PCFix
Q: PCFix, my computer is slow, and I was told to
go and increase the memory. However, I think it is because of all the movies I
copied on it. It is gradually becoming annoyingly slow, please advise on the
next course of action? – Aramide S.
Answer:
There are a number of factors that could be responsible for
your computer running slowly. Below are some of them, and the list is by no
means comprehensive.
Manufacturers ship computers with the standard
configurations that will work perfectly with the Operating System software (or
OS) and unless you are buying a high-end computer with specific configurations,
that is what you will get off the shelf.
This analogy explains the relationship between the
processor, storage space and memory perfectly; imagine an office, with a file
cabinet (storage space, or hard disk), an office desk (memory or RAM), and you
sitting on your chair behind your desk (processor).
The larger the file cabinet in your office is, the more
files and folders you can store there, which means greater capacity, but not
necessarily speed. The larger your office desk is, the more files and folder
you can open on it at the same time, consequently, the smaller it is, you will
have huge stacks of folders on your table and open them one after the other.
The speed at which you sort through the files and folders is
largely dependent on your level of expertise on the job and it could be
hampered by a file cabinet that is overflowing, and not sorted properly, or by
a small desk, and as such, you can only attend to the files and folders in a
slow and sometimes painstaking order.
Here is the explanation; when you have a processor powering
a computer, say, Intel Core i3 and a hard disk space of 500 gigabytes with 4
gigabytes of memory running Microsoft Windows 7, the moment you turn it on, it
will run at its normal speed because;
I. The hard
disk is still relatively empty
II. The
memory is still relatively free
III. The
processor isn’t really processing much yet
As soon as you start to install application software that
will enable you get your work done, there will be gradual decrease in
performance speed (sometimes inconspicuous) and when you install software,
there are certain instructions you should pay attention to; like allowing the
program to start automatically with Windows, and more.
The more programs that have to start with your Operating
System, the longer it takes your computer to boot up to the desktop, ready for
use.
Going back to your question, it is possible that all the
movies you copied to your computer may be responsible for the reduction in
performance speed, if and only if the free space left on your hard drive is
less than 1 gigabyte. If that is the case, you may have to get an external hard
drive to copy all your heavy files (movies, photos, music) from your computer
hard drive, then delete from your computer after copying. You may then access
the movies from the external drive (flash drive or hard drive) whenever you
need to use them.
Secondly, if your hard drive still has sufficient space and
your computer is still slow, you may have to upgrade the memory of your
computer (this is advisable if you have upgraded the Operating System of your
computer to the latest one) and this should be done by an expert because
computer memory chips have specifications that work with each computer
motherboard. The minimum memory requirement for Windows XP is 128 megabytes,
512 megabytes is ideal; Windows Vista can run on 512 megabytes but 2 gigabytes
is ideal; Windows 7 can run on 1 gigabyte but 2 gigabytes is good for 32-bit,
and 4 gigabytes for 64-bit, same goes for Windows 8.
To find out if your computer is running 32/64-bit operating
system software, go to My Computer, right click on it and choose properties
(Windows XP); or open Computer (Windows Vista, 7, 8), click on properties,
scroll down, and you will see it displayed. As a rule of thumb, all of Intel’s
third generation processors (core i3, i5, i7) are all 64-bit processors and
consist of 4 processors (quad core) each.
Lastly, you may have to download and install a software
called CCleaner. When you launch it, you will be prompted to scan your computer,
do so, and it will perform basic diagnostics on why your computer is running
slowly. Once that is done, you should look for the startup manager link under
tools, and disable almost all of the startup items, except your antivirus
software and the touchpad (synaptics) item.
If all else fails, please consult an expert.
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