Hi guys. In an another common problems faced by most of the computer users, I would like to throw some light on it.
Throughout my work experience as an Online Technician, I found that the most common computer problem is Slow Performance. Even after purchasing a good available computer in the market, and feeding extra couple of GB of RAM the computer still performs slow. There could be number of reasons for this. But instead of listing these reasons, I think you would be more interested in getting rid of this Slow performance issue. Hence, I have listed some of the Troubleshooting Steps which will enhance the performance of your computer :-
1. Scan your system for Virus or Spyware using updated Anti virus application.
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2. Determine if there is more than one anti-virus program installed. To determine if there is more than one anti-virus program installed, perform the following steps:
Click the Start button.
Point to All Programs.
Look for one or more of the following programs in your list:
Symantec, Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan, eTrust EZ Antivirus, Trend Micro PC-cillin, BitDefender, Kasperksy Anti-Virus, F-Secure Antivirus, Eset NOD32 Antivirus, Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus, Cyberscrub Antivirus, etc.,.
If there is more than on Anti Virus application in your system then please maintain only one antivirus and remove the rest.
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2. Determine if there is more than one anti-virus program installed. To determine if there is more than one anti-virus program installed, perform the following steps:
Click the Start button.
Point to All Programs.
Look for one or more of the following programs in your list:
Symantec, Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan, eTrust EZ Antivirus, Trend Micro PC-cillin, BitDefender, Kasperksy Anti-Virus, F-Secure Antivirus, Eset NOD32 Antivirus, Grisoft AVG Anti-Virus, Cyberscrub Antivirus, etc.,.
If there is more than on Anti Virus application in your system then please maintain only one antivirus and remove the rest.
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4. Clear the startup environment in Microsoft® Windows® XP. To clear the startup environment in Microsoft® Windows® XP, perform the following steps:
Click the Start button, click Run, and then type 'msconfig' in the Open box.
Click OK.
The System Configuration Utility window appears.
Click Selective Startup.
Click to uncheck the following options:
Load Startup Group Items
Click OK.
The following system message appears: You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Restart now?
Click the Yes button.
The computer restarts.
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5. Try to starting the computer from Safe mode:
Turn your system off, then turn it back on and as soon as you turn it on start tapping the F8 key at the top of your keyboard once every two seconds.
This will lead you to a list of Windows Advanced Options.
From this list you need to highlight Safe Mode and press enter.
Log in as normal and it will leave you at a basic looking desktop.
Does it boot up properly in Safe mode or is it slow.
4. Clear the startup environment in Microsoft® Windows® XP. To clear the startup environment in Microsoft® Windows® XP, perform the following steps:
Click the Start button, click Run, and then type 'msconfig' in the Open box.
Click OK.
The System Configuration Utility window appears.
Click Selective Startup.
Click to uncheck the following options:
Load Startup Group Items
Click OK.
The following system message appears: You must restart your computer for the changes to take effect. Restart now?
Click the Yes button.
The computer restarts.
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5. Try to starting the computer from Safe mode:
Turn your system off, then turn it back on and as soon as you turn it on start tapping the F8 key at the top of your keyboard once every two seconds.
This will lead you to a list of Windows Advanced Options.
From this list you need to highlight Safe Mode and press enter.
Log in as normal and it will leave you at a basic looking desktop.
Does it boot up properly in Safe mode or is it slow.
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6. Ensure that you have atleast 2 GB of free space on your hard drive.
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7. Determine whether the total physical memory is less than the peak commit charge.
Open the applications you normally use.
NOTE: This may include Internet Explorer®, Outlook®, Word, Excel®, Outlook® Express, or any other applications you use on a regular basis.
Press and hold down the and keys, and then press .
The Windows Task Manager window appears.
Click the Performance tab.
Compare the Peak Commit Charge (K) on the left to the Total Physical Memory (K) on the right.
