Computer Maint / Tech advice

[drakethib]

My laptop has been increasingly getting slower and slower and it is less then a year old.

I do a defrag and a CC Cleaner regualry but I was wondering if anyone can offer as any advice.
Thanks

 

[drakethib]

bumping

Need help if anyone can.

 

[Barb D]

Buy a Mac.

OK, I guess that wasn't much help.

I've given up on PC laptops for that reason, though. My Mac is nice and speedy. I still use a PC at work (a good one) and it's frustrating.

 

[Fast Pass]

All I can think of is to download Ad-Aware to get rid of alot of your possible spyware and cookies.

It is free. It has caught alot of stuff on my computer that a regular cleaning of the registry doesn't catch.

Is your computer up to date on those annoying Windows updates? Sometimes the updates do some good(more often than not they are a pain in the behind) but it might work.

Is your virus software up to date?

I really can't think of anything else to help. Sorry.

I just thought of something, sometimes if you do a system restore, the system will reset itself to what ever point you choose and you might gain some speed.

I hope someone can come by who can help you much more than I can.

 

[Barb D]

OK, really some more practical advice: how full is your hard drive? Could you move some stuff off onto an external hard drive to give yours more room? It would be good for having a back up anyway.

ETA: Here's an article with suggestions about how to speed it up (including leaving the hard drive at least 10% free): http://www.colby-sawyer.edu/information/technology/updates/slowcomputer.html

 

[drakethib]

The buying a Mac is getting close to being an option.

Hard drive is only half full.

Ran defrag.

will check again with spyware.

Thanks again

 

[jsmith]

Look at the following in task manager-

the size of your paging file-if you are running vista-it needs alot-if its less than the amount of RAM in your computer-increase it

CPU performance-the most likely cause of slowness is over use of RAM and paging file-or running processes-if you have no programs other htan the operating system running and CPU usage is 50 percent or higher-you have a trojan or running process using your CPU-people talk often about viruses-but no the fact that sometimes you get programs that install them selves that either use or allow someone to us your CPUs computing power.( this happens to MACs as well-its simply less noticable becuase the OS uses fewer resources) If it seems high-update your virus definitions and run the scan again-get spyware search and destroy-a free down load and adaware and run them both. If you are leaving your computer on sleep rather than shutting down when you are not using it-you increase the chances of this happening.

If you are using Vista with less than 4GB of RAM-the OS itself requires 2 to run efficiently-and if you purchased a computer with 3 gigs-the 3rd one is usless-because DDR2 memory clocks in pairs-so that may also be part of the issue.
MACs are nice-and they cost twice to three times the price of even a high end PC for the same hard wear package-and its not a panecea-they have issues too-just not the same one-so its a toss up really.