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My PC is running too slow. In some cases it freezes.

Troubleshooting Slow PC and Frozen Screen: Scan for Spyware/Virus

Slow computers and intermittent freezing can be the result of a virus or spyware infection. Each one of these uses up valuable resources and if you don’t get rid of them, they can cause your computer to freeze or run slowly. If you have an anti-spyware/anti-virus application, check for updates and then scan your computer with a full scan. If you don’t have an anti-spyware/anti-virus application, try this one- Anti-VirusPLUS.

Troubleshooting Slow PC and Frozen Screen: Cleaning up the PC

Complete each one of the following tasks to clean up the computer and free up some valuable resources. Once you do, your computer should stop freezing up if a lack of computer resources is the problem.

• Delete unused applications and programs using the “Add/Remove” utility tool.
• Delete duplicate applications of the same program.
• If you have too many programs beginning at startup, it can cause your computer to freeze up. Disable some of the applications from starting up at boot up. For example, you don’t need QuickTime to start up when you boot up and so on. Windows Defender, which is built into Windows Vista, has a Startup Manager that you can use to manage your startup programs. Otherwise, go to Start > Run and type in msconfig. The Startup tab allows you to select or deselect programs for automatic startup. Choose carefully as you don’t want to disable necessary programs such as spyware protection.
• Delete unwanted files, photos, pictures, images, music files, videos, etc.
• Delete unwanted emails.
• Clear the temporary internet cache using the “Tools” feature on your web browser.
• Use a registry cleaner such as RegCure to scan your registry for errors.
• Defrag the computer by taking these steps: Click Start→ Click All Programs→ Click Accessories→ Click System Tools→ Click Disk Cleanup or some variation of this set of directions.

Troubleshooting Slow PC and Frozen Screen: Use System Restore

If none of the above strategies have worked to restore your computer back to normal, use the “System Restore” utility to turn time back and set your computer to an earlier date before this problem started to happen. To do so:

Click Start→ Click All Programs→ Click Accessories→ Click System Tools→ Click System Restore. Click “Restore my computer to an earlier time” and select a date that you think will be good. It should be an earlier date before the problems started to happen. Now, follow the prompts as they occur. Your computer should reboot and run smoothly now.

My computer has been slow to open even though my antivirus is updated. What can I do?

Other Causes of Slow Computers

Updating the virus protection software and scanning your system regularly are excellent first steps in dealing with a slow computer. Once your system is clean, and you are reasonably sure that it is virus and spyware free, then it’s time to move on to more advanced steps such as restricting startup programs and adjusting your BIOS settings. For example, BIOS runs a bunch of tests before allowing Windows to load. It may even have a pre-determined “timeout” setting that is set for an excessively long time. Once Windows loads, Windows may take a while to fully load because of all the programs it has been instructed to open at each boot up. We can change these settings. Don’t worry, it’s not too complicated.

BIOS Quick Boot Option

Check your computer’s BIOS to see if a “quick boot” option is available. BIOS is the system that first runs before the operating system loads. It tests the hardware and lets Windows know what the computer has onboard and how to communicate with all of its components. Some of the options, such as loading a splash screen, can take a long time. When booting your computer, look for onscreen instructions telling you how to enter BIOS

Say Hello to MSCONFIG

Let’s start in the System Configuration utility known as MSCONFIG. Go to Start > Run and type in: msconfig. Click the Enter button. If you have Windows Vista, click Start and enter msconfig in the Search box. Click the icon once it appears. The System Configuration utility will launch. You’ll see several tabs. We’ll start with the Boot tab first.

Changing the Boot Timeout Length

By default, BIOS looks for new hardware and software at each boot up, waiting a full 30 seconds before moving to the next step. Change this setting to a lower number such as 5 or 10 seconds and you will speed up the boot sequence accordingly.

