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Dealing with slow computers.

Summary

This page gives guidance on how to diagnose problems causing a laptop (or desktop) to run slowly, and what to do about them.

Introduction

Probably the most common reason people ditch their old computer and buy a new one is not that the old one is broken in any way, but that it’s simply running slowly. There are plenty of suggestions online, as well as paid-for products, which claim to fix slowness. Many of these will make little difference and some may make the problem even worse. There are a few key things that are well worth trying before giving up on your trusty PC or Windows laptop (and many of these will work for Macs too), but before you attempt anything, it’s vital that you back-up your files.

Preliminary investigation

You should make few simple observations and tests before engaging on a "deep dive".

If the hard disk light is on for much of the time then this is likely to be a symptom of an underlying problem, though not much of an indication of its cause.

Running Task Manager (from the ctrl-alt-del menu) and sorting the display on the CPU column will indicate whether a particular program is to blame. This might be a browser or browser plug-in or some program which is running wild. Windows Update has sometimes been known to hog the CPU. (Windows Update is one of many system tasks which run in the svchost process, many instances of which will often be seen.)

Microsoft Sysinternals Process Explorer is an enhanced version of the standard Task Manager and and is well worth getting to know as it can more detailed information than the standard Task Manager. In addition to CPU, see if any processes are doing a lot of I/O (input/output) or using a lot of memory (Private Bytes or Working Set). A very valuable feature of Process Explorer is that it can submit details of unknown processes to Virus Total to check whether they are known malware.

Tcpview, also from Sysinternals, is another valuable tool which shows network connections and traffic across them. This could give a clue if Internet access seems very slow.

Viruses and antivirus software

Viruses or malware on your computer are very likely to slow it down, and worse, may be using your computer to distribute spam, phishing emails, or to conduct other illegal activities.

First of all, check that antivirus software is installed and is being regularly updated. (People often rely on the free trial antivirus that comes with their computer and don't realise that they're unprotected if they don't renew it when the free trial period ends.)

Check also that there is only one antivirus program running. If you have more than one they can fight one another, causing problems. If you want to change antivirus, always follow the sequence: (a) download new antivirus, (b) uninstall old antivirus and reboot, (c) install new antivirus and reboot again for good measure.

There are several lightweight, reliable and free antivirus offerings. Currently, Avast seems to be one of the better ones.

Some of the "big name" antivirus products (e.g. Symantec (Norton) and McAfee) are heavy on system resources. Go into the product's control panel and check the options. Consider whether it would be safe to use less agressive settings. A full system scan should only be necessary if you have particular concerns, and if required, should be scheduled to run overnight.

If malware manages to gain control of your computer before your antivirus kicks in, it can often use stealth techniques to hide itself. One answer is to run an offline virus scan from a CD or USB memory stick independently of Windows – Sophos Bootable Anti-virus or Kaspersky Rescue Disk are possibilities.

Both Sophos Bootable Antivirus and Kasperky Rescue can be booted either from a CD or a memory stick. Kaspersky is easier to use as it runs from a graphical user interface and can update itself with the latest virus signatures from the Internet. It also allows you to browse the hard disk, and if necessary, save valuable files to a memory stick before proceding. Sophos is character-based and has to be downloaded afresh to get the latest signatures.

An offline scan should only be used once the installed antivirus has been checked and run, and any malware deleted from quarantine, as there is a slight possibility of it causing more problems.

Background and startup programs

Having cleaned up any viruses and made sure your regular antivirus program is functioning and up to date, the next thing to look at is whether you have any unused programs installed or running in the background. You can do this to some extent from within Windows, but it's easier if you download the free version of CCleaner and run it.

In CCleaner, click the Tools tab on the left. The Uninstall button shows all the installed programs, which you should review. Uninstall any not needed using the Run Uninstaller button on the right.

Programs which start up along with Windows, as well as browser plug-ins, can really slow down a computer. The Startup button on CCleaner shows these start-up programs under Windows and browser tabs. It’s hard to give specific advice on what you can disable, but research the things you don't recognise using your favourite search engine and get rid of what you don't need. And if you’ve collected any of those pesky browser toolbars which come along for the ride, you can disable them too.

The Cleaner tab on the left of CCleaner allows you to delete temporary Windows and application files. This is unlikely to improve performance unless you are very low on disk space. You will probably want to take care not to delete browser internet history or saved passwords.

The Registry tab on CCleaner allows you to fix registry problems such as registry keys left over from a failed or incomplete uninstall. This may be worth trying, and indeed, there are plenty of registry cleaner programs out there which claim they will transform your life, but messing with the registry is never without risk and is unlikely to result in a major improvement. If you try it, be sure to select the option to back-up changes. This will create a file which you can simply double-click in order to revert the registry in case of problems.

If you use Adobe Reader you can download a lightweight alternative such as Foxit Reader or SumatraPDF for viewing PDF files and then uninstall the Adobe offering. The same applies for video players. Media Player Classic is a lightweight alternative to Windows Media Player.

You may find that Opera or Chrome give better performance than other browsers, but most browsers can become slow with plug-ins, toolbars and "accelerators".

Hard disks

A tired or full hard disk can slow a computer down. In order to keep your computer running smoothly, you need to leave 10-15% of your hard drive space free. If you're running out of space, you should consider deleting unnecessary programs or moving files you no longer need to an external drive.

Modern hard disks can suffer from low performance before failing completely. Diagnose the health of your hard disk with software such as SpeedFan, which can give you more information than Windows.

One easy and affordable way to increase the speed for some operations in your computer is to upgrade to a solid state drive (SSD). This can reduce the loading time of the operating system, as well as the time required to load and access software and files. Make sure your computer supports hard drives using a SATA connector and that you use an operating system optimised for them (anything beyond Windows XP will do).

Reinstall your operating system – or move to Linux

If all else fails then the “nuclear option” of reinstalling Windows and all your programs and data will usually help. You might also need to install more memory: 512MB is the minimum for Windows XP, 1GB for Vista, Windows 7 or later. However, if you’re still running XP then you’re living dangerously. Think about using Linux, a free and open-source operating system – there are versions that will run happily even on an old laptop from the last century.

First of all it's good to consider what sort of “flavour” you want. Ubuntu, Xubuntu Linux, and Linux Mint may appeal to those who are used to Windows. If you want the lightest and least resource-hungry system to make your older hardware really fly again, Puppy Linux and Lubuntu are two very small and effective options. Most Linux distributions are designed to run directly from a CD or USB stick as a “live installation”. This enables you to try the operating system out before you commit to installing it.

Safety

Before doing anything, it is vital that the user's data is backed up.

External links

• How to mend a slow computer The Guardian, 16th June 2014