what should i do if my computer is slow or locks up?

Question

when i try to log on it takes a while before things start moving and sometimes i just have to turn the computer off. i ran spybot to check for viruses, is there anything else i can do?

Answer 1

definitely disabling some programs from startup and running them manually whenever needed can save some RAM. Running a registry cleaner and a disk cleaner software like ccleaner can also help to improve the performance. Available free space is also a major factor of slowdown, backup all data either on another drive or onto cd/dvd and keep ample empty space on the system partition, the partition on which windows is installed. Of course buying extra RAM chips is an viable option.

Answer 2

There are many reasons your computer could be running slow or locking up.
Spybot is a spyware program & WILL NOT REMOVE VIRUSES, spybot will only remove spy programs then it is some what limited to what it removes.
If I was you i would click the link below & do a online scan - when this program said your computer is clean do the following:
1 Defrag
2. Check hard drive to see if its full.
3. Check fans inside computer to make sure they are working.
4. Make sure your not running two Virus programs (fastest way to lock up a computer).
5. come back to us if none of the above work for you.

Answer 3

Ah! this means your out of harddrive or memory...
To see if your out of HD (harddrive) click start, programs, accesories, disk defrag and it will show you how much HD you have left, if this is the case, (out of GBs left in HD) a good way to fix that is to get an external HD... If you don't want to spend any money and clear the problem, get the trial version of system mechanic! It works great i have it myself,

If you still have alot of HD its probably your memory, or also called RAM... If this is the case take your PC tower to your local computer store and ask for a Ram upgrade... What you'd want now days as atleast 512 MB, you can go 256mb but it won't even be worth the cheapness. If you just want to go all the way with speed you'd want 1GB it would run about $100 some, depending on what brand.

Hope all goes well,
MoJo~

Answer 4

You could have bad sectors on your hard drive... but I would try this:

start ---> run > msconfig, then hit "enter."

Click on the "startup" tab and then start unchecking every box - these are the items that are starting up as your computer boots.
Most of these are unnecesary "helper apps" that only serve to drain system resources.
You should do this while not on the internet, because you'll temporarily disable the antivirus.
Norton shows up in MSCONFIG as CCAPP, Mcafee as items beginning with MC, and VS, and OAS, and Avast antivirus is ashdisp.
See how it runs with nothing running, then re-enable just your antivirus.

PS - the first solution before mine - format and reinstall will almost certainly work, but it's best to try less dramatic solutions first.

Answer 5

- format windows and reinstall (after you've backed everything up on CD, of course)
- go inside your computer and make sure everything's slotted in properly
- get a diagnostics program like Everest http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?ps=UE&lang=en to check if there is a hardware malfunction
- make sure yr computer gets plenty of ventilation and the fans are not obstructed