Computers and Technology

Have you ever turned on your computer and waited, and waited, and waited for it to finally finish starting up? Millions of people experience this problem. Some for lack of knowledge just let it be, suffering in silence, all the while imagining throwing that computer out the window. But how do you fix a slow computer? Well, fortunately, it doesn't take an Einstein to do this.

What causes a slow computer anyway? A few of the culprits are disorganized files, unnecessary software, a registry in need of cleanup, programs running in the background, or worse, a virus attacking your system. The following tips can help fix a slow computer and get it to run faster.

Baby Got Back (Up). If your life literally resides in your computer, it is probably wise to make a backup of your computer. You wouldn't want that autobiography you've written for 3 years to just end up in the twilight zone. Before you try to fix a slow computer, a backup must be the first action in your attack plan. This also ensures that your computer will run the way it was before you messed up the troubleshooting.

Spring Cleaning. Your house is not the only one that needs spring cleaning. You'll know that it's time to fix a slow computer if you've had your computer for a year or more. It's because like a house it can be cluttered with unnecessary things, like unused programs that take up precious resources that in turn affects your computer's speed. In order to fix a slow computer, go to Windows Control Panel and access the Add and Remove Programs to toss out the ones you don't need anymore. But be careful though, only remove the programs you know. Those labeled as "updates" or "hotfix" should be left alone as they maintain your computer.

If You Got It Use It! Windows has a few system tools to help you fix a slow computer and get it in tip top shape. One is the Disk Cleanup that will help free up wasted disk space, and the other is the Disk Defragmenter which makes the computer read and access files faster. Do these two regularly and you won't need to fix a slow computer.

Simply The Best. One of the best ways to fix a slow computer is to use a registry cleaner. A registry cleaner is a software that navigates the tricky and sensitive areas of your computer known as the registry files. Registry cleaners help fix a slow computer by removing obsolete, broken or corrupted files which significantly slows it down. Access to the registry for preference and setting files become laborious for the computer if these files are not removed. A reliable, high quality registry cleaner will safely remove all the junk that prevents your computer from running smoothly.

Fix a slow computer now and it will result in a more efficient machine, and thus a much happier you. Ignore it and it will bring you nothing but misery.

It's not easy to work on your computer, if you keep getting constant computer error messages. Do you often wonder how to fix computer error messages once and for all? Some users will get the common symptoms of a defective computer registry like your computer is running much slower than before and it keeps stopping at critical times when its under a heavy processing load. You are finding it difficult to add additional hardware or software to your computer and even if you do it does not work well.

Your personal computer does not start up or stop on time and it's slow to process your commands. You need to reboot your computer repeatedly and it's already showed the blue screen of death a few times. There is a simple way you can catch all such errors very easily. All you have to do is download registry cleaner software and you can get your computer back to normal as soon as possible. Fix your computer error messages cannot be done manually, even if it is possible, you have to be an expert.

Why do I need to use a registry cleaner and how to fix computer error messages with it?
The Internet is pretty seductive with a lot of absolutely free software present for download. No matter how careful you are you can't help downloading a few of the better software's so matter how outdated and even incompatible they are with your operating system.

These wrongly written programs cannot be reinstalled or uninstalled easily and leave being fragments which are really confusing to the computer and its normal running.

A good way to evaluate whether you need registry cleaner software is to answer these questions:

- Have you recently installed software updated drivers?

- Do you have any software that once installed did not work well and you did not use it as a result?

- Did you at any time have a Virus, Spyware infecting your files and your computer?

- Do you always download a lot of computer software and computer games?

Removing old software or old hard ware never leaves your computer completely free of errors and a few fragments are always present on your computer registry. These entries are responsible for corrupting your computer and slowing it down.

Is it possible to fix computer error message with a registry cleaner? Yes, its possible to fix computer error message with a registry cleaner. Registry cleaner software works on the simple principle that almost all computers have a lot of unused and unnecessary software on the computer registry. At start up all these programs compete to start at the same time which happens to confuse the computer and thus slows down the computer a lot.

Almost all registry cleaner software runs on a well written program which is responsible for sifting through your computer registry for almost every variety of common computer error like unused programs and old programs, partially removed programs, lost files and half removed short cuts, effective devices, fonts and configuration files.

A good registry cleaner software program can sift through the thousands of files and programs in your computer and remove all faulty programming found in your Computer Registry which can slow down and cause the infamous blue screen of death. If you want to know an easy and guaranteed way how to fix your computer error message solution; then you've got to get a registry cleaner.

