Why is my computer running so slow?
In today’s fast moving technological world we all want and expect things to happen at a click of our fingers. This is becoming a problem as humans seem to becoming more and more impatient. Whether it be waiting for someone to reply to your message or waiting in line to be served or watching your computer screen to turn on ready for you to use. We all seem to be time poor which leads to the expectation of instantaneous results.
Technology is everywhere we look, our cars, office, shops, home and even in the library. Without technology how would we function……anyway I think I am a bit off topic.
So you have a computer and every day you turn it on and watch and wait for the screen to get to the point you can work. For some of you this may only take 30 seconds (awesome), some it may take a minute (still good) and some it may take a cup of coffee.
If you are the later then you really need to evaluate how old your computer is and how much time you want to dedicate to waiting for your computer. A computer should not be slow to start up, there are two reasons why it may be.
1. Hardware fault – computers have 5 main components that are required to function together to optimize your computing time.
- Mainboard
- CPU – Brain of the computer
- RAM – short term memory
- Hard drive – long term memory
- PSU – power supply
These components need to be checked and cleaned to ensure they are functioning correctly, bit like we service our cars. These components also age and technology demands can outgrow them. The Mainboard and CPU are fixed and not really upgradeable, RAM and Hard drive you can potentially increase and upgrade to newer technology to help speed up your computer. Your PSU needs to be dusted so it doesn’t short.
2. Software fault – computers need software so you can complete the tasks you want, whether it be email, photo’s, documents or surfing the internet. When your computer starts up the hardware does its thing and the software installed on your computer talks to the hardware. Over time we can inadvertently accumulate programs upon start up, this will slow down your computer. Malware and viruses are also a common reason for computers to slow down or even come to a halt. We can also have too much data stored on our computer. So again like your car it is important to have your computer serviced regularly to help eliminate build up on your computer.
So if you have a “cup of coffee” computer and you are frustrated whenever you go to use it, think about booking it in with your local computer store for a service. It may be as simple as giving it a cleanup or hardware check/upgrade to get back some of your precious time and sanity in the day.