My computer is slowing down - what should I do?

Most of us rely on a computer for almost everything. We need a computer that will work quickly and efficiently to provide us with the information we need. Most business today has something to do with computers, and most of our personal lives rely on communications run through computers. Not having a computer can seriously handicapp you and keep you from important opportunities. If you don't have one you probably know what this means. Computers are great tools, but they are also extremely complicated and require a fair amount of knowledge to maintain and use. When something goes wrong with your computer you are probably in a panic.

You think you will not be able to fix the machine because it is so complicated, or because it will cost so much to do so. In many cases this might be the case, but many problems are the result of software malfunctions or settings and not some sort of harware issue. Of course, if you drop your computer out a third story window you might be in trouble. However, many routine issues can be taken care of by yourself, or perhaps quickly by a professional. Before you spend hundreds or thousands of dollars at a computer store, see if there is an easy way to fix your machine yourself. One common problem that many computer users complain of is that there computer is slowing down. This might occur after several years, or even just months of use. How will you possibly fix this problem, and what causes it?

Often the biggest problem with a slow down on a computer regards memory. Most of our computers these days need allot of memory because there are so many programs and they are very complicated. We like our computers to run several programs at once and to handel movies and music. We use our computers to look at pictures and to store large amounts of information. We demand a great deal from these machines and we pay enough for them to expect something in return.

With so much stuff going on in our machines, one solution to the slow down problem is to get more memory. Microsoft XP, for example, reccomends that we have atleast 156 MB of RAM available for that operating system. You should probably have twice that much. You might also want to see if your processor is slow. There is not much you can do about this, atlhough it might suggest that you are pushing your machine too fast.

If adding more memory to the computer does not speed things up, consider that the things on your computer are too big. Many computers these days come with lots of software allready installed. You probably don't need all of this software, but you computer is allready running it from the get go. Consider going through and elimintaing software and programs you do not need. Be careful not to eliminate something you really need, because when it is gone it is gone.

Finally, there are certain things with your internet account that could be slowing things down. Consider clearing out your Internet Explorer email cache. Another possiblity is to defragment your hard disk (also known as defraging). Finally, do not use a high resolution or bright color on your screen. The reason being that this eats up memory and power.

If you have tried these steps and cannot seem to speed up the computer take it to a professional and see what they have to say about the situation. Good luck speeding that computer up!