Slow PC ...

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Slow PC ...

One welcome feature in a new computer is its speed; new computers are notably faster than the ones they replace. The speed difference is attributed to technology, of course. Replacing a tired old Pentium III computer with a Pentium 4, for example, makes everything run faster — or at least seem to. The problem with a slow PC isn’t that technology is brushing by. That’s more of a fact than a problem. No, the true slow PC is sluggish for a number of reasons, some of which definitely can be helped, as discussed in this chapter. I recommend drinking coffee for slow mornings or to help your own brain maintain speed during long meetings. I don’t recommend coffee for your computer.

Slow Is Relative

Computers aren’t designed to be slow. In fact, if you were to peer into a tiny window and observe the microprocessor, you would discover that it spends most of its time doing nothing. It waits. That’s because most things the computer does aren’t that speed intensive. When you word-process, the computer spends electronic epochs waiting for you to type the next letter — even if you’re a fast typist. And, no matter how fast your Internet connection, the computer is literally twiddling its thumbs while waiting for the next byte of data to stroll in. There are intensive operations, of course: Any time you manipulate graphics, you’re making the computer do some real work. Even the fastest computers have to wait while images are rendered. And, some mathematical calculations cause the microprocessor to fire all its burners. Even then, for the most part, the computer sits and hums. It’s because the computer sits and waits that you find things like barking dogs or tap-dancing wizards to amuse you while you type in your word processor. Speed apparently isn’t a true issue when it comes to computer performance. Developers could make software go even faster than it does now, but there’s little demand for it. Also, increasing program speed would mean that the programs would take longer to develop, so as long as people don’t mind waiting, developers have no incentive to make things faster.

Why things can get slow (and what you can do about it)

Your computer can slow down for a number of reasons, almost too many to mention. Slothfulness boils down to one of the causes listed in this section:

Malfunctioning hardware: The hard drive may be on its last legs, in which case it has to read and reread information because of errors. That adds overhead.

Corrupted programs: Most sudden slowness is caused by some corrupt program, which may be tainted on the disk or somehow become besmirched in memory. In any event, the program’s response time dwindles, which affects overall PC speed.

Viruses: Computer viruses can also slow things down, either by corrupting existing files or consuming resources in memory or on the hard drive, or they may just be designed to slow down your computer. Most of the time, some corrupt program brings the computer down and crawling on its knees. Fix or eliminate that program, and the problem goes away. Typically, recovering speed is simply as easy as restarting Windows. Please be patient! Yes, restarting Windows probably fixes the situation. But, give the slow computer its due. Obey the rules! Shut down like you normally do, even if it seems to take longer. Give the computer a chance before you impatiently punch the power switch or defiantly unplug the sucker.

Any way to speed things up?

The old joke went that you could double your computer’s speed by plugging it into a 240-volt socket. I actually got e-mail from a man who believed this to be true and wanted to know where he could get a power adapter. Of course, following through would have resulted in a blown-up power supply. Computers do some things fast and some things slow. Aside from getting a newer computer, you can do only a handful of legitimate things to improve overall performance:

_ Eliminate what you don’t need. Uninstall programs you don’t use.

_ Review your startup programs. Ensure that utilities you don’t need are disabled and not using RAM or disk space.

_ Install more RAM. Computers can always use more RAM.

_ Check for viruses.

_ Keep an eye out for memory leaks.

_ Defragment (especially good for older drives).

In your applications, try to avoid using lots of fonts or pasting images into a word processor until the text editing is done. Word processors, such as Microsoft Word, really slow down when you add graphics into the mix. Write your text first and then add images.

The Slow PC

For image editing as well as other demanding applications, try not to run other programs at the same time. That conserves resources and gives more power to the programs that demand it. Above all, try to avoid software fixes that claim to speed up your computer. Although some of them may subtly tweak resources and give you better performance, most of the ones I have encountered are shams. These programs seldom perform as promised and end up turning your PC into a billboard for endless advertisements or porn. I don’t recommend upgrading the microprocessor as a solution to a slow PC. Older PCs that could theoretically benefit from a newer CPU are typically not compatible with the new microprocessors. And, the replacement CPUs you can get often don’t give you the same bang for the buck as a better upgrade, such as more RAM or a second hard drive. Low resources can also cause a system to run slowly. For more information on defragmenting a hard drive. Internally, the computer uses only 5 or 12 volts to run things, so doubling the input voltage from 120 to 240 volts — even if you could — wouldn’t improve your speed situation.

Some Slow Q&A

Anyone who has used a PC for any length of time has encountered the slow PC. After initial disbelief, you probably act like I do and seriously wonder whether a black hole is nearby and slowing down the entire space-time continuum. Do you slam your keyboard into the desktop? I have tried it. Doesn’t work. And, yes, a few times I just flipped off the power to the UPS because the computer was taking geological time to restart. I know. Naughty me, but sometimes the stupid device wears my patience paper-thin.

Q: It’s suddenly slow, and it wasn’t like that yesterday!

Sudden slow is good. Sudden slow means that some program has twisted itself into a confusing garden of electronic salad. A simple reset fixes this problem. In Windows XP, try checking the Task Manager’s Processes tab to see whether you can find the process hog and kill it off. At least that method tells you which program was running amok, if only for future reference.

Troubleshooting Minor Irks and Quirks

I have noticed that some USB devices may fly south and attempt to take other USB devices with them. For example, the scanner may be on the fritz, and so the USB keyboard no longer responds quickly. Consider disconnecting (from the computer) the USB devices that you’re not using and see whether that improves the situation.

Q: The computer is just always slow.

Remember that speed is relative. Or, as it was put to me long ago by a friend with a much better computer: You never know how crappy your system is until you sit down at a better one. Buy more RAM! Consider running fewer programs. Also consider using a thorough disk drive analysis utility, such as Norton Utilities, to see whether the hard drive is becoming too error prone. If so, consider replacing the hard drive.

Q: The computer gets slower the longer I leave it on.

This is definitely a sign of a memory leak. The best way to track this one down is as follows:

First, don’t run any software. Just let the computer sit and stew. Note whether it’s getting slow. If so, it’s Windows itself that’s slow, one of the supersecret startup programs or perhaps a virus that’s causing the problem.

Second, run your programs one at a time. Pause. Note whether that particular program is causing the computer to slow down. If not, restart the computer and run your next program. Run them one at a time to search for the culprit. When you find the program that’s slowing down the computer, check with the developer to see whether it has any information about causes or fixes.

Q: The computer has gotten slower and slower in recent weeks.

This problem is most likely caused by some nasty programs infiltrating your computer, such as a virus or worm or spyware. These programs consume resources and run without your knowledge, so it isn’t readily obvious what’s to blame for the slowdown.

The Slow PC

Another problem may be hardware-oriented. A full hard drive can slow down a computer. To check the hard drive’s capacity, follow these steps:

1. Open the My Computer icon on the desktop.

2. Right-click the hard drive you want to examine.

3. Choose Properties from the pop-up menu.

On the General tab, you see a graphical pie chart showing you the amount of disk space used versus what’s remaining. When only a little pie is left, you’ve got disk woes!

4. Close the Properties dialog box as well as the My Computer window.

Slowness can also just be a sign of “tired RAM” or an older computer in general. It’s time to buy a new one.

Q: The computer’s clock is slower than normal time.

Yes. Computers make lousy clocks. The clock in your typical PC is off anywhere from several seconds to a few minutes at the end of each day, depending on what you do with the computer. This is normal.