Why does my computer run slow?

You’ve been in this position several times before…the screen freezes and something times out while your computer processes something. Oftentimes it may take you more time than normal to finish a project because your computer just won’t cooperate. Sometimes you think you can even run faster than your computer operates. There’s many reasons why your computer can run slow. However, the good news is most of these reasons why your computer runs slow can be fixed. Before you throw your computer out the window, read on to find out why it’s running slow and what you can do about it.

Reasons why computers run slow

You’re Low on RAM

Your computer may run slow because there’s simply not enough space for the computer to run anything.  There’s many programs, such as modern web browsers, that are memory-suckers and will run more slowly when there’s less RAM available.

What to do about it: Make sure that you quit any memory-sucking programs that you aren’t currently using like a web browser.

You Have Bad RAM

Low RAM isn’t the only reason why your computer may run slow. If you have bad RAM, your computer could be spending a lot of time looking for it, which slows the computer down. The bad RAM can be discovered by boot up testing, write errors and read errors.  Testing and write errors force Windows to use more RAM so it can keep track of these errors. Read errors slow everything down because the computer must recover from crashes.

What to do about it: The only way to fix bad RAM is to replace it. Use a diagnostic tool such as Memtest86 to determine if there’s any bad RAM.

Your Files are Fragmented

When you create or save a new file, Windows write the new file at the end of the old file. Every time you increase the size of a old file, it causes a split in the file called a fragmentation. Fragmented files take longer to load because they are split into many pieces and Windows has to join them together. This makes the computer run slow.

What to do about it: To prevent the computer from running slowly, run a defragmentation tool at least once a month.

Your Disk Drive is Failing

Most often disk drive failure results from worn ball bearings. These wear down over time – it doesn’t happen overnight. A professional can use diagnostic tools to determine the health of the disk drive.

These are the main reasons why computers run slow. If you’ve checked all these things and your computer is still running slow, bring it into Computer Doc for a full work-up.

Why does my computer run slow?

Why does my computer run slow?