That New Computer Smell

If you are like most people when they go out and buy a new Personal Computer you probably get excited when you take it out of the box, turn it on and marvel at how fast it runs. When a computer is new it always seems to run faster and boot up quicker than your old computer. The applications and games seem to run without any slow down and when you get on the internet the pages load instantly on the screen, and you can quickly surf from one website to another. Overtime though, your computer can slow down and not run as quickly as it did when it was new.

This slow down can occur for a variety of reasons and when it happens it can be frustrating and spoil your computing experience. Often times when this happens it can be corrected by either cleaning up your hard drive, or running some diagnostics. Perhaps the computer has a virus and once you remove the virus, performance can be restored. What do you do though if you have done all those things and your computer is still running slow?

If your computer is running slow even after you have removed any viruses and attempted to improve system performance, it could mean that the demands you are now placing on your computer have exceeded the computer's capability.

As we use our computers we tend to install new software applications and attempt to run more applications simultaneously. The new software we install can require greater computer resources such as more computer memory and a faster CPU, or central processing unit to run the software applications or games properly.

If you are like me you like to have multiple software applications running or multiple internet browser windows open at the same time and that can utilize greater amounts of computer resources as well. The more resources you use, the slower the computer will run.

This is a constant problem in computing because computer technology doubles roughly every 18 months. In a demand for more feature rich software applications, software developers create more resource consuming software programs. To meet the increased demands of the software, computer manufacturers continue to build faster, more expensive computers. This, in my opinion, is a vicious cycle where in order to maintain a fast and enjoyable computing experience, the computer user is forced to go out and buy a new computer every few years.

Fortunately for me I have never had to worry about that problem. I am a certified computer professional and have been building and repairing computers for over 15 years. When I want a faster computer I do not go out and buy a new expensive computer. I have learned how to break the new computer buying cycle by upgrading my computer. By upgrading my computer rather than buying new, I can simply make myself a faster computer at a fraction of the cost.

You can break the computer buying cycle too and you do not have to be a computer professional like me to do it. You only need to know a few things about computers, be handy with a screw driver and be able to follow a few simple instructions; but before you begin to think about upgrading your computer, it might be important to get a brief overview on how a computer works.

Computer Basics

Computers are made up of a combination of hardware and software working together. When you aren't familiar with how a computer functions then they can seem very complex. You can reduce that complexity, once you understand how a computer works at a basic level.

At its most basic level a computer receives input and produces output. A computer receives input through input devices such as the keyboard and mouse (hardware). Every time we click the mouse on a link or move the mouse across the screen we are giving the computer input or an instruction to do something.

The computer receives the input as an electronic signal created by the mouse click or keystroke on the keyboard. This signal is transmitted through the computer and is converted into digital data where it can be interpreted as an instruction by the operating system, software application or game.(software)

The computer processes digital instruction data and produces output as either an image or words on the computer screen or perhaps as a printout on a printer.

What makes a computer fast is its ability to receive input, and produce output quickly. There are several components a computer needs in order to function but there are three primary components that directly affect how fast a computer can operate.

The three primary computer components which handle the processing of input and make a computer fast are the:

• Motherboard or Main System board
• CPU or Central Processing Unit
• RAM or Random Access Memory

The Motherboard

Without getting too technical, the Motherboard is the computer component that connects all the hardware together on the computer. You could think of the Motherboard as a data freeway that links together all the components of the computer and allows them to transmit data between each other and and communicate.

Every computer component on the computer connects to the Motherboard either by being connected directly to the Motherboard or connecting via a data cable. The devices or components that connect to the Motherboard are the CPU, RAM Memory, Hard Drive, CD ROM/DVD drive, Video Card, Sound Card, Network Card, Modem, Key Board, Mouse and Monitor.

There are additional peripheral devices which can connect to the Motherboard as well through a variety of data ports which are connected to the Motherboard such as a printer, digital camera, microphone, and even a HDTV. These devices can connect to the Motherboard using one of several ports such as a USB, Parallel, Fire-Wire, SATA (Serial-ATA), or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) port.

In short the Motherboard provided the data communication infrastructure which allows communication between all the devices. What makes one Motherboard faster than another is the volume of data it can support being transmitted across what is called it's data BUS and the speed at which it can transmit the data. One way to think of it is in terms of a street. Think of the data bus as a street and the data are like cars driving down the street. Older Motherboards communication was the equivalent of a two way two lane street with a speed limit of 25 MPH. Today the new Motherboards are like 8 lane highways with 200MPH speed limits.

New Motherboards are faster because they can allow more data traffic at higher speeds.

The CPU

The CPU or Processor is the brain of the computer. The CPU carries out all the instructions that you in conjunction with the Operating System, like Windows XP or Windows 7, asks it to do. CPUs can only carry out one instruction at a time but they do it so fast it seems like they are doing multiple tasks at one time or "Multitasking".