Adjusting Startup Programs

Now, click the Startup tab. You’ll see a list of programs that Windows loads each time it starts, regardless of whether you want to use these programs or not. This is good for some programs, such as antivirus software that must run constantly. But it’s terrible for performance and startup times, especially when rarely used programs are loaded such as QuickTime or Adobe Reader. Removing unnecessary programs from this list won’t remove the program; it will simply stop the program for launching with each start. You can still use the programs on an as-needed basis.

Turning off Indexing

While you’re at it, you can disable indexing. Indexing speeds up searches on your computer but at a cost in performance. If your computer is slow overall, disabling this service will free up resources.  Click the MSCONFIG’s Services tab and find the Indexing Service in the list. Double-click the service, find the Startup type, select Manual, and select Stop. In Windows Vista, you can adjust indexing by going to Start and entering Indexing Options in the Search bar. Click the icon and remove the locations that you do not want indexed, or even the entire hard drive if so desired.

Hopefully some of these tips will speed up your computer’s start time. Another option is to disable user passwords if your computer requires a password each time. Of course, you would need to balance your security situation with your need for speed. Let us know if you want help disabling this function.

My computer is full of unwanted junk (caused by myself and everybody else that uses it) and I’m worried because it is ready to crash. What is the best cleaning method for cleaning it up and getting my computer back to how it should run?

It doesn’t take long, especially when sharing a computer, for a computer to become bogged down with junk. After all, if each user is downloading free games, screensavers, animated cursors, and other gizmos from the Internet, your computer’s hard drive can quickly fill up. What’s worse is that some of these programs may be malicious or may have had a secret payload, further contributing to the system’s instability.

Run Antivirus and Antispyware Tools First

Since it sounds like several users have downloaded programs, let’s start with a good malware scan and cleansing. As you are likely aware, these programs often arrive as hitchhikers on legitimate downloads. If you have multiple computer viruses or spyware programs hanging out on your system, your computer will act up and crash frequently. Use a reputable antivirus program with spyware detection features and run a complete (not quick) system scan. If you need a recommendation, read our Antivirus Reviews page.

Remove Unnecessary Programs

Once your system comes up clean of viruses and spyware, it’s time to remove the junk. Use Add and Remove Programs (Windows XP) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista) to uninstall any games, toolbars, screensavers, and other software that you no longer want on your system. If the programs do not appear in these removal tools, look to see if an uninstall program is included in the application’s main folder. If not, you may need a third party uninstaller to remove it.

Remove Temporary Files

The Disk Cleanup tool (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup) is an excellent built-in tool for clearing out the other junk including temporary Internet files, Recycle Bin files, dump files, and more. Running Disk Cleanup periodically is a good way to ensure that your computer’s hard disk doesn’t get so full that other programs can’t function.

Run the Disk Defragmenter

Next, use the Disk Defragmenter tool (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter) to defrag the hard drive. This will realign all of the data on your disk so that Windows doesn’t have to work as hard to find what it needs. For example, when you first save a file to the disk, Windows places it in a specific location where it fits nicely. But, as you use the file and it becomes larger, it no longer fits. Therefore, Windows splits it up, putting pieces here and there and then patching the pieces back together as needed. By defragging the hard drive, all files are pieced back together and placed in locations where they fit in one piece. Once defragged, file access improves dramatically.

These steps are good, basic computer maintenance steps that you can take right now to clean your PC. If you want even more cleaning power, invest in a registry cleaner, such as RegCure, and let the software take care of cleaning out the Windows registry. A good registry cleaning can work wonders on a computer on the brink of crashing. Combined with antivirus/antimalware cleaning, removing unwanted programs, cleaning out temporary files, and defragging the hard drive, your computer should be in excellent shape once again.

How can I keep my computer from locking up when I’m online and get it to run faster? I can’t seem to fix the errors in the computer. How do I fix the errors without the computer shutting down or freezing up?

Before tackling how to fix and optimize your slow computer, let’s take a look at the most common causes for PC sluggishness and computer lock ups: malware, registry corruption, and lack of resources. Any of these three, or a combination of them, could be to blame.

