Is your computer running slower than it used to? Is it acting up or misbehaving? What could be causing it? Several things can slow down your computer. Malicious software like viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, and adware are often the primary reason for a computer slowdown.

In addition to outside attacks, your system will naturally build up various internal problems. Over time several types of temporary files accumulate in massive quantities and bog down your hard drive. Errors and garbage accumulate in what's called the "windows registry file," slowing you down and sometimes causing bizarre errors. You may never have heard of a registry file or a page file, but it is the file that your computer uses to keep track of all your hardware, drivers, software information and instructions; if it develops errors and garbage, your whole system starts to fall apart.

Your system has RAM or physical memory in the form of one or more memory sticks. These are usually in multiples of 256MB ranging anywhere from 256MB to several gigabytes if memory. This acts just like your own temporary memory, your computer needs it to process everything it does. When your PC runs out of this memory it slows, then just come to a halt, you may have witnessed this. Well, your PC has an back up plan, It has what is called a "Page" or "Swap" file on your hard drive. It used this as an extension of your RAM. As your hard drive fills up, it develops fragmented files and a lack of contiguous space. This prevents your page file (also called a swap file, or artificial memory) from functioning properly. I'll discuss this more later.

With just a small investment of time and money, there are things you can do to help your system work better and make your life less stressful. You can do it yourself and save time, money and frustration.

First let's deal with malicious software. Depending on the nature of the malicious software, all you have to do to get infected is open an email, visit the wrong web site, connect to an infected network computer, open an infected file, or in some cases, play a music cd. It's not hard.

The solution:

1. First things first - if your computer is in bad shape, you should back up all your important files on disc or memory stick. You don't want to risk loosing important or meaningful files. If you are unable to do this, because your computer is too far gone, either hire this out, or take a risk on loosing data.



2. Use a good, up to date anti-virus (AV) program. Remember, even the best anti-virus program won't catch everything. Norton AV does a good job, but it is a resource hog (meaning it will slow you down on a daily basis). McAffe AV is often rated highly, but also uses a lot of memory, as do most AV programs. If you don't already have an AV program you like and want to keep, I recommend AVG Antivirus for three reasons: it seems to be as good as any other AV program out there, it requires much less memory to run, and it's free to home users! Ceck out their other free stuff wile you are there. They periodically release a new version that makes older versions obsolete. They will notify you when this happens. When they do look for the small print link for the free version unless you want to buy it. But be aware that you the free version comes with no support. If you want someone there to help you, pay for the support by buying the software.



3. Before we go any further, be aware that some of the utility programs below (such as Spybot and AdAware) make significant changes to your system in attempting to disinfect it. Whenever you use any utility program pay attention to the options you are presented. If you are given a chance to "backup your registry" or create a "restore point" you should do it. This saves the configuration of your computer so you can go back to it if a major disaster happens. Also - always reboot when you are asked to, and always reboot every time you remove malicious software. Rebooting is like a good sleep, your computer will awake refreshed, working better.



4. Get rid of spyware and adware. There are several programs you can use, and you will probably need more than one. You may also have to run some of these utilities more than once before they tell you they have found no more bugs.
• I start with CWShredder (freeware),
• Then I run Adaware (free version),
• Next I use Spybot Search & Destroy (freeware, immunize every time you update),
• Then I run XCleaner (free version or buy it).
• Finally I install and scan with a program that is active all the time. If you have AOL, you can use the AOL Anti spyware software, but i'm not crazy about it.
• You can also use Microsoft's Windows Defender (it's free). If you already have this, but installed it prior to 2007 you will need to uninstall it and install the latest version.
• There are several other programs that you have to pay for, some better than others. Spyware Doctor Has gotten some top ratings.
• Google Pack offers a free version of Spyware Doctor along with other goodies.

Note, freeware will only remain free if you donate to the ones you like and use, the geeks who provide these handy programs can't live and work in a cardboard box!




5. Keep your Windows operating system up to date. Open Internet Explorer and click on the top menu item "Tools / Windows Update" and follow the instructions. Use the popup blocker that comes with current web browsers. And when you get those pesky little pop up balloons in the lower right corner of your screen that say "Updates are ready for your computer" don't just close them, click on them and update your system. Microsoft has those appear for a reason, and you should always keep your system up to date. Better yet, go into your control panel, open your security center and enable automatic updates.



6. Manage your internet browser. You're probably using Internet Explorer, the default browser for Windows. You can add special toolbars into Internet Explorer that help you navigate the web, but stick to the well established toolbars like Google, and Yahoo. Some of the other toolbars are actually malicious software trying to track what you do, where you shop, and what your passwords are and come bundled with dangerous files. When it comes to web sites, browsers and toolbars, stick with brand names you trust; there are a lot of unsavory programmers out there trying to lure you into using software that can hurt you. If you don't like Internet Explorer (I hate the new IE7) or it stops working right, try another browser. Firefox is very popular, but I prefer Opera's more intuitive feel. There is some evidence that they may be safer.