Newer CPUs are faster because their "clock speed" or "clock cycle" is faster. The clock speed is the speed at which a CPU can carry out instructions. You can think of clock speed like the timing of a metronome, the device that helps musicians keep the right musical time. A metronome has a hand on the front of it which swings back and forth at a timing interval you set. As it swings back and forth it ticks like a clock. Like the metronome the CPU also ticks at a set interval but a CPU ticks at an incredibly fast rate which is measured in Mega or Gigahertz. The CPU carries out an instruction on every tick of its clock cycle.

New CPUs can not only carry out instructions at very high clock speeds but they can also be made up of multiple CPU Cores. Each Core can carry out its own instructions. When you have a Dual Core CPU it can carry out two instructions at the same time and a Quad Core CPU can carry out four. There are even six Core CPUs out now and like the newer Motherboards these CPUs also have a larger Data BUS to send and receive data faster through the Motherboard enhancing the computers overall performance.

RAM Memory

RAM or Random Access Memory is what stores all the instructions you have asked the computer to carry out. Every time we interact with our computer we are creating instruction data for the CPU to process and even the simplest interaction, like moving the mouse across the screen, requires many single instructions the CPU must carry out. You can imagine that playing a computer game or running an application like Adobe Photo shop can create a tremendous amount of instructions for the CPU. The CPU is fast and can execute a lot of instructions quickly but it can't do them all at once which is why we need a place to store the instructions until they can be processed. This is why RAM was created.

RAM is basically the storage place for all the instructions that are waiting to be executed by the CPU. You can sometimes tell when you don't have enough RAM when you have clicked on the mouse or hit the enter key to initiate a program and the hour glass just sits there spinning on the screen. It can appear that our computer has locked up or froze but what is actually happening is the computer is completing the series of instructions it has been given before it can perform any further instructions. When this happens we usually see it as the computer briefly locking up. It is also very frustrating.

The best way to resolve this problem is by simply adding more RAM to your computer. Adding more RAM is possibly the easiest way to increase the performance of your computer. Increasing the amount of RAM in your computer can help your computer run faster because it allows your computer store more instructions. This lets the computer carry out a lot of instructions while you continue to do your work and it reduces the computer freeze ups.

The speed of the RAM you use can also help the computer. If you use RAM that has a faster Data Bus speed it can send the instructions it is storing to the CPU at a faster rate. The faster the CPU gets the instructions the faster it can carry them out and the faster your computer will run.

The amount and type you can use is dictated by the type of CPU and Motherboard you use. The Bus speed of the CPU and Motherboard as well as the capacity of RAM the Motherboard can recognize will determine what type of RAM and how much you can use.

Some Motherboards will allow you to install as much as 32GBs of RAM and most Motherboards will recognize multiple Bus speeds so you can use several different types of RAM. Generally speaking the faster the BUS speed and the larger storage capacity of the RAM, the faster your computer will perform. The important thing to remember though is that with larger capacity and speed comes higher price.

What's nice about upgrading RAM is most Motherboards can accommodate several different speeds and capacities of RAM so you can start out with a slower speed and smaller capacity, which will be less expensive reducing your initial upgrade cost and then later down the road you can upgrade your RAM to a larger capacity and high speed.

Replacing the Motherboard, CPU and RAM is actually a lot easier than you may think. The CPU and RAM are directly connected to the motherboard so you can replace all three components at the same time by simply swapping out the motherboard.

To do this you must first determine what kind of form factor of motherboard your current computer supports.

The Motherboard Form Factor

Many computer manufacturers such as HP, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, eMachine, and Acer build their computers based on 4 primary motherboard form factors or design specifications and they are:

• ATX = Full Size Motherboard generally found in full size Desktop computers and Towers
• Micro-ATX = Mid Size motherboard found in Mid Tower and Smaller Desktops
• Mini-ATX = Small Motherboard found in Mid Towers, Smaller Desktops
• Mini-ITX = Newest motherboards very small size found in new smaller towers and desktops

These form factors refer to the size of the Motherboard itself. The computer case is designed to accommodate a specific size of Motherboard. Once you have determined which form factor your computer model is, then all you need to do is purchase the correct form factor Motherboard that fits your computer models case.

It would work like this. Let's say you have an HP Pavilion 750n desktop computer. This is an older computer with a single core processor. Nice computer when it first came out but very slow by today's standards. You decide that you want to make it faster by upgrading it to a Quad Core CPU but you need to determine if you can upgrade it.

You can determine whether or not you can upgrade that particular computer by going to the HP support website. On the site you would type in your computer model and look at the hardware specifications for that computer. HP will list the form factor information in the specifications guide. Having done this many times, I already know the 750n uses a Micro-ATX form factor.

