What do you think makes out computer so slow??

Question

We have 2 internets on our computer, we have Comcast highspeed internet through our cable but I use Internet Explorer to get on and my dad uses AOL (Free version) to get on... I say its AOL that makes our computer slow because when we turn on our computer everything AOL has to load and it takes tons of time and everytime my dad opens AOL the computer freezes up but my dad says its Internet Explorer that makes the computer slow because everytime he tryes to get on AOL my Internet Explorer is open!! I also think McAfee has something to do with the computer being slow, mostly because my dad downloaded the extended AOL version of McAfee.... Also my dad says I make the computer slow by having lots of screens at the bottom!! What do you think?? We have Windows Xp!!

Answer 1

Depends on whether or not you choose goodies, games and graphics, or serious work. I don't do games and use the list below to keep my RAM as free as possible. If you take the time to run through these home remedies, you will improve speed (unless you use dialup - can't help you with that.)

1. Set wallpaper and screensavers to blank or none — they run continuously in the background and use memory.
-----right-click on the desktop, select Properties
-----click the screensaver tab, on the left where it says "screensaver," select none.
-----click the desktop tab, for background, select none
2. Review your start menu – remove anything you don’t need on a daily basis — load games, etc. on an as-needed basis.
-----click Start, Settings, Taskbar and Start Menu
-----click the Start Menu tab
-----select a program you do not want to load at Startup, then click remove.
-----Caution -- do not touch anything you are not sure of or you will mess up your computer royally.
3. From Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options: delete cookies, delete files (offline), and clear history. (You can also set days to store history to 0.)
----- These actions will clear your computer’s cache. (For a description of cache, go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/ph/yahoo/mail/access/access-27210.html )
4. Run Disk Cleanup, Scandisk, Defrag at least every two weeks (the more frequently they are run, the less time they take).
-----These can be found in Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools.
5. Periodically, click Start, Programs, Run — then type ipconfig renew
(that’s ipconfig space renew).
6. Optional: Speed vs Goodies — in the Control Panel, System, Advanced, Performance, Settings — you can have visual effects or let Windows select the best options. I am using “Best Performance.” Your choice.
These things should increase speed and free up memory as much as possible.

Answer 2

Having lots of screens open is like having to write lots of papers at the same time. It will take a lot longer to write one word on 10 papers than to write 10 words on one paper, because it takes time to retrieve the paper, find where to write, then put the paper back. Same happens with your computer -- it's faster when it keeps track of as few programs as possible. The computer will check every program to see if it needs action, whether it does or not, so that slows things down. Same is true for all of those task bar icons -- do you really need to update Real Player (or anything else) on one button push? If not, get rid of those kinds of task bar icons and only keep the ones you regularly use. Use a desktop shortcut instead, or a Start Menu selection -- they aren't running in the background all the time like the task bar items, they only run when you want them to.

Also, I don't know what the AOL McAfee has in it, but if it only has virus protection and doesn't have spyware detection/cleaning, you need to get something for that. Spyware can really slow down a system. I cleaned a friend's computer up and they had 500+ spyware programs on it. They were going to get a new computer because it was so slow, but after it was cleaned of spyware, it was more than fast enough for what they were doing.

Answer 3

Could be a bit of everything making the computer slow. If all is good with the computer, it may be the provider. Otherwise, it may just have too much junk on the computer or be in need of reformatting...which I understand from computer geek friends should be done about every six months. I only use AVG anti-virus...it's free, doesn't think for you like many of the others, and it works great. I prefer Explorer to AOL.

Answer 4

Go to trend micro house call! Its a free web based virus and mal ware scanner. My dad is a computer technician and he uses it, so it must be good! In fact im scanning my comp with it as we speak........ Heres a link: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/