My Computer Is Slow – 5 Common Reasons

This is a list of some of the most common causes when my computer is slow, hesitating or freezing up. With each of these problems we will go through how to test and how to eliminate issue and speed up your computer.

5 Most Common Reasons My Computer is Slow or Not Operating Correctly

1 – Computer optimization or errors.

2 – Viruses, malware or spyware.

3 – Application running that should not be.

4 – Not enough memory or RAM.

5 – CPU or processor capacity.

There are more reasons that could be listed here that can have an affect on computer performance.. such as Internet connection problems, but those are not what we will look at here. And probably 90% of the time a slow computer is caused by one of these five areas so this is the best place to start.

1 – How Computer Errors Affect Operating Speed

Computer errors can be many things from data being corrupted to processes not being compatible with each other.

Rather than going into the “what” or “why” of computer errors, let’s accept that they are a very common problem and test our PC for this major issue. If your slow computer has been used in certain ways, such as high Internet use, installing or un-installing a number of programs, etc., then there is a very good chance you have a great many errors that are affecting your PC’s speed. Take advantage of the free scan. You are not obligated to purchase the software by running the scan. PC Cleaner is a Microsoft Certified Partner and safe to use. After running the scan you can decide if your computer needs this or not. This software is different in that it is an “ALL-IN-ONE” with virus, spy, malware, and registry cleaner in one. If you find only a couple of dozen errors or less you probably won’t see much improvement in your PC’s speed by removing them. This is however a good “maintenance” tool for the life of your computer.

2 – Malicious Software Will Slow Up A Computer

We all know that viruses and other damaging or spying software programs can cause us major problems. We don’t like it but it is the way things are today. And we have to be prepared and protect ourselves and our PC’s. Exposure to the Internet and to email is the most common way of our computers being “infected”. There are some very good programs available to help in this area. Unfortunately some of the best known software names are not doing a good job of protecting our computers. Just because you have heard of an anti-virus does not mean it is the one you should use.

I’ve asked several PC technicians over the past years and there is two free anti-virus programs that do a real good job. We’ve been using both of them on computers for about 2 years and highly recommend both them. They are Avast and AVG. More on them on the “Computer Virus Information” page.. click link below.

For in-depth information and discussion on what we can do ourselves to help protect and repair viruses and other issues, please go to: Computer Virus Scan

3 – Programs Running In The Background Slow Computer Down

There are usually dozens of programs and processes running on our computers that we are not aware of. Many of them are part of the operating system or vital to the its operation. However there is almost always some of these “hidden” programs that are not needed and adding to why my computer is slow all the time.

The picture above shows the programs that are now running or have at one time ran at start up. Many have already been disabled or removed on this computer. Your System Configuration is a good place to look at what is running on your PC. To get to it click the Start button and type “system config” into the search bar. A box similar to the one above should come up.

But there is a little more to disabling programs that you need to look at before going any further. Even if you see programs that should not be running don’t disable any of them here. That need to be done in Programs Un-Install or in Windows Defender. Please go to our page that goes into this deeper by clicking the link: Removing Programs From Startup

4 – Is My Computer Slow Because of To Little Memory?

Computer memory capacity is a very important part of a computer and directly affects PC performance. Most desk top computer and laptops have additional slots to add more RAM and the procedure is not that hard. But first you need to check and see how much RAM your PC has.

Please go to our page: RAM Performance for descriptions and pictures of how to check how much RAM you have.
Please go to our page: How To Install RAM for description and pictures of adding a new RAM chip to your computer yourself.

5 – Does The CPU Capacity Slow My Computer UP?

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, has been referred to as the brain of a computer. They are rated by their capacity in GHz (gigahertz). The higher the number the faster the CPU can operate the computer’s functions.

This is by far the simplest of the reasons my computer is slow… because there is nothing practical that you can do about it except buy a new computer. Now it can be changed out for one with higher capacity but if your PC was spec-ed out with too small of a CPU then probably other components specs are too low as well.

Notice in the pic above that this computer’s Processor is rated at 2.20 GHz. This would be a minimum today. Check yours – go to “Control Panel” and “System”.

A slow computer’s CPU capacity is listed in our top slow computer causes because it is a problem for a great many people that don’t understand how to judge the capacity of a computer before they buy it.

What GHz CPU to you need? As the demands on computers have increase through the years the rating of the CPU’s for the base computer has too. Problem is if you buy the base unit today it may give problems in a few years. If you are just doing Internet browsing and simple programs such as word processing then you don’t need a fast computer and a step or two above the base processor is probably OK. BUT if ever think you may want to play online games or work with programs such as Cad programs then you better opt for a top rated CPU or you may find your computer slow and inadequate.

Cleaning Up The Registry When My Computer Is Slow

Some More Help and Ideas

If your computer is not as fast as it used to be then there is a possibility that the registry is full of information that should be removed. When you uninstall computer programs, invalid entries are left in the registry and these tend to slow down the computer. If you want to make your computer perform better then you need to look for a free PC registry cleaner to clear the registry of these entries. There are many different cleaners on the internet that you can use to fix your registry and speed up your PC.

The internet has various sources of software that offer registry repair services. Some of these services do not need you to download any software on your computer. They perform the repair from a remote location. The software is kept on their servers and once you sign up for their service, the software will access your computer and scan the registry for errors and invalid entries. It will repair all errors and remove invalid entries. You need to be careful about the services that you assign up for. Some of them are malicious sites that will scan your computer for sensitive personal information. You should read reviews on the sites that offer these services.

When your computer is slow and you are looking for a PC registry cleaner, you should consider a number of factors. The first thing you should consider is the ease of use of the software. Some of the software available is able to scan your registry in real time and repair the errors as they occur. Others require you to schedule regular scans. There are some that require you to initiate the scan and repair process. The best ones are the ones that scan the computer registry in real-time. This way you will be sure that you registry will remain clean at all times.

You should look for how often updates are done on your PC by the registry cleaner. There are those that come with support services so that you can contact the manufacturer or seller for information on how you can make your computer more efficient through cleaning the registry. If you find the cleaner is effective in cleaning your computer, then you can upgrade and use a premium version so that you can get round the clock protection form errors. Do your due diligence and research on your available options on the internet and keep your computer registry clear of errors and invalid entries.