Each computer manufacturer I named has a support site on their webpage where you can go to determine your models form factor. You can also do a search on Yahoo, Google, or Bing and ask what form factor your computer model is. If that doesn't work simply email me or leave a comment on this article and I can help you locate it.

Once you know the type of form factor your computer model supports you are now ready to decide what performance level you would like to upgrade your computer to.The performance level of the computer is generally dictated by the CPU it uses. You may recall I indicated the CPU is often referred to as the brain of the computer because it processes all the instructions and it sets the computers overall speed based on it's clock speed.Since the computers overall speed is set by the CPU, you typically start your upgrade by determining the CPU performance level you want.

How you decide which performance level you would like to upgrade to can be based on how you use your computer and how much you want to spend to upgrade it. Generally speaking if you only use your computer to send and receive email, browse the web, and save and share digital images from a digital camera, then you may only need to upgrade to a Dual Core CPU to significantly improve you computing experience.

If you play lots of games, burns DVDs, edit movies or sound files, and work with high resolution images or graphics, then you may want to select a Quad Core CPU to increase performance and improve your computing experience.

From a cost perspective you can expect to pay more for a faster CPU than you would for a slower CPU and Quad Core CPUs are generally more expensive than Dual Cores. As a rule I believe you should purchase as much as you can for as little as possible that way you get the most for your money and you won't have to upgrade again for quite a while.

When you are ready to select your CPU you will have choices based on manufacturer and type and there are also some differences between the various types of CPUs from each manufacturer which you should be aware of.

There are three primary CPU manufacturers Intel, AMD and Motorola, but for the purpose of this article we are only going to focus on Intel and AMD. Motorola is primarily responsible for making CPUs for Apple Computers. Apple computers, are a proprietary computer model and it can be more difficult and more costly to upgrade an Apple computer.

This article is focused on helping the budget conscious, who own what is generally referred to as an IBM compatible computer, upgrade their computer easily and inexpensively. IBM compatible computers are identified as those computers which primarily run a Microsoft Windows based operating system such as Windows XP or Windows 7. Intel and AMD manufacture CPUs that support IBM compatible computers so those are the two manufacturers we will focus on.

For the purpose of this article I am not going to go into great detail about the differences between Intel and AMD CPUs. There is already a significant amount of detailed information available on the internet which describes each manufacturers CPU chip architecture, as well as gives side by side comparison.

I would invite you to do a little research on how each manufacturers chips are designed and then review a website that benchmarks each CPUs performance. There are many links on CPU design, comparisons and reveiws on the weband this can help you make your CPU choice.

The prevailing sentiment regarding AMD vs. Intel is that both CPUs, in either Dual or Quad Core configuration, perform similarly with Intel being slightly faster. Intel CPUs have always been associated with executing business applications quickly while AMD CPUs run multimedia applications quickly. As you research their benchmark scores you will see Intel on a graph seems to dramatically out perform AMD but when you look at the duration of time between the two it is minimal.

Where you will see a significant difference between the two manufacturers is in cost. AMD CPUs are almost always less expensive than Intel CPUs. The question I always ask my clients is, "Is a 4 second faster speed difference worth an extra $200 or $300 dollars more by buying an Intel CPU?" To me it is not.

I am looking for an overall performance increase compared to what I am currently using. Once you upgrade your computer you are not going to be comparing it to another computer of equal performance, you will be comparing it to the speed of your last computer. If after your upgrade, you find your computer runs significantly faster than your last computer and it didn't cost much for you to achieve that performance increase, you will be happy with your upgrade and that is what is important.

CPU Cache

Earlier I indicated that RAM stores all the instruction data being transmitted to the CPU and throughout the computer. The CPU Cache is another form of high speed memory only it is specifically devoted to the CPU. It has been shown that a CPU can process data faster if more of the data it must process can be stored on memory located closer to the CPU itself.

All CPUs come with a cache but some newer CPUs will come with an additional cache that is faster and can hold more data closer to the CPU. Typically CPUs operating at a higher clock speed and having an additional, faster cache will offer higher performance.

A good example of this is the difference between the AMD Athlon and Phenom Series of CPUs. Both the Athlon and Phenom series come in Dual and Quad Core configurations but the Phenoim Series has an additional L3 cache making the CPU faster. It also makes a Phenom series CPU more expensive than the Athlon Series.

Another interesting tidbit is there is now a version II for both the Athlon and Phenom Series. The version II offers a more faster cache hence both CPUs are supposed to be faster than their predecessors however the benchmark numbers show a relatively small increase in performance.

