Need Help Troubleshooting a Slow PC?

It's only been a day since you last turned your PC on but you notice that it's getting slower and you have no idea what's going on. You check the Internet for possible answers and come across a man who can fix the problem by paying him at least a hundred dollars or so, and this further gave you a headache. Why should you be spending any penny over your once fast and brand new computer that used to open programs in a snap? You want to do it your own but you just don't know where to start. Troubleshooting slow PC isn't troublesome at all; just continue reading and you will be guided step by step with where you should look first, and what you should do before starting to panic.

Troubleshooting slow PC starts with looking at the macro side of your computer: your hard disk. This is where you store important data, services and applications that are very essential to your computer's processes. Examine if it's already full, and check for bad sectors or disk errors. Do this by right-clicking on the disk, choose 'Properties', hit the 'Tools' tab and let Windows inspect for volume errors or damaged sectors of the disk. If you experience more serious problems during troubleshooting slow PC, such as getting a blue screen with displayed series of errors, or frequent boot failure, perhaps your hard disk is too old or worn out and a replacement would be necessary.

Check your security. You might be keeping a wide variety of viruses and spyware without you even knowing it. In troubleshooting slow PC, make sure you run a regular system scan with reliable antivirus software available for free download. Like an alphabet, you can choose from Avast to Zhengbo. Keep an eye on suspicious software that might be running in the background. Go to the Task Manager and disable these applications whenever possible. Be careful with opening hideous executable files that might destroy your entire system. In troubleshooting slow PC, it is also recommended to disable auto-play of removable disks as it leaves your system vulnerable to any virus attack that can be launched as quickly as completing the auto-run function of your thumb drives. If severe symptoms occur due to virus attacks, it is advisable to secure a fresh installation of Windows to let your computer start anew. This is guaranteed to make your computer work faster, but don't forget to backup your files neat and clean.

Finally, check your directory of installed programs (under the Control Panel) and running services (under the Task Manager) and see if you can eliminate some of the unused applications. The amount of RAM consumed by these running services limit the optimal performance of the system, thus compromising the speed of your PC. Also, troubleshooting slow PC includes managing your list of startup items. Choose only the essential processes to run in the startup each time the computer boots up. This will definitely give your system a boost in speed and performance. Make it a daily habit to empty the Recycle Bin, as its stored files counts up to the consumed disk space of your local drive. Regularly run the 'Disk Defragmenter' and 'Disk Cleanup', both are found under the System Tools in the Accessories submenu in the Start programs.

Start exploring your own PC; never be afraid to try it yourself because you don't need to be a computer genius to figure the way out. If you follow those tips, you will be surprised to find out that even amateur home users can do this simple trick.