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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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

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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.

Managing Startup Items

In order to manage the startup items via the Run box, you simply enter in the command msconfig and then click the OK button. This loads the MSConfig utility where you can then click the Startup Items tab and make your adjustments.

Windows Vista users can access MSConfig by typing msconfig into the Start button’s Search bar and pressing Enter. Once the MSConfig icon appears, click it and the MSConfig utility will launch.

Another tool for managing startup programs is Windows Defender which comes with both Windows XP and Vista. Simply launch Windows Defender and click the Tools link. Next, click Software Explorer where you can view and adjust your startup programs. This tool is easier to use as it classifies and groups each program, making it easier to determine if a program is necessary or not.

Drive Busy Error

Now, on to the “drive busy” error. Do you use the drive to run backups? If so, it may be busy performing a scheduled backup, though I have a hunch that’s not the case.

In researching drive busy errors, I found that some CD burners and programs have known “drive busy” problems which are generally solved by updating the device and/or its software. In addition, some users receive a message that the drive is busy and should be unmounted. First, try updating your operating system (which may in turn automatically update your hardware if updates are available) and then check for updates for your CD burning software.

If operating system and software updates don’t help, go to the Control Panel and find the Device Manager. From there, double-click the DVD/CD-ROM category and then double-click your drive. What does it say under Device Status? Is there a specific error code? If so, we can then research the specific code for further ideas. In the meantime, you can click the Driver tab followed by the Update Driver button and then let Windows search automatically for updated drivers.  

Hopefully one of the updates will fix your drive busy error. If not, let us know the following:

• Operating system
• CD drive model and version (Device Manager has this information)
• Specific error code if any
• CD burning software and version

Close Some Open Programs

There are a few possibilities when it comes to determining why your computer is running more slowly than usual. Sometimes computers are slow to process commands if there are a large number of programs running. For starters, to troubleshoot the situation, you should close any open programs that you aren’t using. Programs that upload and download files take a lot of processing power so turning these programs off while you are trying to run other processes might help.

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Check your Free Hard Drive Space

Your computer might also be running slowly if there is too little free hard drive space for your programs to run normally. It is recommended to keep at least 10% of your hard drive space free for operations. You can check your free space:

•  
  1. Click the Start button, then choose My Computer
  2. Right click on the Local Disk C: in the Hard Drives section
  3. Choose Properties
  4. It will display the amount of used and free space on your hard drive

Choose OK to close

Check Programs Set to Start Automatically

You can also check which and how many programs are set to automatically launch when you boot up your computer. Too many programs opening and running at the same time might be slowing your system. To view and delete any unnecessary programs in Vista:

• Open Control Panel
• Click to choose the Windows Defender icon
• Click the Tools tab at the top of the screen
• Choose Show for All Users
• At the User Account Control prompt click Continue
• Under Category, choose Startup Programs
• Scroll the list to check it
• Select any programs that you want to change and click Remove, Disable or Enable
• Grayed out entries are system programs that should run at Startup and you shouldn’t try to change them

Run a Disk Scan To make sure that there is nothing wrong with the hard drive itself, run scandisk, which tests the drive.

• Click twice on My Computer
• Choose the hard disk drive C: by clicking it
• Right click the highlighted drive and choose Properties
• Choose the Tools tab
• Click Check Now
• If the computer asks to schedule the scan the next time it boots up, click OK and restart the computer to run the scan

Defrag the Hard Drive

The Windows Disk Defragmenter is another good tool to run every once in a while to improve your system’s performance by optimizing the hard drive. To run the tool:

• Open My Computer
• Right click the volume that you want to scan - most likely C
• Under the Tools tab, click Defragment Now
• Choose Defragment

Clean your Registry

Your computer might be running slowly because there are a lot of partial files or bits of code stored on your computer’s registry. It is part of your computer’s normal function to save pieces of code on the registry but over time these fragments can build up and interfere with other operations. Altering the registry has the potential to ruin your computer and destroy your programs and files if done wrong, so only attempt to make manual registry changes if you are familiar with the registry and its functions. There are registry scans available on the market like RegCure by Paretologic.

