my computer is slow after leaving it on for while or multi-tasking?

Question

I have Pen4 2.66ghz with 1gig ddr2 ram 533mhz 300gig ide harddrive some how after leaving it on for while half day or so computer gets so slow i run symantec trial anti-virus i dont know if setting is wrong or i just need better processor and more ram please help

Answer 1

add memory and make sure its getting enough airflow through the case and not heating up..

Answer 2

They do that don't they.

The suggestion about spybot & ad-aware are spot on. Malware etc. are USUALLY the biggest reason for slowness.

I find that if I hibernate it a lot [which I do as I'm lazy and impatient] it slows after a while and a good ol' restart sorts me out.

also try this:
go to run
type 'msconfig' [enter]
look at the tab marked 'start up'

These are all the apps that automatically load on start-up. NOW BE VERY CAREFUL HERE! you can delselect those items WHICH YOU KNOW to be superfluous. Things like iTunes Helper, for exmple. If you deselect something vital you may regret it, so really, act with caution.

Make all the changes you dare and the restart.
When it re boots you will get a dialogue pointing out that you altered your start up apps, giving you the chance to revert any unchecked items that you now see were quite useful. Until you check the box on that dialogue, you will always see it upon boot.

Also in Programs there is a folder called start up, in here there are other apps that get auto-loaded on booting.
[Right-click the 'START' button, go to 'open'. in that folder you will find 'programs' folder, and finally in that you will find 'startup' folder] phew.

Remove any you don't want. This is far less troublesome as these are whole applications and not running them wont affect your system overall [that's a simplification of the situation but will do for here and now] It seems to me that less programs put themselves here, these days and more appear in the Registry [what you were tinkering with above]

And yes, RAM gives you more oomf, so more of that might help but only if its good and fast. Check your system and OS needs and get the best you can afford.

x

Answer 3

1.Because that most software has automatically function. When you go to the system they would automatically run in the background. So you always use the software is more convenient. But it will also cause unnecessary troubles. There is so much software when you start your PC that the speed will slow down and they can impact of your normal use.
2.Because that several different applications will produce some temporary files by using the Windows.The system will save some temporary files in System disk after you visit the web page.If you don’t clean up temporary files folder in time, the disk space will be occupied by these temporary files and the speed will be dropped. What is more important is that a lot of virus and malicious procedures producing in the temporary files cause your systems to stop working.
Don’t worry,You only need to download system cleaner software to resolve the problems about your PC. It cleans all things that you want, increases your PC speed, saves more disk space, and helps you to the trouble about hardware upgrade.You can click the website http://computer-optimize.com/ to find the satisfied software

I wish my solution could help you.
Personal experience
good luck！！

Answer 4

It's called "Memory Leakage". The programs running fail to let go of the memory it's no longer using and the computer thinks these memory locations are in use but they're really not. So the same programs use other memory instead of reusing the falsely locked memory.

It's a matter of bad program design. You should try using the Task Manager to shut down programs that you don't plan to use. Restart the computer, or get a RAM wipe program.

Here's some free RAM release software.
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Best/free-ram-clear.html

Answer 5

You don't mention if you are run WinXP and Internet Explorer 7. I have found that IE7 really bogs down keeping old browsed pages if you keep using the tab feature and/or multiple windows. I have mine set to erase temp files/history in Tools/Internet options or you can do it manually. An indication of how slow it can be is that if I minimize one IE window and forget about it, then notice it later in the day, when I close all the IE windows, the last one may take 20-30 seconds to disappear. Also, if Norton is telling you it found tracking cookies and it is safe to ignore them, take a look and you may find you have dozens or hundreds. I get rid of them.
I have 640M and often have 2-3 IE windows plus 4-5 other progams open to switch between and I have found this to be the single most critical factor in slowing down. A real nuisance if I want to refer back to a web page while doing other work.

Answer 6

you can down load Ad-Aware SE Personal for free from the internet. Also, spy bot. Sounds like you got some spy ware and adware stuff you need to remove. Clean that up first.

Second, defrag your harddrive after you clean off the adware...clean out your cookies files too. Also do a system clean.

Next go into the Task Manager window click the second tab. delete everthing there besides your Network and System operations...it'll tell you what they are.

After you do all this.....shut down you computer. Let it power all the way down...meaning don't power it up for a good 60 secs/1 min. then power it back up. You computer should be running better then.

If after all that your system is STILL running slow...it could be a virus and you may want to take it into a professional.

Answer 7

If you just bought this computer and it has Vista installed on it then you may need to go into Control Panel->Add Software and uninstall a lot of junk that you don't need, as well as turn off any services that are unnecessary such as Automatic Updates. New computers (especially with Vista) come loaded with so much crap that runs in the background all the time it can really slow things down.

Answer 8

I doubt that it is due to a virus.
I would do the following to get improved performance.

1. I would run a spy-ware program to see if there are needless cookie tracking programs or Trojan horse programs that you are not aware of.
2. Delete unnecessary programs that run automatically when you boot up and are running in the background. Check your tool bar to see what programs are set to automatically run at start up. Also you can view them in task manager via by hitting ctr-alt-delete and looking at applications and processes.
3. De-fragment the hard-drive

Answer 9

too many programs running in the back ground eat ram and slow things down. check your program icons on the right bottom tool bar and get 'em out of your start up menu. many times programs will set themselves up to run all the time but you should determine what you want running and what you don't.

double firewalls are a problem if Internet is slow. virus software usually has one and windows has one.. shut one of them down/.

Answer 10

i suggest you close any startup applications, and make sure there aren't any hidden apps running, like some software take a hour until a update log comes on the screen..
Defragment, and see what happens...
System restore, and delete anything you don't need...
If its still slow, do a virus check...
and repeat...
Should solve the problem

Answer 11

It's slow, because it's coming out of hibernation. Change the settings in the Control Panel for power.