Another Day With My PC

There are times when patching up problems may not be the best solution anymore. While it should be the first option that every person encountering a dilemma should resort to, there are situations where he should just call it quits and just start over again. So when can we really say that it’s time to move on?

Wait. Before I go any further, let me just clarify this – my blog site is still about broken-PCs and not about broken hearts. I just want to set things straight since my introductory paragraph sounds like I’m talking about a troubled couple instead of a troubled computer.

I’m sure you’ve already experienced a number of problems with your operating system. Maybe you’ve even encountered the dreaded “blue screen of death”. There are many reasons why your OS goes on strike every now and then. It’s not that they’re getting fed up of running the same old games or playing the same old songs that you usually click on whenever you turn on the PC. More often than not, such quirks are caused by file corruption or malware.

The usual fix for a corrupted file is simply to just replace it. You could either get it from your backup CD or drive, or you could go online and download one. If it’s a registry or viral problem, then all you need to do is run your registry cleaner or your anti-virus.

These problem-fixers are not cure-alls, though. There are times when cleaning your registry just won’t do anymore since the dilemma already lies beyond the registry. The same thing is true with your anti-virus. You may be able to remove the viruses, but the pernicious effects caused by them cannot be reversed anymore.

If your trouble-fixers can’t solve your PC problems anymore, then you should seriously consider taking the final solution – reformat!

I know it’s drastic, but it’s the only way by which you can have a fresh start. Before you do this though, make sure that you’ve backed up all the files that you need. Take note that no file would be spared in this solution. You may encounter headaches in trying to get things back the way they used to be, but hey, I assure you that the results will be well worth it.

Does your PC spend a lot of time loading software applications like Excel, Word or any commonly used application? This strange behavior is equally true for newly purchased as well as old PCs. Here are the Top 10 most probable reasons why your PC is slow.

1. Spyware is a name given to a software program that has malicious intentions and downloads itself without the user’s consent or knowledge. They can do all sorts of nasty things and slow down the computer considerably.
2. Installation of many programs under the StartUp menu. As you install applications on your system, some of them take up start-up status discreetly. This results in slower start up times as all of them take up memory for initialization. As a result, booting up a system consumes a lot of time.
3. Corruption of the Windows registry. The Windows Registry is regarded as the master control center of the operating system and all the applications that it executes. If it is corrupted, it can lead to a variety of performance problems like slow Windows start ups and shut downs along with general disturbance in Windows processing activities.
4. Fragmented memory. When you use your PC on an every day basis files stored on the computer gets ‘scattered’ and thus consumes noticeable time for file searches.
5. Security software may aim to protect you but their constant surveillance against all kinds of malicious software can actually contribute to slow PC performance because they take up a lot of main memory. By all means install and use security software but ensure that settings are at its best for you (e.g., using the Ignore List, etc.) so that it does not meddle with your everyday PC tasks.
6. Improper removal of programs. When programs are not uninstalled properly, they leave certain things behind. This results in cluttering the Windows registry with invalid and obsolete data, occupying plenty of unwanted space.
7. Page file size. This is known as the temporary work area in the memory used by a system for efficient processing of various functions. Think of it as a buffer used by the operating system. If you allocate only a small portion of memory for this, the consequence may be poor performance and system instability.
8. Permanent Internet files. If your Temporary Internet folder is never emptied, all the used memory will make your PC slow.
9. Viruses are software programs with malicious intentions and cause irreparable damage to computers. It is also the most prevalent reason of reducing the speed of computers as they can sap down computer performance and cause frequent shut downs.
10. Hardware problems. Last but not the least, hardware problems as a result of dust, overheating and wear and tear of components can cause sluggish PC performance.

I hope the above helps you understand just how many factors can cause slow PC performance.

Hungry for more info? Here is an extra interesting read for you -> Slow Computer? Speed Up Your PC By Disabling Unnecessary Windows Services.

“15 seconds just to load Microsoft Word? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

I’ve heard this a lot of times, especially during the days when Intel’s Celeron was reigning it over the other processors in terms of sales. It’s not surprising why applications ran slower a few years ago. There used to be a time when 64MB of RAM was an impressive spec already.

You may argue that the programs back then were not that big or complicated. True. However, multitasking was already as heavy and demanding three years ago as it is today. And with just 64MB of RAM, you shouldn’t wonder why it was hard running several applications simultaneously during the years when Shaq and Kobe were still together.

As you may have noticed, IT years are like dog years. Your Pentium IV may just be a year old, but it has actually reached its prime already. Dual core processors are the way to go today. Never has there been a time when the computer was so fast and powerful. For the first time, chip makers can claim that they have outpaced software manufacturers. No application today can complain that the available processors are not that powerful enough to satisfy its demands.

