My computer is running SO slowly recently! I can't afford to get an IT specialist in, so what can I do?

If you have a lot of background programs running they will take up computer processing and slow down your computer a lot. If you go to start, run, and type msconfig you can view startup items that run when your computer boots. You may try disabling all of them, or disabling maybe the ones you do not recognize (you can re-enable them just by clicking the check mark later on--will require reboot). Also check under Program files / Startup and remove programs in there by right clicking and selecting delete on an item. Most programs do not need to run in startup (leave virus scanners and items of that sort running, as well in msconfig). If you do not already have a virus scanner I would recommend Avast, available for free at http://avast.com, run that on a startup boot (before windows loads, it should offer during install). Also try getting a copy of Microsoft Windows Defender to help protect against spy ware, and run that. It is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx Best of luck, remember the fewer programs running in the task bar (by your clock), and on startup and in the processes, the faster your machine will run. More ram may also be recommended (1 gig).

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Look at the specifications of your computer, the lower your memory(RAM) the slower your PC reads.

download c/cleaner and defragment you will notice a difference straight away

I agree with Adam K. Go to www.ccleaner.com and download its latest version v2.05. It's a free software and most of all, it's very good. After having used the Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter in Microsoft's System Tools; CCleaner still can manage to clean a little bit more on the hard drive. If the computer still runs sluggishly afterwards, you should delete some programs that you do not use as they are using up your hard drive's resources. Have you got anti-virus software installed. It's absolutely vital to have one installed if you have not already done so.

If your virus/spyware free, there are a couple things you can do get your computer working faster. If you using your computer for normal stuff and not gaming. You don't always need more RAM you just need to perform a few maintenance task. First, if you haven't cleaned your registry in a while. This is necessary. Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, un-installs etc. Each one of those events produces a key. That key needs your PC's resources and free space. So, if you clean your registry, you make more resources available for speed. Do a registry scan if you got more than 20 errors you should clean it. http://www.delete-computer-history.com/what-is-the-best-registry-cleaner.html 2. Clear your Windows cache files, this is your temporary file. It can grow up to a large volume and stop your computer from using RAM properly. In a sense slow it down by preventing it from using free space.Here is how: 1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser 2. Click Start, click "Control Panel", and then double-click "Internet Options". 3. On the General tab, click "Delete Files" under Temporary Internet Files. 4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the "Delete all offline content" check box , and then click OK. 5. Click OK. 3. Manage your startups. Your excess CPU usage is due to too many programs running in the background. You can cut these to barebones by alter your msconfig. Here is how: 1. Open your Start menu. 2. Click Run 3. In the command screen type "msconfig.exe" 4. In the "system configuration utility",click either "service" or "startup" tab 5. Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using. 6. Click "OK" Other great tip is increasing your virtual memory to simulate more RAM. This will give you a bit more resources for multiple program use or CPU heavy programs. Hope this link helps. Shows you how to do everything step by step. You should get a least 60-120% more resources and speed if you follow the tips.

(1) Please go to the "Control Panel" on your computer, then click on "Add or Remove Programs." Remove programs you're no longer using, as it can definitely slow your computer down. (2) Make sure you don't have tons of anti virus programs running on your computer. Too many can also slow down your computer. I have AVG & Skybot. They're both free. (3) Do a "full system" scan on your computer daily. I have Ad Aware (4) Defrag your computer once a month. It will make a big difference in how quickly your computer will run **If, after doing the above, you still have a slow computer, then you may have a "virus." Edit: Ese...I downloaded the CCleaner & ran it already. Do I need to run it daily?

First of all, I'd use Firefox. it's much more stable and faster than IE. http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/ Second of all. try defragmenting your drive. to do this: OPen "MY Computer" right click on drive "C:" and click properties. go to the tools tab. click defragment drive. and after the window pops up, click "Defrag." another thing I highly reccomend is CCleaner. http://www.ccleaner.com/ once installed, you can use it to clean any junk that is wasting space and performance. don't worry. all of these are pretty safe and are all free. maintanence is usually the culprit for a slow PC, because so few people know that a computer needs it. Hope this Helps!