my daughters p c is running really slow what is the best way to rectify this. thanx in advance?

Question

she has lots of photos and music stored.

Answer 1

She most likely has viruses and/or spyware...especially if she's downloading music.

Make sure there is antivirus on the PC.
Try: AVG - http://free.grisoft.com
-or-
Avast - http://www.avast.com

Also, get some antispyware program.
Try: Ad-Aware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com
-and/or-
Windows Defender - http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx


All programs listed are free...

.

Answer 2

You don't say how old the PC is ?, these days you need minimum of 512mb Ram and a CPU of 3.06 Ghz,
One of the best is the Intel Pentium 4, anything less then this and the PC will struggle a bit to load the XP operating system in,
The operating system alone need 256mb ram to run smoothly and the rest is for the software being loaded,
I had a computer which started to run slow, so I brought a newer PC with more ram and a faster CPU since then I have a computer that can cope with most things, but then there will come a time when this computer will start to slow down and will need to be replaced with a better and faster PC,
so it might be time to buy a new PC, but make sure that the software that you have installed will be compatible with the new PC for it will have the new Vista operating system installed and some of the software that you have may not work properly if installed on the new PC.
Good luck

Answer 3

Empty temporary files, run a virus and spyware scan, then do a scan disk and defrag. Back up any files that are not regularly used.

If this does not solve the problem then visit www.pcpitstop.com and run a batch of full tests, this will give you an over view of how the pc is running and give you some idea on how to improve performance.

Answer 4

Windows has a number of design flaws, resulting in it becoming slower and slower and not lasting very long. You've probably heard more than once someone say "My computer is getting sluggish, I'm gonna reinstall". Reinstalling Windows solves the problem... until next time.
You may think this is just how computers work, they're very new technology, and still not really stable. Well, try Linux and you'll be surprised. Five years from now, your system will be just as fast and responsive as the day you installed it, not to mention that you won't have any viruses, adwares, trojans, worms, etc., that would force you reinstall anyway.

Give her TeenPup or Knoppix - they're free!

Answer 5

The best way is getting more RAM (Memory) And reinstalling the OS ...................

You can also run Disk Clean Up And Defragment The hardrive and delete some music and photos


you can also go to start ->Run ->And type 'msconfig'

then go to the start up tab and select the things you only want to start when the computer turns on

this will make your computer faster.......

also try some anti spyware software you migh have a virus or a lot of spyware ..

BEFORE DOING THE MSCONFIG SEARCH ON GOOGLE ....SO THEY CAN EXPLAIN IT BETTER


GOOD LUCK

Answer 6

I have already answered the same question for someone else two days ago. You can search the YAHOO answer first to see if other people have asked already.

Here is my answer.


(1) When you think your computer is acting slow, check your CPU performance. Go to Task Manager (assume you know how to ) and go to performance tab. How is your CPU doing?

(2) Do you have alot of programs running on the background? If you don't need the program, don't let it run. For more information on how to do that, read
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/270035...

(3) Aslo uninstall un-necessary softwares.

(4) Try to defragment and schedule an error check. To do so

In "My Computer", right click on C: drive. Go to properties, and go to "Tools" tab. Try to defragment it first. it will take a while depends on how big your hard disk is and how messy it is. And then on the same "Tools" tab, click "check now". You might have to restart your computer for that. It will take a while too.

Even after you do all that and if you are sure your system is free of spyware and virus, and ... well... if your computer is still slow, ... get addition memory or get a new computer =)

Answer 7

1) Delete any files that you do not need, e.g. Programs, Videos, Music, etc.

2) Do a disc clean-up.

3) Wipe the hard-disc (i.e. delete everything on the hard-drive)

4) Upgrade the RAM (ie. make it bigger)

5) Buy a new hard-drive, internal or external.

NOTE: If you are not using things on your PC but may in the future, copy it to CD/DVD/USB Pen Drive. There is no need to do this if you have the disc for it.

Answer 8

i would try the following things before seeking professional advice:

1. do an antivirus scan to check for bugs that may be causing the PC to run slowly

2. Do a system defragmentation

3. Do a disk cleanup to delete temporary internet files which really cause the system to slow down

Answer 9

Download Avast it's free and very good. One more thing Photographs and Games take up unbelievable space on a PC Music is OK I think. She should dump images that she is fed up with or never even looks at. You should also download and run
CCleaner it will clean out the registry safely. Which will speed things up.

Cheers.

Answer 10

Some service providers give you space to keep all your pictures and files on their computer. I keep all mine in my briefcase on line and not on my computer. Also one of this months PC mags is giving away free System Mechanic, you can clean you hard drive from all the rubbish, get rid of all those nasty thing that have been building up! You can't run a computer without updating software, defraging and ad ware clean up. It will all slow you down and eventually stop it from running properly.

Answer 11

the photos and the music are only a problem if the hard disk is totally full ,that will slow the computer to an annoying speed yes, but i bet that there are also a lot of software installed on the computer and thats the main factor of the problem
your solution will be:
go to
start/control panel/add remove programs
and uninstall all the software that your daughter isnt using
then restart
and the computer will be much faster .
goo luck