SLOW COMPUTERS, WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

I am constantly hearing people talking about their computer is running slow.
I’m also hearing all sorts of theories mostly from the general public as to why it’s slow, but also theories coming from people that should know much better, (there may be ulterior motives for this).

So, I thought I would put together some general information and Facts that will help people understand a few things about their computer and common issues. Some of these details will also apply to Smart Phones and Tablets/iPads.
Unfortunately, there is no one answer as to why a computer can be running slow, but there certainly are ways to fix or at least improve your computers speed.

I hope you find this a worthwhile read. (There is no specific order to the below list.)

1. COMMENTS: I have too much stored on my hard drive and it’s slowing the computer down.
   OR: I don’t want to put much, (or anything) on my computer because it will slow it down.
   FACT: The hard drives nowadays are huge compared to the old days of like 25MB drives and now, 500GB is more the norm.
   Unless you completely fill your hard drive to within 0 – 50GB and very, very few people ever come close to filling them, this will not ever affect the speed or reliability of your computer.
   FACT 2: You are better off storing your general data to your computer and then backup to your other storage (Hard drive) device. This way you are not putting all your eggs in one basket. If you don’t know how to backup, find out, and don’t put it off. It’s too late after your hard drive crashes, and they do crash and completely fail.
2. COMMENT: I defrag (defragment) my computer all the time but it doesn’t help.
   FACTS: Does Defragging help? ANSWER: Yes and No.
   Since the advent of the Windows 7 operating system, Windows defrags constantly itself. It’s a part of the basic maintenance windows now does all the time in the background.
   So when you manually defrag, it will not actually do anything much compared to what has already been done by Windows automatically. So while it does make a difference having a well sort hard drive, you manually running the defrag will usually make such a small difference that it is negligible to the general user.
   SSD Drives (Solid State Drive). These drives do not need to be derfagged at all. Doing so will acheive nothing at all.
3. COMMENTS: But I bought a really good defragging program too.
   FACT: There is very little a third party defragger can do that Windows does not already do. Save your money! (More on this later)
4. Not enough RAM (Random Access Memory).
5. A slow a Processor (CPU). For example, a $200 – $400 Laptop is most likely a very low powered CPU (Celeron, for example).
6. Too many programs running or starting every time you start your computer.
7. Too many obsolete or out of date programs installed.
8. A number of what I like to call Crapware programs installed. These are programs which are advertised as being able to speed up your computer or speed up your internet speed, etc, etc. The Virus program manufacturers and Malwarebytes call them PUP’s, (Probable Unwanted programs). Again, save your money. most are complete rubbish for the supposed benefit provided.
9. COMMENT: My computer is slow. Probably, because it’s dirty inside.
   FACT: Even a computer as bad as the one shown here, (on the left) will not slow down your computer. What it is mostly likely going to do however, is make your computer unstable, possible immediate or regular shut off’s, due to the CPU or other components overheating. If you are in a humid area this can also permanently damage components or kill your entire computer. So in general, not a good practice to let it build up like this. But it has nothing to do with your computer running slowly.
10. Lastly, a slow computer can be caused by a faulty hard drive, a slow hard drive, or possibly a hard drive just not suited to the job at all. Also in today’s modern computers, the computers, in general, are hampered by your standard hard drives. The standard hard drives have become a bottleneck, Data can not be retrieved quick enough to allow the processor to process the data.
    All of which is fixable and may not cost all that much to fix.
    One of the biggest improvements we can now do for our Laptop’s and Desktop PC’s is install Solid State Drives (SSD’s).
    These SSD’s are up to 10 Times faster than the regular drives and will account for the biggest single improvement possible to your PC. No other improvement can match what the SSD’s can do. The SSD’s will make your computer better than it ever was, even from new.
    SSD’s are not anywhere near as expensive as they once were. So come in and see me (or call) about these, and we can discuss just how much, or how little it will cost to swap your HDD for a TURBO fast SSD.

There is, of course, more things that can be the cause of slow computers but I think this covers the most common issues.