Have you noticed lately that your computer feels slower than it used to? Perhaps you have noticed that it takes longer for your computer to start up or for programs to load? If so, chances are your computer needs a digital "spring cleaning".

Of course we always recommend having an expert sit down and assess your device. We offer a Maintenance Package that will have your software, antivirus definitions, and operating system patches kept up to date (monthly service) or we can simply perform a one time Digital Tune Up which involves us taking a look through your machine on-site or remotely, and getting it in better shape.

To better understand what causes your computer to slow down over time (and what you can do about it), here are ten common sources of computer issues or slowness:

1) Too many programs running at the same time.
As you utilize your computer over time, it is not uncommon for you to download software, applications and other data that ends up utilizing resources "in the background" that you may not be aware of. Many of these programs start automatically with your computer and you may not be aware of their presence or that they are utilizing resources. Your computer has a limited amount of resources (memory, processing power, hard drive space) and the more items you have running in the background, the less resources your computer has to perform the other tasks that you need to complete. 

Some tips to avoid too many programs slowing down your system:

1.     First, try to avoid downloading web browser-helpers such as internet-search bars and programs that claim to “speed up” your internet or your computer.  

2.     Try not to have multiple anti-malware programs installed. One or two may be fine, but too many will result in slow performance.

3.     Finally, uninstall programs that you do not use. Don't waste resources on programs that you have no need for, or never use.  Uninstall them and you should notice a difference in the responsiveness of your machine.

2) Not enough free RAM.
“RAM” aka Random Access Memory, is a form of temporary storage used by your computer. You want to have as much RAM installed as possible to avoid encountering issues with not having enough memory to run your applications. 

RAM is typically expandable with the maximum amount depending on what your motherboard can handle.  Four gigabytes (4GB) is the minimum standard you want to have in newer computers, but you should add as much as is affordable for you to ensure that you don't encounter issues down the road.

3) Hard Drive Space.
Hard drives store all of your computer’s information and have a maximum amount of space. When a hard drive is filled, it is difficult for your computer to quickly and easily locate and make changes to your files. This will severely limit your computer, causing it will slow down and in the more extreme cases, becoming unusable.

Windows will usually notify you of the “low disk space” status of your hard drive.  If you encounter this message, you should consider moving some of your less-used files such as pictures, music, and movies to an external hard drive to regain hard drive space.  Deleting temporary files, or unnecessary files, and/or performing a disk cleanup are also good ways to reclaim wasted space.  Another option is installing a larger hard drive to accommodate all of your files.  DTC would be happy to assist you with any of these options.

4) Hard Drive Fragmentation.
Newer computers are typically set to automatically defragment hard drives, so this is more so an issue with those with older machines.  

Defragmenting your hard drive essentially organizes all of the parts of files that have been scattered all over the drive and places them in an area of the drive while placing all of the free space in another part of the drive.  This makes locating files much more efficient for you and you will notice faster response times when accessing your files.  

5) Virus/Malware Infection.
We have already mentioned applications running in the background, but more specifically, virus or malware programs running in the background can intentionally divert your computer’s resources and prevent it from responding as it should. Computer and/or Internet slowness can be an indicator of virus or malware infection.  DTC can scan your machine and remove all malicious software to get you up and running like new.  

6) Sharing a wireless network.
Have you ever been noticed that your Wi-Fi signal slows down all of a sudden?  Maybe your Wi-Fi signal is slow at certain times of the day, or maybe even all the time.

One reason that you may be experiencing slowness is due to poor Wi-Fi signal which can be caused by other devices, including those belonging to your neighbors. Most home network devices transmit their signals on the 2.4GHz radio frequency, which means that with more homes setting up wireless, it is more likely that devices in your vicinity will impact your wireless signal.  

In addition to this, other household items such as cordless phones, microwaves, garage door openers, and even baby monitors have been known to use the 2.4GHz frequency range which can easily be detrimental to your wireless network.  These items can slow down your wireless performance and even break your connection.

As I previously mentioned, another often overlooked item is that of your neighbor.  Your neighbor's wireless network is likely using the same radio frequency which can be particularly troublesome for those who share walls with neighbors.  When this type of interference is encountered, you do have options.  

So how can you fix this?  Most routers will give you the option to change your wireless channel to allow you to communicate on a completely different frequency.  This ensures that you will not encounter the interference issues and can maintain consistent wireless signal strength.

7) Overloading your system.
As we previously mentioned, you should always be aware of your system resources.  Sure, that matrix themed screen saver and it is amazing that you can have 50 tabs in your browser open as you search for that important thing, but those things slow your computer down. Remember items must be loaded into memory every time you start your PC, leaving less memory available for other, more important tasks.

8 ) Scanning programs running.
Check to make sure your antivirus program, anti-spyware program or automatic backup program is not the reason for the slowdown. If it is, I suggest you wait it out. Usually this type of activity is a necessity. Manufacturers of these types of software try to make everyday operations unobtrusive to you. There are times, however, when an update must be done or scanning must take place. Your computer will be a little slow to respond to you when this is happening.

Remember it is not necessary to scan your entire computer every single day for viruses and spyware. Once per week should be fine. The same applies for data backups. A complete system backup doesn’t need to run every single day for the average home user.

9) Not meeting software requirements.
Software usually has a list of requirements called out in the product description or other accompanying literature. Things such as processor speed, operating system, memory (RAM), hard drive space, and minimum video card requirements usual appear with the product description somewhere. Please note that these are minimum requirements. These specifications are the absolute minimum to make the software run. Run it will - run well it may not. Try and meet or surpass the system “recommendations” of your software, not just barely make the “requirements.”

10) Restart Needed.
This is a common issue for for new and older machines.  We often become so busy that we forget that our computers need to be restarted for many important reasons.  Sometimes critical updates can not be installed until your machine is restarted, sometimes you have been running applications that are resource hogs (like Adobe) and a restart is necessary in order to release resources that have been locked despite closing the application. It is a best practice to restart your machine daily just to keep it fresh and ready to respond to your needs.