Why is my computer slow?

Question

I have a laptop, and its getting pretty slow. its through a wireless network from the pc downstairs. the pc is well slow, mine quicker, but still slow ive nearly had it a year. Its a Dell. I dont have alot of stuff on realy. Ive got pics and music. I try to delete programs but not sure which ones i need especially its its a laptop. I do antivirus chekups everyday. and delte my internet files and clear data and cookies etc. i think im doing it all right, but its pretty slow what could it be? do i need to defrag more often? thanks. ps please can you say it in simple terms, i dont know too much about computers! just the basics really, x

Answer 1

There could be lots of reasons. How much Memory(RAM) do you have ? If its 512 or under you might want to try increasing your virtual memory. How much freespace is left on your hard drive? If its maxed out that would explain the slowness. You haven't put one of those "free" anti spyware programs on it have you?(Like Adaware ) if so that is the reason it running slow.

Answer 2

Eliminating spyware/malware using Lavasoft's Ad-Aware is alsoworthwhile. Defragmenting the hard-drive will help consolidate space, do so every month or so. You might find that a third-party disk defragmenter such as perfect-disk or diskeeper may help your boot-sppeds. You can download trial versions of the software for free, which work for between 15 and 30 days. It might be worthwhile to defragment the swap-space using an offline defragmentation.

Check what is loading at startup in the start->all programs->startup menu. Right-click and delete any unwanted startup programs. Open up the task manager (hold cntrl/alt/del or cntrl/shift/esc)and look for memory resident programs in the applications and process tabs. Under the Performance tab, check the available memory.

To review system performance go to start->control panel->administrative tools ->peformance. Add things to monitor using the + above the grah and consider looking at memory, cpu, and page file usage. This will help you to understand why it is slow if you have a little knowlege about computer systems.

Answer 3

It is difficult to say what may be causing your laptop to be slow. From what you have said it seems that you are doing all the right things. You do not need to defrag your pc very often. When does it go slow the most? Is it whilst opening files? or is it just generally slow? Often the best way to make a noticeable speed difference is to upgrade your RAM. Your wireless connection should not slow the general use of your pc down. Email me if you want anymore advice and I will try to help you.
All the best.

Answer 4

Yes, defragment your hard drive - and that should speed it up. You may want to add more memory. A lot of laptops only have 250 Mb of memory installed. Mine is using 735 Mb now and I'm doing a download, on here, have an antivirus in memory and a DVD/CD writer softare in memory. So you really need a gig of memory or stick to doing very basic stuff on your computer. if you don't have enough memory - your computer using the hard drive as virtual memory which is really slow.

Answer 5

its more than likely your processor ... your processor is like the brain to your computer when you try to do things on the computer the processor obviously has to process it. most computers 1 year old dont have the dual core technology, so your computer does 1 thing at a time and in a specific order until the task is complete, the size of your processor tells you the power that it has, i have a 2.4ghz dual core so really a 4.8ghz processor on my dell laptop ... the only thing wrong with dell is if you go cheap with dell the computer sucks, i had to spend about 1800 on mine and at times im still dissappointed with the performance. ram is also a factor im sure you have 512 mb of ram , not bad for everyday computing, checking emails or posting questions on answers.yahoo.com ... but if you want a fast computer i would buy an apple next time. they are the best and they also let u have windows installed incase you love windows ... but who loves windows? lol

good luck hope this helped

Answer 6

First question- what is your internet connection. Never mind the wireless from downstairs.

If its a phone, then yes it will be slow. Your wireless can detect other connections. try the others that are open, maybe they are on ADSL or cable. That will be faster.

Second, how old is this laptop?One year? Then the processor should be fine.

I think it is safe to say that the reason is your internet connection. Phone speed doesnt cut it anymore.

Answer 7

Internet Security 101.

1) You need some Firewall software (especially for broadband) Go to zonealarm.com for FREE software. Its the best.
2) You need an antivirus program (& update the definitions). AVG 7.1 (soon to be 7.5) lite versions are FREE
3) You need software to block & detect spyware. Lavasoft Ad-Aware & Spybot Search & Destroy are both FREE
4) Go to www.grc.com & download the 3 musketeers to close XP security holes. Then do a SHIELDS-UP test.
Update the AVG, ADAWARE & SPYBOT once a week & run scans.

Answer 8

Pay someone to tune it up. Loads of people will suggest various antispyware programs: you should only need one. Any more are likely to slow the computer down and not speed it up. And don't delete programs, uninstall them. Chances are your computer has got far more programs on than it needs and far more processes starting up than you're likely to use.

Answer 9

Go to IOLO.Com Get System Mechanic 7 Downloaln a free trial . Girl that system is the ****. It took my computer from running like a 90 year old granny to running like a bat out of hell. Real deal. It will do it all. Bugs,spy fix hard drive. It is your answer. Smiles

Answer 10

You either have it so infested with malware from downloads or you have a laptop with x(not enough ram) and tryin to run y(way too much software at the same time) or both! Most antivirus software doesnt look for spyware and adware!