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Speed Killers: Malware

Malware, a broad category that includes computer viruses, spyware, worms, hacker attacks, and other pesky threats, is notorious for causing slow online connections, computer crashes, and extremely poor computer performance. In fact, it’s not uncommon for an infected computer to have dozens of infections further compounding the problem.

Not only do each of these programs take up system resources like memory, some of them use your Internet connection to send massive e-mail campaigns on behalf of the hacker who sent the malware to your computer. Conficker is a current example of malware that turns your computer into a robot that follows commands sent from afar.

Speed Killers: Registry Corruption

Windows stores information about user preferences, the computer’s hardware, installed software, and other systematic details in a massive database known as the Windows registry. Windows relies on this registry in order to function properly. Instructions in the registry tell the operating system what to do with a given element. However, if these instructions are incomplete or missing, Windows gets confused and the system comes to a crawl. Computer errors and system freezes are often due to a problem with a corrupt or bloated registry.

Speed Killers: Lack of Resources

Computers need RAM, sufficient hard disk space, and processor power to perform at basic levels. The more programs that are running at once, the greater the demand is for system resources. When resources reach critical levels, the computer eventually freezes.

Repairing and Speeding up Slow Computers

Okay, so now you have three potential causes for your computer’s terrible performance. Because computer viruses and spyware are running rampant, let’s start there. Do you have reputable (from well known and respected developers) antivirus and antispyware tools installed on your computer?  If so, update the software with the latest updates and run a full system scan. If not, invest in a good product.

All of the products listed on Filetonic’s antivirus review page are from respected antimalware developers. A few are even free.

While you’re at it, use Windows Update to update your operating system. This will ensure that you have the latest security patches, further protecting your computer from invasions.

Once you’re confident that any virus issues are solved, reboot your computer and see if the speed and lockup issues have been solved. If so, great! If not, consider using a registry cleaner to clear out the junk in the registry. We recommend RegCure.

Before you buy, download the free scan tool to see if your computer is a good candidate for cleaning. The scanner will show you how many invalid or corrupt registry entries are on your computer. From there, you can make a decision whether or not you need to invest in this product.

Now, let’s look at your system resources. Cleaning virus infections should help with this. However, your computer may have programs loading that you don’t need or your hard disk could be nearly full. Both of these issues can cause PC slowdowns and crashes.

Remove programs from automatic startup (Start >Run > msconfig > Startup Items) and free up some disk space by running the Disk Cleanup tool (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup).

Finally, since your computer shuts down frequently, consider performing these steps in Safe Mode. Hopefully Safe Mode will buy you enough time to repair your system.

I’m not sure what I’m doing. When I got my laptop, I said no to the extra offer for more money and now it’s really slow. Can someone please help this dummy?

Technology is new to many people, so let’s just say “technologically challenged.” It’s something that everyone is when they first begin to use a computer, even me. The more comfortable you get with your laptop, the more you will learn. Since I am not sure what your system is, how much memory you have, what the extra offer was, or what you have been doing with the laptop, I am going to offer a few basic tips that you can try to fix the problem.

What Can Cause a Slow Laptop?

A number of problems can cause your laptop to become slow. At the top of the list are a lack of free memory, too many spyware applications, too many viruses, and registry problems.

Slow PC or other Computer problems? Run a free scan Now

Resolving a Slow Laptop: Scan for Spyware and Viruses

If you do a lot of surfing on the web or any surfing at all, it is possible that you have spyware, viruses, or Trojans on your computer. Each one of these applications can mess up your laptop and make it function poorly and slowly. Spyware and viruses take up a lot of resources on the laptop, making it run slower when you use it. Eventually, these bad programs can destroy your machine. If you haven’t run an anti-spyware/anti-virus application on your laptop, you need to do so in order to check for and remove any bad programs. If you had declined an offer of a computer security program, then an infection is likely. View our reviews of quality antivirus programs for product recommendations.

