough to run older programs is no longer enough. The update is proceeding at a rapid pace: the computer, which until recently successfully coped with its tasks, today begins to slow down.

To check the amount of memory used, you can do the following:

If your computer slows down and freezes due to lack of memory, you can try to fix the problem in several ways:

Video: How to optimize RAM using Wise Memory Optimizer

Too many programs in startup

If a laptop or computer is slow to boot, this indicates that too many applications have been added to startup. They become active already at the moment of system startup and additionally take up resources, which leads to slowdown.

During subsequent work, startup programs continue to be active and slow down all work. You need to check “Startup” after each application installation. It is possible that new programs will be added to autorun.

“Startup” can be checked using the “Task Manager” or a third-party program:

Using Task Manager:
Using Glary Utilites:

Video: how to remove a program from Startup in Windows 10

Computer virus infection

If a laptop or computer that previously worked at good speed begins to slow down, then a possible reason for this may be the penetration of a malicious virus program into the system. Viruses are constantly modified, and not all of them manage to get into the antivirus program database in a timely manner before the user catches them from the Internet.

Many viruses are embedded in browsers. This becomes noticeable when working on the Internet. There are viruses created to destroy documents. So their range of action is quite wide and requires constant vigilance. To protect your computer from virus attacks, you must always keep your antivirus program turned on and periodically conduct a full scan.

The most typical types of virus infection are:

many options on the page when downloading files. As a rule, in this case it is possible to pick up a Trojan, i.e. a program that transfers all information about the computer to the owner of the malicious program;
many enthusiastic comments on the program download page;
phishing pages, i.e. fake pages that are very difficult to distinguish from genuine ones. Especially those that ask for your phone number;
search pages with a specific focus.

The best thing you can do to avoid catching a virus is to avoid unverified sites. Otherwise, you can get such a problem with your computer slowing down that nothing will help except a complete reinstallation of the system.

Overheating of components

Another common reason for a slow computer is overheating of the processor. It is most painful for laptops, since its components are almost impossible to replace. The processor is very often simply soldered into the motherboard, and replacing it requires specialized equipment.

Overheating on a laptop is easy to determine: in the area where the processor and hard drive are located, the case will constantly heat up. The temperature regime must be monitored so that any component does not suddenly fail due to overheating.

To check the temperature of the processor and hard drive, you can use various third-party programs:

AIDA64:
- download and run the AIDA64 program;
- click on the “Computer” icon;
  In the AIDA64 program panel, click on the “Computer” icon
- click on the “Sensors” icon;
  In the "Computer" panel, click on the "Sensors" icon
- In the “Sensors” panel, view the temperature of the processor and hard drive.
  View the temperature of the processor and hard drive in the “Temperature” section
HWMonitor:

If the temperature limit is exceeded, you can try the following:

disassemble and clean the laptop or computer system unit from dust;
install additional fans for cooling;
remove as many visual effects and firewall communications with the network as possible;
buy a laptop cooling pad.

Video: how to find out the processor temperature in Windows 10

Insufficient paging file size

The problem with an insufficient paging file stems from a lack of RAM.

The less RAM, the larger the page file is created. This virtual memory is activated when the standard memory is insufficient.

The page file begins to slow down the computer if several resource-intensive programs or some powerful game are open. This usually happens on computers with no more than 1 gigabyte of RAM installed. In this case, the page file can be increased.

To change the page file in Windows 10, do the following:

Right-click on the “This PC” icon on your desktop.
Select the "Properties" line.
Select “Properties” from the drop-down menu
Click on the “Advanced system settings” icon in the “System” panel that opens.
In the panel, click on the “Advanced system settings” icon
Go to the “Advanced” tab and in the “Performance” section, click on the “Options” button.
In the “Performance” section, click on the “Options” button
Go to the “Advanced” tab and in the “Virtual Memory” section, click on the “Change” button.
In the panel, click on the “Edit” button
Specify the new paging file size and click OK.
Specify the size of the new swap file

Video: how to resize, delete or move the page file in Windows 10

Impact of visuals

If the computer or laptop is outdated, then the braking can be greatly influenced by a large number of visual effects. In such cases, it is better to minimize their number to increase the amount of free memory.

There are two options for this:

Remove desktop background:
Minimize visual effects:

Video: How to disable unnecessary visual effects

Much dust

Over time, the processor fan or power supply of a personal computer becomes covered with a layer of dust. The elements of the motherboard are also susceptible to this. This causes the device to heat up and slow down the computer, as dust disrupts air circulation.

Periodically you need to clean the computer components and fans from dust. This can be done using an old toothbrush and a vacuum cleaner.

Firewall restrictions

Even when there is no Internet connection, the computer accesses network connections. These requests are lengthy and consume a lot of resources. It is necessary to limit their number as much as possible to speed up performance. To do this, do the following:

Open Control Panel by double-clicking the corresponding icon on your desktop.
Click on the "Windows Firewall" icon.
Click on the Windows Firewall icon
Click on the “Allow interaction...” button.
Click on the “Allow interaction...” button
Click on the “Change settings” button and uncheck unnecessary applications.
Disable unnecessary applications by unchecking the boxes
Save your changes.

You need to disable the maximum number of programs that have access to the network to speed up your computer.

Too many junk files

The computer may slow down due to accumulated junk files, which also use RAM and cache resources. The more garbage on the hard drive, the slower the laptop or computer runs. The largest volume of files of this type consists of temporary Internet files, information in the browser cache, and incorrect registry entries.

You can fix this problem using third-party programs, for example, Glary Utilities:

Download and run Glary Utilities.
Go to the “1-Click” tab and click on the green “Find problems” button.
Click on the “Find problems” button
Check the "Auto-remove" box.
Check the box next to “Auto-remove”
Wait until the computer scan process completes.
Wait until all problems are resolved
Go to the "Modules" tab.
Click on the “Security” icon on the left side of the panel.
Click on the “Erase traces” button.
Click on the “Erase traces” icon
Click on the “Erase traces” button and confirm the erasure.
Reasons why certain programs slow down and how to fix them
Sometimes the reason for the computer slowing down may be the installation of a game or application.
Games slow down
Games often slow down on laptops. These devices have lower speed and performance than computers. Additionally, laptops are not designed for gaming and are more prone to overheating.
A common reason why games slow down is a video card for which the wrong driver is installed.
To resolve the issue, you can do the following:

Sometimes gaming applications can slow down your computer due to the activity of the uTorrent client, which distributes files and heavily loads the hard drive. To fix the problem, you just need to close the program.

The computer slows down due to the browser
The browser may become sluggish if there is a lack of RAM.
You can fix this problem by doing the following:
- install the latest version of the browser;
- close all unnecessary pages;
- check for viruses.
Driver problems
The reason for the computer slowing down may be a conflict between the device and the driver.
To check, do the following:
1. Go to computer properties and in the “System” panel, click on the “Device Manager” icon.
  Click on the "Device Manager" icon
2. Check for yellow triangles with exclamation marks inside. Their presence indicates that the device is conflicting with the driver and requires an update or reinstallation.
  Check for driver conflicts
  Vitaly Ovchinnikov
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