With all this computing power at your disposal, does this mean that applications should load up or run in a heartbeat? Theoretically, it should. However, the shriek at the beginning of this article continues to reverberate, and a number of them even come from people who have the best commercially-available laptop or desktop in the market.

How is this possible?

Well, for one thing, applications continue to get bigger and more complicated. But with a Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of memory, size shouldn’t really matter. So what’s really causing the slowdown?

Chip manufacturers blame software developers for faulty programming. They claim that there are applications which don’t terminate properly or completely. As a result, the RAM that it uses doesn’t become free. It continues to get occupied. This virtually and effectively reduces the size of your system memory. And if you’re physical memory is heavily clogged with programs, Windows will now use virtual memory. In case you don’t know, virtual memory is slower since it is just a space in your hard drive.

What if you’re just running one application and your system is acting as if it is running ten?

Don’t blame the software developer on this one. If your Core 2 Duo PC is performing like a Pentium II, then chances are that it’s infected with spyware. Spyware is often blamed (and rightly so) for most cases or incidents of computer slowdowns. No amount of optimization or hardware upgrade could fully improve the performance of your PC if it is infested with malicious programs.

Removing spyware can be challenging. However, there are many third-party programs out there which could make this task as easy as deleting a file from your hard drive. PC World has just featured a great article on how to determine if your PC is plagued by malware and how to remove them.

Don’t automatically tag spyware as the guilty party whenever your PC’s stamina is dropping. Malware infestation is just one of the many causes of computer slowdown. Determine the problem first before performing the remedy.

I guess you’ve already seen the cartoon in my previous entry. I hope that took the stress out of your day because it certainly kicked the frown out of my friends’ faces

Some of you might be laughing your hearts out at PC cartoon strips such as the one I just featured, but believe me, things or situations like that do happen. How many of you techie people out there get so frustrated with PC questions or PC problems that you get asked all the time?

But seriously, experiencing computer problems is anything but funny. They are frustrating, stressing and if you have no clues as to what is happening, it can completely ruin your day!

My advice? Don’t fiddle with your PC if you have no idea what’s going on with it. Run some basic PC utilities and see if their recommendations work. If not, ask a tech-savvy friend to help you out. Ain’t got one? Bring your PC to a technician. It may cost but it would probably be less than having to buy a new PC altogether.

Do you ever wonder why your hard drive sometimes spins like crazy even if you’re not doing anything with your computer? Halloween is still 9 months away so don’t suspect that this is another ghost story. However, the reason behind that mindless spinning can be equally terrifying.

We all know that malware usually works behind the scenes. No self-respecting virus author would expose his work to any third-rate anti-virus software. So in order to increase the life span of his creation, he would develop it in such a way that it could run without being noticed.

Fortunately, no bad deed goes unnoticed. There are many ways by which you could detect the presence of unwanted applications without resorting to a laborious full-system scan.

If your hard drive is working overtime without you demanding anything from it, then chances are is that it’s working for somebody or something else. A virus or a malicious code may have been inserted in your registry which instructs your system to do needless loops, or worse, perform destructive functions.

Be very observant when you’re using your PC. If it slows down, try rebooting. If it still runs at a laggard pace, then run your anti-virus and check if your system is clean.

Too much data? Overused? Virtual memory too large?

I’m sure you already know what I’m talking about. My hard drive has been making weird noises lately. A friend of mine told me that my disk is telling me something. I wonder what it is.

Well, I’m not entirely clueless as to what it is. When your hard disk starts clicking or grinding, it’s definitely telling you that something’s not right. But the thing is, my PC not even that old. It’s practically new, so how could its components turn cuckoo coo this early?!?

I tried to check several Web sites over the Internet to seek clarification on my problem and suspicion. True enough, many of them confirmed my fears. The noises that my hard disk is emitting are symptoms of an impending crash.

I guess it’s not enough that I keep the files in it defragmented. Optimization alone won’t keep one’s PC in tip top shape. You have to take care of it physically. Don’t subject it to unnecessary abuse. Yes, even when you are really having a bad day…

There used to be a time when online viruses were just pea-sized files that could easily be downloaded (inadvertently) on your PC via the Internet even on a dial-up connection. Hackers back then were very careful in keeping the size of their creations at a minimum since anti-viruses could easily spot and shoot down large files.

Things have changed since then. Broadband Internet access has revolutionized the way we surf the Web. Downloading files are now as fast as copying them from a CD to your hard drive.

Unfortunately, this massive increase in bandwidth has also spawned a new generation of viruses. Malware authors are fully aware that many users download materials on the Internet without verifying if it’s clean or authentic. As a result, many unwanted programs easily find their way to critical system files.

In order to prevent your PCs from being a gracious virus host, make sure that your firewall is turned on. An anti-virus is also a must. Without these two, your system registry will most likely be mangled. The irritating consequence of course is a PC beset with numerous problems that slow its processes down. Arggh!