If the Peak Commit Charge is less than (<) the Total Physical Memory, the system currently has enough memory to perform normal functions.
If the Peak Commit Charge is more than (>) the Total Physical Memory, the system does not have enough memory to perform normal functions.
Monitor the Peak Commit Charge (K) for approximately 30 seconds.
NOTE: If the Peak Commit Charge (K) continues to rise without falling at least once, monitor the charge for approximately five more minutes. If the charge only rises, this may indicate a spyware infection.
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8. Delete the Contents of the Prefetch Folder in Microsoft® Windows® XP.
Click Start and then Run.
The Run window appears.
Type %Windir%\prefetch, and click OK.
The Prefetch window appears.
Click Edit and then Select All.
All items are highlighted.
Right-click the highlighted items, and click Delete.
The folder's contents are deleted.
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9. Run Ccleaner, which would clear all the unwanted temporary files from your system. Download and install Ccleaner from below link.
http://www.ccleaner.com/
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10. Verify that the operating system is managing the paging file size. Verify that the operating system is managing the paging file size by performing the following steps:
NOTE: You must be logged on to the system as an administrator to change the paging file size.
Click the Start button.
Right-click My Computer.
Click Properties.
The System Properties window will appear.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Settings button located under the Performance section of the window.
The Performance Options window will appear.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Change button under the Virtual Memory section of the window.
The Virtual Memory window will appear.
Click to select the System Managed Size option.
Click Set.
Click Close.
Reboot the system.
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11. Perform Disk fragment on Hard disk:
Click on Start -> Run.
Type dfrg.msc and click on OK.
This will open Disk Fragmenter Window.
Select the C: drive and click on Defragment button.
This will take some time to complete. It properly organizes files in your Hard disk.
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6. Ensure that you have atleast 2 GB of free space on your hard drive.
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7. Determine whether the total physical memory is less than the peak commit charge.
Open the applications you normally use.
NOTE: This may include Internet Explorer®, Outlook®, Word, Excel®, Outlook® Express, or any other applications you use on a regular basis.
Press and hold down the
The Windows Task Manager window appears.
Click the Performance tab.
Compare the Peak Commit Charge (K) on the left to the Total Physical Memory (K) on the right.
If the Peak Commit Charge is less than (<) the Total Physical Memory, the system currently has enough memory to perform normal functions.
If the Peak Commit Charge is more than (>) the Total Physical Memory, the system does not have enough memory to perform normal functions.
Monitor the Peak Commit Charge (K) for approximately 30 seconds.
NOTE: If the Peak Commit Charge (K) continues to rise without falling at least once, monitor the charge for approximately five more minutes. If the charge only rises, this may indicate a spyware infection.
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8. Delete the Contents of the Prefetch Folder in Microsoft® Windows® XP.
Click Start and then Run.
The Run window appears.
Type %Windir%\prefetch, and click OK.
The Prefetch window appears.
Click Edit and then Select All.
All items are highlighted.
Right-click the highlighted items, and click Delete.
The folder's contents are deleted.
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9. Run Ccleaner, which would clear all the unwanted temporary files from your system. Download and install Ccleaner from below link.
http://www.ccleaner.com/
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10. Verify that the operating system is managing the paging file size. Verify that the operating system is managing the paging file size by performing the following steps:
NOTE: You must be logged on to the system as an administrator to change the paging file size.
Click the Start button.
Right-click My Computer.
Click Properties.
The System Properties window will appear.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Settings button located under the Performance section of the window.
The Performance Options window will appear.
Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Change button under the Virtual Memory section of the window.
The Virtual Memory window will appear.
Click to select the System Managed Size option.
Click Set.
Click Close.
Reboot the system.
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11. Perform Disk fragment on Hard disk:
Click on Start -> Run.
Type dfrg.msc and click on OK.
This will open Disk Fragmenter Window.
Select the C: drive and click on Defragment button.
This will take some time to complete. It properly organizes files in your Hard disk.
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