Why do computers become slower as they get older and what can I do to prevent this from happening?

Answer 1

Compter hard ware wears out after a while. Buying more RAM memory will speed it up....But probably the best thing to do is just buy a new computer!

Answer 2

.
Computers are a summation of so many parts.
I would not say they get "slower" with age
although it does "seem" that happens.
Better said: Computers get slower as the hard drive gets too full, and the virtual memory has less free hard drive space to speed up functions.

The solution then, is to either delete some programs and/or applications
or add an additional hard drive.

I only had a 10 gig hard drive in my old buggy
and she was running fine
with the usual disk clean up and defrag
until the hard drive got too full from installing games and my own "stuff".
I didn't want to part with my goodies, so I added another 40 Gig hard drive.
I did not add more RAM. Not really needed.
Instead I moved all my "stuff" and games over to the bigger hard drive.
I left all the system files and programs I didn't want to
"corrupt" in a move
on the original hard drive.
Then I made the VIRTUAL MEMORY file bigger.

...and now all is fine and fast again. I'm happy, and
so is my computer.
While I was inside installing the second hard drive
I also used canned-air and a small vac
to clean the dust out...especially the fan.

To move files to the second hard drive
I just used the method
RIGHT click START > left click EXPLORE
IN the explore left panel (tree) scroll down to
folder to be moved.
RIGHT CLICK > hold down mouse button >
drag to hard drive 2 > let go mouse button > select MOVE HERE.
Almost all my desktop icons and shortcuts still work fine.
For those that do not, I just made new ones from
new folder location on second hard drive.

To increase the size of your VIRTUAL MEMORY
which uses free hard drive space for temporary RAM on demand
(in lieu of adding more physical RAM)
do this:
VIRTUAL MEMORY CHANGE
1. Start> RIGHT click MyComputer > Properties >
2. tab for Advanced > frame for Performance > click button Settings
3. window Performance Options >
tab Advanced > Frame for Virtual memory > click button Change >
4. window Virtual Memory > Frame Paging File >
Before changing the paging file size note the Registry size frame amount, and subtract the amount you've set aside for Maximum registry size, from the free Drive space amount.
You can set your paging file up to the difference.
Example:
Minimum 800
Maximum 2500
5. click OK
6. Restart your pc


Glad to help
h2h

Answer 3

coputers become slower for three main reasons. 1. how full is hard drive-if over half full you may need to get a larger one. 2. How often you use tools like deframent and disc cleanup-defrag will clear up space if you delete files often-disc cleanup will empty temp internet folders and others and tell you how much space you can gain back. 3. How much memory and hard drive is used if you upgraded and had a smaller hard drive. Other reasons may be-viruses, too many cookies, too many programs in use in the startup bar, too many grafics intensive program-might need a graphics card with more internal memory to take effort away from the main cpu. My first suggestion is turn off your screensaver and goto administrative tools,then defragment, and defrag your computer-note if you haven't done this in awhile or never-then it will take a long time,but is usually worth the effort.

Answer 4

What ever gadgates we are using need some kind of maintenance to keep it running uptodate.
Make a practice to run disc cleaner from Systems tools and defragement your drive once a month. Use some utility program to cleanup your registery and virus program to clean unwanted adwares and spywares.
Use a program like "System Mechanic 6.0" or "XP Tools" these utility programs clean up your PC with a single click of a button and improves performance.
I am using XP Tools program and made a practice to run this twice a week. This keeps my PC running always on top gear.
Hope these suggesions will help you out.

Answer 5

more junk files get downloaded to your pc. get rid of unnecessary files, clear your cache memory, defrag your harddrive and your pc will improve in speed. also look at what is loading in the background when your computer starts-up. I fthe program is not needed to load everytime uncheck the file. This can be done by
START>RUN then type msconfig and ENTER

Answer 6

perhaps you've a software which eats each and each of the ram away. Boot in threat-free mode and word. If that works. Then examine your startup classes and amenities through utilising msconfig and get rid of each and each of the programsvqnd amenities you don't need alongside with the upload-ons.

Answer 7

Just typical wear and tear on the mechanical parts. When they mess up you can replace them, but sometimes, depending on the problem, it can be more expensive than just upgrading to a new one.