HELP - my PC is damn slow..?

Question

Recently my desktop PC has become very very slow in terms of booting, connecting to Internet & also with browsing web sites like yahoo. Mine is Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 60GB HDD, Win XP. I have CA eTrust Antivirus software monitoring the internet activities. I dont know why the slow performance suddenly for the past 2 weeks, using my PC has become a dead slow affair I am getting frustrated. Please suggest how to remedy.

Answer 1

Using a registry cleaner can clean up your computer and then make your computer faster,Why?the reason is that there may be some registry errors and remnant,corrupt files and temp files in your computer to cause "computer slow".

Every time you install and uninstall software on your computer and surfing online you create junk in the computer registry.over time, the registry can grow to enormous proportions, especially if the various programs you've installed do not do a good job of deleting and/or updating it's Registry entries.You need to scan and clean your computer with registry cleaner to make it fast.Good Registry Cleaner will improve your computer and Internet performance dramatically!

There are some comparison and review of TOP 5 registry cleaners.

http://www.make-pc-fast.com/

You can download and scan your computer for free.

Answer 2

I would suggest going to www.crucial.com and purchasing more RAM at least 1 or 2 gb of RAM.



That will help a lot and also use msconfig or startup control panel ( google this util ) and check whats starting up with your computer. Also have you got SP2 or SP3 installed as that will run extra services and considering you have only got 256mb RAM it is most likely paging out to the hard drive a lot.



The anti virus and if you have any firewall software running - will indefintly slow your machine down.



Also clear out temp files using ccleaner ( www.ccleaner.com ) and then defrag your hard drive.



If you use system restore that will slow it down a fair amount. Make sure you have the re install discs / recovery discs or at least a windows xp disc to re install windows and the relevant drivers downloaded ( at least for your network card - so as to allow you to go onto the internet and re download the other drivers ie chipset, audio , video etc.



Then if you do have the relevant discs then just disable system restore and clear out system restore points but make sure to do this before doing the defrag.

Answer 3

Damn Viruses have you visited any **** SITES lately? If so then that the case if not them here is what i am here for Left over programs and bad files. Data Corruption. Missing Windows updates / Outdated drivers. Computer is overheating. Corrupt OS. Bad Hardware. Solution This page only cover an overall slow computer and not a computer that has a slow boot up. Below are steps for Microsoft Windows users that should help speed up the computer or determine why the computer is running slow. Reboot If your computer has not been reboot recently make sure to reboot it before following any of the below steps. Not enough hard disk drive space Verify that there is at least 200-500MB of free hard disk drive space. This available space allows the computer to have room for the swap file to increase in size as well as room for temporary files. Determining available hard drive space. Regaining computer hard disk drive space. Hard drive corrupted or fragmented Run ScanDisk or something equivalent to verify there is nothing physically wrong with the computer hard disk drive. Run Defrag to help ensure that data is arranged in the best possible order. Background programs Remove or disable any TSRs and startup programs that automatically start each time the computer boots. To see what programs are running in the background and how much memory and CPU they are using open Task Manager.  If you are running Windows 7 run Resmon to get a better understanding of how your computer is being used. If you've got an anti-virus scanner on the computer, spyware protection program, or other security utility make sure it's not scanning your computer in the background. Often when these programs begin to scan the computer it can decrease the overall performance of your computer. Scan for malware Today, spyware and other malware is a big cause of many computer problems including a slow computer. Even if an anti-virus scanner is installed on the computer we recommend running a malware scan on the computer. Use the free version of Malwarebytes to scan your computer for malware. Hardware conflicts Verify that the Device Manager has no conflicts. If any exist resolve these issues as they could be the cause of your problem. Update Windows Make sure you have all the latest Windows updates installed in the computer. If you are on the Internet when your computer is slow also make sure all browser plugins are up-to-date. Update your drivers Make sure you've got the latest drivers for your computer. Especially the latest video drivers. Having out-of-date drivers can cause an assortment of issues. Computer or processor is overheating Make sure your computer and processor is not overheating, excessive heat can cause a significant decrease in computer performance some processors will even lower the speed of the processor automatically to help compensate for the heat related issues. What temperature should my processor be running at? Dust, dirt, and hair can also constrict a proper air flow on your computer, which can also cause a computer to overheat. Make sure your computer case is clean and fans are not obstructed. Steps on cleaning your computer. Memory upgrade If you've had your computer for more than one year it's likely you're computer is not meeting the memory requirements for today. Today, we suggest at a minimum the computer have 1GB of memory.