Be sure to do a little research on the differences between the AMD and Intel CPUs and select the one you feel will be appropriate for your computing needs while meeting your budget goals. Once you have chosen the CPU you want you will then be ready to select the Motherboard that supports not only your CPU but your computer form factor as well.

One last thing regarding CPUs are both AMD and Intel have different CPU form factors so when you are selecting a Motherboard for the form factor that meets your computers specifications you also need to select the one that fits your CPU choice. This may seem complicated but it is not that difficult once you start looking at the Motherboard and CPU combinations.

The resellers I have showed you have filtering options on their web pages which allow you to select Motherboards that can support either AMD or Intel. You can also filter by both CPU and computer form factor as well which can help you narrow down your decision making.

Once you have made a decision on the CPU, you want to select the Motherboard that will support the CPU you have chosen. As far as Motherboards go there are several major manufactures of Motherboards and they all produce the 4 main types of Motherboard form factors. The major manufactures are:

• ASUS
• Biostar
• Gigabyte
• MSI
• Foxconn
• ECSJetway
• Zotac

This may seem like a lot to choose from but as you begin to filter on the CPU type you can narrow down your focus and make selecting the right Motherboard easier.

Each motherboard will come with common features that are necessary for standard computer operations and some can come with additional features that may or may not be beneficial to you. The primary thing to remember about the Motherboard is that all of the components connect too it and you can choose to customize your computer upgrade as much or as little you want depending on the Motherboard you purchase.

For example, you can purchase a Motherboard which has the video and sound card integrated into the board. This saves you both time and money because it eliminates the need for you to choose a video or sound card, but if you want a specific video or sound card, you can select a Motherboard that does not come with those integrated components and then pick the video and sound card you would like to install as add in cards onto the Motherboard.

Here is a list of common Motherboards features:

• Keyboard and Mouse input often referred to as a PS2 connector
• USB - Universal Serial Bus ports for connecting computer peripherals such as (Keyboard, Mouse, Printer, Digital Camera, external Hard Drive etc...)
• Parallel Printer Port (not as much in newer motherboards as printers use USB)
• Local Area Network or LAN connection for a network or internet connection
• Dial-up Modem (not as common in newer boards due to high speed internet connections)

Optional Motherboard Features:

• 1394 or Fire-wire connection (higher speed data connection)
• External SATA or Serial-ATA connection (higher speed data connection designed to connect external SATA devices such as a Hard Drive)
• HDMI - High-Definition Multimedia Interface to connect an HD Monitor or TV, or to an external High Definition Audio component

We touched on RAM earlier and we know that the RAM you choose must be supported by the CPU and Motherboard you choose. To make it simple it breaks down like this when upgrading. The CPU determines the type of Motherboard you have to choose and your computer model determines the type of Motherboard form factor you select.

The Motherboard will dictate what type of RAM you will be able to use so that will make your selection easier. The only thing you will have to decide when it comes to RAM, is the size of RAM meaning the amount of Gigabytes, Gigs or GBs of RAM you choose and the RAM speed you select.

One other thing you must be aware of is the newer Operating Systems such as Windows Vista and Windows 7 require a minimum of 2GBs of RAM to run properly so you will want to select at least 2GBs of RAM when you upgrade. Knowing this can make your decision regarding the amount of RAM pretty straight forward. As far as the speed of RAM you select that again will depend on the speeds the Motherboard will support, the amount of performance you want and how much you are willing to spend.

As far as determining the speed of RAM your Motherboard will support that is not difficult to determine. As you begin to look at Motherboards you will see they clearly specify the type and speed of RAM they support.

I have covered a lot of information up to this point and I hope you have a better understanding of what is required for you to be able to identify the Motherboard, CPU and RAM components you would need to upgrade your current computer. Buying these components and upgrading them your self is far less expensive then going out and buying a new computer and I am confident with this information as a starting point you too can save money buy upgrading the computer yourself.

There are however, two important additional pieces of information you should know before you attempt to upgrade your computer.

1. Before you upgrade your current computer you should back up all of your important data on to an external storage device such as an external hard drive, USB jump drive or burn it onto a CD or DVD.

The reason this is important is when you upgrade those components you will be forced to reinstall the operating system and that will erase all the current data on your hard drive. In additional if you don't have an installation disk for your current operating system, you will need to purchase a new copy of Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 to install once you have upgraded the components. This may not actually be a major concern for you if you were already considering upgrading to a newer version of Windows. Also I can help you find an inexpensive copy of the Windows operating system if you it.

2. The new components you will install in you current PC will be more advanced from a power consumption standpoint and upgrading them will most likely require you to also upgrade your power supply.