7. Clean up your hard drive(s). Get rid of programs and files you never use on your C drive and any other hard drives you may have.


• If you have lots of pictures and videos on your hard drive burn them off onto a cd or dvd, or add another hard drive, or upgrade to a larger hard drive (this option is more involved, and you might want to have a professional do it).


• Uninstall unused programs from the program folder in the Start menu if they have an uninstall option. You should also go to "Start / Control Panel / Add-Remove Programs" and remove any software you know you don't use anymore. There is a lot of software running on your computer you don't know about (like the software that makes your hardware and software work properly), so don't remove things you don't recognize! You can always look up an unknown piece of software in Google and try to figure out what it is and whether you need it to run your computer.


• Run disk cleanup located in "Start / (All)Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Cleanup" When you run this you will see a list of boxes to check. For the most part, it is safe to click all boxes that appear, at worst you may loose some saved login info or some personalized web site information, nothing that can't be replaced the next time you're cruising the web.


• Use CCleaner (freeware) to clean out the junk that is still left. You should run CCleaner frequently (at least every month). CCleaner has 3 different modes you should run - under Cleaner run both the Windows and the Applications tabs. Then also click on the Issues icon and run that. In each case click "Analyze" an then "Run Cleaner". It may take a while.


• Finally I recommend Registry Mechanic (which you'll have to pay for). Registry Mechanic finds and fixes deep errors and problems in the registry that runs your entire computer. This will cleanup and compact your registry file and your computer should run better afterwards.



8. Defrag your hard drive using a utility like Speed Disk (part of Norton System Works Utilities) or use the utility located in "Start / (All)Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Defragmenter". When your computer is filling up and it needs to save a file, it fragments the file and sticks a piece in every open spot it can find. These files are hard to work with in the future because all of those pieces have to be reassembled before the file can be read.
   
   When you defrag your computer, your files are rearranged in a more logical order and fragmented files are put back together. Defragging can take hours, so I usually run it before I go to bed. You shouldn't do anything else on your computer while you defrag and make sure your email is turned off while it runs. If if keeps restarting and never completes the process, you will have to enter safe mode to un it. reboot and rapidly tap the F8 key as it begins to restart. If you have a multifunction keyboard, you may have to press the multifunction disable key first as it is restarting (see your keyboard documentation or help file). You may also have to enter safe mode to run certain cleaning programs if you get stopped in your tracks when trying t run them.



9. Adjust your page file settings. This is slightly more advanced, but it will help your computer run more efficiently. But first, unless you already know how much RAM you have, go to "Start / (All)Programs / Accessories / System Tools / System Information" after the information appears, look for Physical Memory and write the number down, then multiply it by 2.5.
   
   Follow along carefully - you can follow one of two paths to complete this step. In Windows XP (other Windows versions are similar) either go to "Start / Control Panel in Classic view (or "Performance and Maintenance" in Category view)", then pick "System". Or on the desktop, right click on My Computer and choose Properties and pick "System". Then pick the Advanced tab, under "Performance", click "Settings". Now again click the Advanced tab, then under Virtual Memory, click "Change". With the drive that holds your page file highlighted (usually C), choose "Custom size". In both Min. and Max enter the same number - two and a half times the amount of physical memory your computer has. Now choose Set and click "OK" until you are back to the desktop. There is no point entering a number more than 2.5 times your Ram, because your computer won't use more than this.
   
   If you have more than one hard drive, you can move your page file to a drive other than your C drive. your computer will run better this way since your not constantly using the same drive for everything (assuming your second drive is not too old). Pick you C drive as above, and set it to "no page file" then click the drive you want and enter the numbers as explained above. ignore the warning you get about having no page file, as lon as you have one assigned somewhere.
   
   The best place to have your page file is on a fast drive other than your C drive (where Windows is installed). The second best place is in a separate partition on your C drive (it should be slightly larger than you need). More advanced: You can create a second partition on your drive using a program like Partition Magic. You will need to shrink your Primary partition, before you can create another. As always back up files and use caution. If you do this wrong you will destroy your operating system and data and you will be very unhappy!

If you can't fix your computer by following these tips, you may require a System Restore, or fresh install of your operating system and software (sometimes this is the only solution). This will require a format of your hard drive so you need to create a backup of all the files you don't want to loose, as everything on your computer will be wiped out. Don't back up programs, as they will have to be reinstalled.

For backing up your files and folders there are some very good USB 2.0 external hard drives with backup utilities for around $100. At least one does it automatically once you set it up, others have a one button backup feature. To find out how large a drive you need, right click on the folders you want to back up and choose properties (If it contains a lot of files you may have to wait for it to finish calculating). Then add up your numbers. it might be 5 gigabytes or it might be several hundred. or just get a drive about the same size as the one you have. I don't back up programs - if they get corrupted, you'll probably need to reinstall them anyway.