Answer 4

well best thing is buy a 1 gb ram or a another 256 ram



cmon ram prices are cheaper now



yes antivirus slows your system ,but u need it to protect your pc



or you can do system defrag,just right click on ur c drive and then select properties go to the tools tab and then u can click the system defrag

Answer 5

That's what happened to my old PC. My dad said it's because maybe you have too many downloaded files? The Antivirus doesn't really clean anything, it just shows you how many infections or viruses are on your PC. Maybe you should ask a professional? That's what my dad did and now my computer is very fast.

Answer 6

You need more RAM. I also just added this CCcleaner free software to my old slow computer and it did a good job of cleaning some things out. You will have to look for the link yourself, but it works good and fast.



You can get free AVG virus and spyware protection also. It works great.

Answer 7

I Use This It's Faster & It's Free



AusLogics Disk Defrag



Disk fragmentation leads to system slowdowns, PC crashes, slow startup and shutdown and sometimes to system failures. Auslogics Disk Defrag is designed for fast optimization of today's modern hard disks. Get the maximum performance out of your expensive hardware investments.



Download:

http://www.download.com/Auslogics-Disk-Defrag/3000-2094_4-10567503.html



& Try Ccleaner - http://www.ccleaner.com/

Answer 8

You need more RAM. I also just added this CCcleaner free software to my old slow computer and it did a good job of cleaning some things out. You will have to look for the link yourself, but it works good and fast.



You can get free AVG virus and spyware protection also. It works great.

Source(s):

Here I found the link for you:

http://www.ccleaner.com/

Answer 9

Delete your history & temp files.It causes your system dead slow. De fragment also helps you. Again you have the problem, I suggest you to buy 1 or 2 GB RAM.

Answer 10

There are so many possible reasons for system running slow. One solution to all problem is to use SYSTEM MECHANIC software.

Otherwise you have to be technical person to understand changes u have to make to make it run faster.

Download it from internet, free of cost, install it & tune ur PC the way u want.

If problem still persist mail me on [e-mail].

Answer 11

Try doing a disk defragment. It pretty much organizes your files in your hard drive. To get there go to Start>All programs>accesories>system Tools



It may take a while to do so just leave it on for a few hours ^^.

Answer 12

remove ca antivirus and install kaspersky antivirus. its the best and provides ultimate security and protection to your pc. takes less ram and gives more protection. has all the features and functions from antivirus to antispyware to self defense to web scanner.



also install ccleaner. it removes all the waste or junk files from the pc and thus making the system load faster.

Answer 13

Download Perfect Optimizer！

(Free use of testing your computer——http://www.Fix-pc-Master.com

) and use it to clean your system, clear the list of programs you don't need to run as Windows starts, clean the Temp folders, clean the registry of broken links, Repair the disk operating system ，Repair security system error Windows, Mac OS X or Linux ， Security fixes browser，uninstall programs, defrag your Hard Drive and registry from this program.

Answer 14

its simple just uninstall unwanted applications from add remove programs in control panel, then open prefetch folder from c:windows folder and delete all the files from it, then open temp folder from the same folder and delete all the files from it, then typr msconfig in the run window click on start up and untick all the application leaving the antivirus and then delete cookies and offline contents from internet options. and then restart the omputer u will see the changes....

Answer 15

first off, you may want to check for a virus. Your symptoms sound like Vundo, check my documents and your C: Drive with hidden files on, vundo creates thousands of invisible files and downloads triajns. If this is the case, download VundoFix, to find it google it.

Answer 16

Go to a computer store and get it cleaned.



Or you can dry deleting unused desktop items and programs.



Deleting history is probably good also

Answer 17

Consider buying some more ram or even a new system.

Answer 18

Needs to be cleaned and overhauled. Start trashing and purchase something like AVG

Answer 19

delete all the **** u have...get a faster internet connection...i'm sorry for the cussing but it has pissed me off as well, and soon we got a new comp, with less **** in it and it works much better

Answer 20

ok ummm you need to reformat your PC. if its still slow.......you need more memory.



also you might have a virus or something