The upgrade is not expensive and is a very easy to accomplish. The type of power supply you will want to select will be roughly 400 watts at least and will need to be a 20x4 pin or 24 pin power supply. This is the type of power supply supported by the newer Motherboards. Again the Motherboard specifications will indicate the power supply requirements.

To make your computer faster all you need to do is upgrade the Motherboard, CPU and RAM. You start by identifying the type of Motherboard form factor your current computer will support, and the performance level you want to upgrade to. Then you buy the CPU that fits your performance needs along with the Motherboard and RAM that fits both your computer model and CPU specifications.

The one thing I didn't cover is the actual installation of these components once you have purchased them and are ready to install. At a high level the process is nothing more then:

• Unplugging the computer and disconnecting all peripheral components such as the keyboard, mouse and monitor from the case
• Before you open the computer, discharge yourself electrically or purchase a static strap to ground yourself to the chassis, this will help you avoid static discharge which can fry a computer component.
• Removing the side cover off the computer case
• Disconnecting all the power cables and Data cables from the old Motherboard
• Unscrewing and removing the old Motherboard from the case
• Unscrewing and removing the old power supply
• Install the new power supply
• Install the new Motherboard into the case
• Reconnecting all the power and data cables
• Powering the computer back up and listening for proper post sound
• Now you are ready to install the operating system

I know once you decide to start this process you will have many questions which is why there is one last thing I would recommend you do before you begin to upgrade you computer.

There are many do it yourself computer repair and upgrade manuals available online and they can provide you all the help you need to do your computer upgrade. Many of the books will provide you step by step explanation on how to replace just about every component on your computer and provide you with detailed diagrams so you can see how to actually perform the removal or install. I would suggest you make a small investment and purchase one of these books.

If I could recommend any do it yourself computer manual it would be "Self Computer Repair Unleashed".This book covers all aspects of computer upgrade and repair in a clear concise format and provides full color diagrams and step by step instructions to help you through any computer upgrade or repair. I can't recommend this book enough. I have provided a link to this book on the links page of my website below in my signature.

I thank you for reading my article and I hope it has inspired you to go out and tackle what you may have originally thought was an impossible task. You can upgrade your computer yourself and save yourself a lot of money too.

There are companies offering free computer items for qualified orders. Free computer parts are not exchangeable. When buying a computer, one should also inquire about the availability of free computer parts or accessories that comes along with the package. It varies from company to company.

Many times, at the end of the year, free computer parts are available or sold very cheaply to clear out old stock. Some of these parts can be modified to suit the exact needs of your computer for a very reasonable cost. Software can be considered free computer parts as well. Free antivirus software is available that helps protect computers from virus.

Other free computer parts include screen savers with the latest electronics and technology. You may have to pay a little for them, but the discounts are fantastic. There are many screen savers that are offered for free. Depending on the brand of your computer, you will find some companies also offer free printers along with other software. Some drivers are also included 'free' as part of a packaged computer purchase. In order to show their appreciation for your business, some companies offer you free items with your purchase if you spend a certain amount of money. Choices include free computer cases, free system accessories, free power supplies and other miscellaneous items. Some even offer clothing accessories like hats, shirts and jackets embossed with the company's logo.

Finally, you can also check out websites like craigslist.org. This site has hundreds of items that students and people who are moving are looking to get rid of. Often times, there are several computer parts and accessories listed.

Technology and slow are complete opposites with each other. With the rapid advancement of technology, we have become more and more reliant on computers to have information on the go. However, despite how hard we want it to be our way, sometimes our computers fail us and they do not perform at their peak performance when we them to. The question then pops to mind, "why is my computer slow?"

There are several reasons to explain why your computer is not performing at its maximum potential.

Virus or Spyware

One of the main causes for 'slow-down' performance of computers is due to the introduction of viruses or spyware into the system. Viruses and spywares not only slow down your computer's performance but it can erase precious data too. Also, viruses can leave behind false registry keys that will slow down your computer as your computer has to go over these false registry keys to get to the right one.

Corrupted Registry

The registry part of our computers is not something that we often look into however it does play an important role that may be the reason for your computer slowing down. It contains many files that are called registry keys that determine how your computer will function and run. Unfortunately, these registry keys can be ruin overtime as the computer is constantly used for different functions. Through this process, new entries are made and old entries are deleted, resulting in false entries. As such, the computer slows down as it has to go over these false entries before processing the right one. Moreover, after a long period of use, computers can loss files pertaining to the registry or the files may have turned corrupted.

