Remember userid & password (not recommended if you share this computer)
Is Your Computer S - L - O - W ?
With few exceptions, computers don't get slower as they get older. The main cause of computer slowdowns are lack of maintenance, viruses/spyware, and not enough disk space. Maintenance is the simplest way to keep your computer running at it's best. By deleting unnecessary temp and Internet files, and doing regular defrags you will be keeping performance up while keeping wear and tear on your hard drive down. A badly fragmented disk just can't run fast because it has to work harder to rejoin files when called.
Viruses and spyware really aren't trying to slow you down, their trying to make money for the guys who wrote them. Unfortunately, once the door is open, every other bit of malware that can get in will. A big mistake PC users make is believing that their expensive security suite will stop everything, always. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, my experience has been that the FREE programs do a better job, although they are a bit more work because they don't have all the bells and whistles the big name full feature programs do. When a virus writer is developing his program one of the priorities is to disable AV programs. If they target just the Big 3 AV suites they'll get into more PC's. Bigger isn't always better. I suggest 2 AV program types. You need one that scans in real time, and another you can run manually. No AV program stops everything. If one gets in it will disable the "Live" AV program so you need the manually started one to get rid of the intruders. Same goes for spyware programs.
Lastly, MS's filing system runs pretty good when your drive is more than 50% empty, so upgrading a full hard drive is a must. Once a drive is 50% full it slows down. Imagine running full speed through puddles of water; then a foot of water, then 2 feet and so on. One note, your drive can be 75% empty yet, if you don't defragment often, much of that space is un useable. You need 50% or more of usable space so defragment often.
Drop me an email if you want to know more. Russ@portjeff.net