Run a Complete Malware Scan

Finally, update your PC security software and run a complete system scan. Malware can dramatically affect performance and a slow PC is one of the first symptoms of an infected computer.

Everything you’ve done so far is a good start - there are a few more things you can do to help with the freezes and optimize your performance with the system that you have now.

Clean it Out

Defragging the system is a great thing to do to improve performance - have you also emptied the Recycle Bin and deleted any temporary Internet files? You can go to Start and then choose Accessories. Click on System Tools and then Disk Cleanup. Select the disk you are cleaning and then delete anything in the Recycle Bin, the temporary Internet files and temporary files. You should also take a look at your system and delete any unused software that may be taking up space.

Check CPU

Are there processes that are taking up CPU time? You can check to see what’s running by getting into the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del. View the processes to see what is running and how much it is taking up.

Registry Cleaner

A good registry cleaner will go through the registry files and delete anything that is partially installed, fragmented or incorrect. We recommend RegCure as a great choice that has a lot of support to go with it.

Overheated Computer

Overheating in your computer is a common cause of freezing and poor performance. You can check the CPU temperature by using a program like RealTemp. It is a download that will monitor the temperature inside your computer so you can troubleshoot any heat issues. If you find that you are having an overheating problem, check out this Filetonic Overheating PC article.

RAM

You should also see if you have enough memory for today’s computing needs. For anyone running Windows XP, you should have a minimum of 512MB, and possibly 1GB of RAM. If you need more information about increasing your memory, see our Filetonic Troubleshooting Ram article.

Startup Items

Another step is to limit the number of “Startup Items” you have. Each program that launches takes up memory and system resources. It’s not uncommon for computers to launch multiple programs, even if they won’t be used because many installers place a shortcut to the program in the Startup Items folder by default. Go to Start > Run and type msconfig. Click the Startup Items tab and remove the checkmark in non-essential programs such as QuickTime, Microsoft Office, etc. These programs will still be available to launch as needed, but won’t be hogging resources when not being used.

In addition to the troubleshooting that you’ve already done, checking these issues should help you increase your performance on your PC.

Computers should not turn themselves off without a good reason. Oftentimes, when a computer does shutdown, it does have a valid reason - such as if the computer is protecting itself from danger (most often heat). Other reasons for random shutdowns are not for self-preservation but as a symptom of something else, such as a loose power connection or failing memory chips.

Heat and Dust

Your computer is put through the paces, day in and day out. It gets hot. And it’s often one of the most neglected pieces of equipment on your desk as far as cleaning and maintenance go. When a computer’s CPU gets too hot, it may be set to automatically shutdown in order to protect itself from damage.

To troubleshoot and clean an overheating computer, you’ll need to power down the PC, unplug it from the power source, ground yourself, and open the computer case. It’s dirty in there, isn’t it? Use a can of compressed air to gently blow the dust away.

Power Connections

While you have the computer case open, inspect the fans along with the power supply connections. Is the power supply’s connection to the motherboard properly connected? Does everything look okay? Later, once the computer is reassembled, you will check the power cord to be sure that it is firmly connected to the PC - make sure to wait until after you’ve reassembled your computer.

Failing RAM

Check the memory chips. Are they properly seated? Consider removing one chip and running the system on the other to rule out faulty RAM. Then swap chips and run the computer. If the PC doesn’t shutdown when one chip is removed, it’s a safe guess that the removed RAM is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Once you’re swapping RAM chips, reassemble your computer and place it in an area where air can flow freely around its vents.

Computer Viruses and Malware

Computer viruses and malware may be to blame as well. These nasty little programs run without your knowledge, putting your computer under pressure to carry out more tasks than you can imagine. These tasks hog memory and cause the computer to work hard, thus contributing to the overheating problem. Run a complete system scan for viruses and spyware to rule this out as a possibility.