Multiple programs

Just like how we wish to complete our tasks in the shortest possible time, we do that through trying to complete our tasks all at the same time! When we are at work, we open numerous windows, Microsoft Word, Excel documents, websites for research, all these while chatting with our friends on the web messenger! How can we then expect our computer to be at its fullest potential? Just imagine, someone were to ask you to wash the clothes while changing the diapers and at the same time cook dinner for the family. It is impossible! You may argue that we are human and are restricted to our boundaries and while computers don't cry for mummy, they just overload.

Machine and men may be different, but both have their limits and capacities. We have to learn how to take care of our computers just as how we take care of ourselves. While, you need not pamper your computer with praises or compliments, what I meant was to keep it at its best. Clear the bad "stuff" inside it and do regular virus checks and keep it well maintained. Only then, will you be able to enjoy the advantages and benefits of having a computer that can function at its best all the time.

Many people ask the "Why is my computer getting slower?" question each day. Well, to be honest, they're asking because the computer probably is actually getting slower. As time passes, your hardware will age and as a result, it will slow down. Moreover, if you have filled your hard drive with junk files, then your computer will become really slow.

It is possible that you have a virus that is causing your entire system to become slower because it is screwing up vital files that your computer needs to run properly, but all in all, there are many things that can cause your computer to slow down and there are many things you can do to improve the situation.

Solution 1

One way to address the problem of your computer becoming slower is to clean out your temporary files. Over time, your temporary files can really add up, especially if you surf the net a lot. Windows writes temporary files for everything. If you are using XP, it is easy to clean out your temporary files folder.

Go to the start menu, then choose programs. After that, click on accessories, then choose disk clean up. This will help to remove all your temporary files and plenty of other junk files that may be hiding in your hard drive.

Alternative method: Click computer - right click your hard drive - select disk cleanup

Solution 2

You will want to keep your desktop free from shortcuts and icons. To clean up your desktop, you can delete the icons manually or you can clean it up through windows which is safer.

Begin by going to the start menu, and then to the control panel. Double click on display, and then click on the desktop tab. Click on the customize desktop button near the bottom. Next, click on the general tab, then choose clean desktop button, and this will get rid of the icons Windows feels you no longer use.

An even better solution would be to use a good registry cleaner, these programs will backup and then proceed to clean your desktop and registry for harmful junk files, the cleaning can have a dramatic effect on system performance.

Read our registry cleaner reviews by following the link at the bottom of this article.

Solution 3

Another problem of a sluggish computer is corrupt files within your Windows registry. The registry is a database that contains information for multiple users and contains all the settings for all of your software and hardware.

To clean this up, you can buy some registry cleaning software, always do a bit of research first. Lots of spyware programs mask themselves as registry cleaners, so it pays to find the best program on the market. On the other hand, you can try to clean your registry yourself, but you should only attempt this if you're tech savvy, be sure to make a backup copy first.

As mentioned above a good registry cleaner will quickly scan, detect and clean the registry within minutes, attempting this procedure manually can take hours and hours.

Solution 4

The easiest thing you can do when you begin to ask the "Why is my computer getting slower?" question is to increase the speed of your computer by defragmenting your hard drive. When your computer saves a file, it saves it to first free spot it finds, and when that fills up, it saves the rest of the file somewhere else. This is a fragmented file, and your hard disk is full of them. If your computer has lots of fragmented files, then it takes longer to retrieve your data.

To fix this, go to my computer, and right click on your main drive. Choose properties. When the next window pops up, click on the tools tab up at the top, and then click on defragment now. Even if Windows tells you that you don't need to run this application, it is still a good idea to do so. Keep in mind, though, that it does take some time, so do it before bed or before you go out for a while.

Solution 5

If you go online a lot, then your computer might contain malicious spyware and adware, and that alone can be the answer to the question of "Why is my computer getting slower?" It just seems to be the norm when surfing online these days that spyware and adware products make themselves at home on your machine.

There is software you can purchase to try and combat the onslaught of ads and spam you get while on the Internet. Spyware and adware can be hard to get rid of, and you almost need to purchase some software just to eliminate and prevent the problem. While you're at it, you should also purchase a good anti-virus program to keep your computer free of nasty viruses that can rob your system of precious resources.

Maintenance Summary

1) Clean out Temporary files

2) Cleanup your desktop

3) Clean the Registry

4) Defragment your hard drive

5) Check for Viruses - Spyware and Adware

To keep you computer running quickly after many years can be difficult. However regular maintenance can really help prevent your system from slowing down. If you do feel your computer is running slower, start with the easiest tasks before moving on to something more difficult.

This article is about how to end slow PC with "spyware" and "registry repair", to address or end slow computer conditions that may exist on your computer. It is important that you look at this problem not just for a quick fix but as a problem that needs to be understood. Then couple that understanding with a solution that we highly recommend that is effective and long term that you can control.

