Is it really harmful to just turn off the computer instead of shutting it down?

Question

Now my computer is really slow and gets stuck. Is it a virus, I have used virus cleaning programs but it is still freezing up. do I take it in for an expensive cleanup or keep looking for a malicious virus?

Answer 1

have you try defragging it? that would help,and also do you have dial-up that is really slow but if you got dsl or cable internet that is really fast.another problem could be if you have a lot of icons on your screen you might need to delete some of them,but you won't lose your icons they're already in your start menu.try some of these suggestions and see if that works.

Answer 2

Yes, its really harmful to just turn off the computer.. There are many things that may go wrong at that time...
1) All unsaved data will be lost.
2) Your computer may not start the next time.
3) Your drivers may corrupt.
4) Some of the applications don't work, next time.(if it starts)

You should have a clear idea of what are the applications running and what is the configuration of your system.
If you have a good system, then you can really run many programs with out having slow and stuck problems.
If your computer is a very old and low configurations, then try these.,..
1) Set the computer in "Adjust to best performance"
right click on My Computer --> Properties
Go to Advanced tab
click Settings button on Performance section.
here you can find this Option.

2) Go to add or remove programs and uninstall all the applications that you do not use any more.

3) Delete all the unnecessary data in drive.

I think these actions should improve your computer performance a little...

Thanks,
Bhima

Answer 3

Windows is constantly modifying system files in the background. If you switch of the computer while it is in the middle of writing to the hard disk the is a risk of corrupting something that windows needs to work properly. The risk is low but the risk is still there.

It may not be what has caused your current problem
Try disk clean up
Check how muh space you have free on Your hard drive
Defragment your hard drive
Download and run Anti spyware programs like AdAware & Spybot S&D
All these can help improve the performance

Answer 4

Sounds more like a "spyware", then a virus. Go to http://download.com and get the free program Skybot Seek&Destroy. It should clean any spyware for you.

You should always shut down the computer rather then just turning it off. Windows keeps many of its important files in memory, and only writes them during shut down. If you turn off the computer, you run the risk of corrupting those files, and causing Windows not to be able to boot. You will also corrupt any data files (music, pictures, etc) you might have open at the time.

Answer 5

There are several primary reasons cause your computer to be slow and also some softwares you can download to speed up your computer.
First,Corruption and Errors within your registry.The registry is a main part of your computer's Operating System. With time, as you use Windows and install and uninstall programs, your registry will get congested and full of errors. So your computer could slow down. So, if you can clean it up this problem can be solved.Sometimes you can speed computer up by 300%. To clean up registry,You can download a software called regsitry cleaner---Clean registry,remnant,corrupt files and temp files,history,cookies,etc.. This site:
http://speed-up-pc.info/index.php?t=speedpc
lists top 5 registry cleaner,from there you can download and scan for free.
Second,Your computer is loaded with spyware/adware.spyware/adware hamper your computer's performance.It use system resources and slow your computer down.

So, to speed up your slow computer, use a registry cleaner software and clean your registry files first. It will make all the difference, and provide you with the immediate fix you need for your slow computer.Then,download a good anti-spyware to get rid of spyware/adware in your computer.

Answer 6

get rid of un needed programs, the more programs you download the slower it gets. many of these supposed virus cleaners make your computer worse off.

Answer 7

way to go....break your computer. you know if you respect things, then perhaps they would work properly for you. Try spysweeper.com