Resolving a Slow Laptop: Disk Cleanup

The next strategy that you should try is to complete a bit of maintenance and do a disk cleanup. If the registry is messy or the hard drive is fragmented, then your laptop will not run smoothly. Cleaning it up should enhance the speed for the laptop if this is the issue. First, you are going to start by defragging the laptop and then you will follow that up by running the “chkdsk” utility.

To defrag the laptop:

1)      Click on Start in the lower left-hand side of the screen.

2)      Select All Programs.

3)      Select Accessories.

4)      Select System Tools.

5)      Select Disk Defragmenter or Disk Cleanup (defrag) depending on your operating system.

Just use these simple steps to run the chkdsk utility:

6)      Click on Start in the lower left-hand side of the screen.

7)      Select Run.

8)      Type the following command into the little white box: chkdsk / f

9)      Press Enter.

Resolving a Slow Laptop: Memory

You also have the option to add a bit of memory if the above steps didn’t work. Check to see how much available free memory the laptop has. If it is running low, then you can delete a few games, music, files, etc to free up some space or you can purchase some memory and put it in. If you opt for this strategy, you can find some good directions at one of our other articles here: Adding Memory.

When my laptop starts, it comes to the opening screen and sits there for ages. Then up comes my desktop with no icons. It then takes about five minutes before they appear. Help?

Slow Startup Causes

A number of scenarios can lead to slow startup times including disconnected network drives, fragmented hard drives, too many startup programs, computer viruses and spyware, and even file and printer sharing. In addition to individually slowing your computer, a combination of these factors is possibly affecting your laptop’s startup time. Let’s take a look at the more common startup drains.

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Network Drives

First, do you use this laptop at home and work? If so, it’s likely that it’s set up to map to a network drive. For example, if you have your laptop set up to log onto the server at the office, when it’s disconnected from the office network, startup may take an exceptionally long time because the computer is searching for the network and waiting for a response. To avoid this, go to My Computer and click Tools > Disconnect Network Drives.

Fragmented Hard Drive

A fragmented hard drive is a slow hard drive. This is because all of its bits and pieces get split up over time and the operating system must piece everything back together as needed. As files grow larger, they outgrow their original disk space. Windows then splits the file, saving pieces in other areas of the hard drive and making a note in a master index in how to put the file back together. As you can imagine, this takes time. If it were just one file, that wouldn’t be so bad. However, if performance is extremely slow, it’s likely that thousands of files are fragmented.

Fortunately, defragging the hard drive can put your files back together. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Defragmenter and run this utility with no other programs in use.

Startup Programs

Another common cause of slow startups involves the number of programs that your computer loads each time. Not only does this take time, it also hogs memory which further adds to the slowdown. Your computer should only load the bare necessities, such as antivirus programs, at startup. Everything else should be loaded on an as-needed basis.

Launch Windows Defender and go to Tools > Software Explorer. You’ll see all programs currently set to load in the category “Startup Programs.” Highlight any unnecessary programs and click the Disable button.

Computer Viruses and Spyware

Slow PC or other Computer problems? Run a free scan Now

Malware is notorious for computer startup problems as well as general PC sluggishness. In fact, these are much like startup programs in that Windows loads each one at startup. The only difference here is that you are unaware of this happening. Use a reputable antivirus/antispyware program to scan your computer for malware. Generally speaking, an infected computer usually has dozens of viruses and spyware operating, not just one. Here’s a list of antivirus products to consider.

File and Printer Sharing

If you have File and Printer Sharing enabled, yet don’t actively share your files and printer, consider disabling this option as it can contribute to slow startup times. In Windows XP, go to Control Panel > Network Connections > Local Area Connection > Properties and uncheck the option for File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks.

In Vista, go to Start > Network > Network and Sharing Center and then turn off both File Sharing and Printer Sharing.