Identifying Slow Performance Problems In Computers

Technology Blog

When a computer is running slow, most people just want it fixed. The out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality is good for getting through an already large workload, but it shouldn't be a way of normal business and life unless you want a sudden surprise of expensive failures that you could have seen with a bit more insight. Here are a few slow system performance problems to understand what could be going wrong, along with ways to mitigate losses in the future.

Viruses, The Popular Scare

Is it a virus? Is it malware? There are multiple names for different types of threats, but the main point is simple: hackers are annoying, and they ruin systems.

Viruses are designed with different purposes in mind, and some purposes may overlap. Many are designed to steal information, while others are designed to simply annoy you because the hackers were bored and wanted to see how much damage they could cause. 

There are other viruses that are meant to lock down your computer's files and make you pay for unlocking, but these aren't at all quiet about their job. If you're unsure about your computer's performance and suspect a virus, it's likely one of these issues:

  1. The threat is or includes a worm, which replicates itself. This causes a lot of system issues because the act of replicating is taking up your computer's resources, and may not stop until the system can't run at all.
  2. The threat's tasks are too much for your computer to handle. This is technically a sign to upgrade, but the bigger point is to get the virus off of your computer.
  3. The threat is written poorly and is crashing. This is similar to a worm's replicating and resource consumption, but on accident.

Fixing these issues can be done with a virus removal scan, but not all scans are the same. Some may do a poor job of removal and may leave behind remnants that either rebuild the virus or simply flail around in a failed attempt to calculate, which still slows down your computer. A computer repair professional can take care of the removal for you.

Low Resources? Get An Upgrade!

Viruses are essentially just bad programs. It doesn't make sense to upgrade just so your system can handle viruses without fixing them, but other programs could be slowing down your system just the same.

What programs do you usually use? Programs such as Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, and web browsers (Opera, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or IE's replacement Edge Browser) with less than 10 or so tabs shouldn't cause your system to freeze or slow down noticeably.

If you're using heavy-duty programs such as Photoshop or computer aided design (CAD) programs for 3D printing, or if you are playing computer games that require a video card, you're getting into the realm of specific system requirements.

Always meet and exceed recommended system requirements for your software. You don't need the fastest, most parts-packed system in the world, but having double the memory and a processor that's slightly better than necessary (in single decimal points, even from 2.3Ghz to 2.5Ghz) will give you the flexibility to multitask between important programs and secondary tasks. Such tasks include opening multiple browser tabs or windows while working in a high-demand program, or keeping a video call open while working.

Contact a computer repair professional at a company like Office Technology Experts to get help with virus removal, system cleanup, or upgrade questions.

Share

18 January 2018

Keeping Up With Technology

I have always been one of those naturally curious people, so when I started focusing more heavily on technology, things got really interesting. It was really fascinating to see how much technology had evolved over the years, and before I knew it, things had really progressed for me. I started carrying a cell phone and even upgraded my computer, and it really made a huge difference. This blog is all about keeping up with new technologies and being able to enjoy new things. Check out this blog for more information that could help you each and every day. You won't regret it!