This article is not written to address hardware failure, software failure or virus corruption conditions; there is a remedy for this category of problems as well.

We expose secrets and give you important information to understand what's happening so you can cure or end slow computer conditions and keep it running at a high level of performance for a long time. Later, you can click on the bottom of this article for more information on the solutions we explain further and recommend.

If you are looking for a long-term, effective solution, you can find out how to handle the problem in a way where you take control of how your computer will satisfactorily support you when you need it to perform. It doesn't take too much time, and the cost is minimal.

Most people are not highly technical when it comes to computers. When it comes to spyware removal and registry repair it's easy to just let the experts do most of the tweaking that needs to be done. It is very common for computer users to feel helpless when something happens, like having your keyboard lock up. Most computer users are not familiar with its technical aspects. Understanding why and how a computer slows down are one of them.

Secret: The solution is easy.

Step 1: Understand the concept.
Step 2: Apply the process (the software). and
Step 3: Repeat the process about every 15 to 20 days for maintenance.

This process will keep things under control and always in the palm of your hand.

When you bought your new computer, learning how to end slow computer conditions never entered your mind, it was nice and slick running. Opening a browser and surfing the Internet were fun, fast and exciting. It didn't contain spyware and the registry was in good order. However, if you are surfing the net often, by the end of the first year your computer can start to show signs of slowing down. You might not notice it, but it's already starting to happen. After a while, opening a web page can start to take longer and longer to do and downloading something can start to become frustrating. It can get frustrating enough that eventually you might decide to trash it.

If your computer is about 4 years old, it is still useful in terms of its age. In terms of its components it still should be able to work quite well. Unless you've dropped it or damaged it in some way it could still be in good shape.

So, "How or why does a computer slow down?"

You might be asking yourself, "What did I do to cause it to slow down?" Then, "How can I end slow computer conditions?"

A "slow computer condition" doesn't develop overnight. The elements which cause this condition happens gradually, slowly but surely, over a few months of use. You pick up spyware here and there. The registry gets corrupt little by little. Surfing the net, sending and receiving e-mail, watching video, downloading programs and files, and playing games etc. all contribute to the congestion that will impact your computer's performance. Even all the available, automatic computer updates and alerts that pop up on your computer will contribute to the problem. In addition, the security program that runs in the background continuously is a factor, if you have any installed. Think of all this activity as computer bloating, and we've only named a few.

Fact #1. All you are guilty of doing is using your computer the way it was intended to be used. This is especially true with the bigger, faster, better, newer computers that are available with greater storage capacity, bigger memory, faster internet access speeds and downloads etc. What this means is that your fingers are on the buttons that control the flood gates to more activity on the Internet. You can click open as much as you want to participate in, which in turn will clog up your system. This is where it all begins. Got it? These are activities you want and do every day you are on the Internet. It just happens. This problem affects every computer user.

Fact #2. There are other things that happen while you are involved on the Internet doing activities you want to do. These are things that slip in under the radar, while your desired activity is in process. This is typical of spyware. They are things that you are not aware of, and you wouldn't want happening if you knew what they are doing at the moment. Many spyware software is designed to collect personal information or computer information to various degrees and much of it is done without your consent. Some of the spyware activity you actually accept as a condition of certain services which will allow the free service provider to display certain advertisements. This information gathering will sometimes be based on your personal habits and may include some sensitive information. Some spyware could make changes to your computer settings like change your home page choice, and can be annoying besides slowing down your computer which is annoying enough.

Other writers have outlined some step-by-step instructions on how you can solve some of the problems manually yourself. If you are techie feel free to do it manually, your choice. We don't recommend it for most people because even for the techie type it is a little precarious. We recommend that you get help to take care of the things that are too tedious for anyone to do manually because they are simply too numerous and overwhelming. You didn't think you could do it all manually on your own did you? The average new computer as of the date of this writing has a memory of several gigabytes and storage of several hundred gigabytes. Working on 5 megabytes of data alone is a huge job manually.

Secret: Don't get frustrated. You can end slow computer! Do what you can and let the available software designed for the task do the rest of it. There are very reasonable software solutions available for spyware removal and registry repair, and you will be able to re-use it again and again because you'll own it. Your computer can be brought back to a high level of performance each time. You should be on a 15 - 20 day maintenance schedule. Or use the software again when you can't stand having a sluggish computer. You will end up using it again and again. You very likely won't need to invest in a new computer, and you probably don't need to take it to a repair shop. You can be in control of it!

For additional informational on how to wake-up your computer do a keyword search on information such as Registry repair, Spyware removal, advanced defrag, complete uninstaller, clean-up of duplicate files and device driver check up.