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Speed Up Your Computer: Part 1

Dealing with extremely slow computers can drive any sane person mad. You are 20 minutes into the last 30 minutes you had to prepare for that big meeting, and your computer is acting like it is paid by your competitor to slow you down. You can try pleading with it, you can try banging on the computer to make it go faster, or just simply give up in defeat. If you have learned that just speaking to your computer is not going to magically fix anything, well it may be time to try something else. Many times just doing a few basic steps can greatly improve performance, at least relative to how it had been doing. But as well, it is always possible that you have somehow been infected with a virus or subject to a malfunctioning part, or even just the ravages of age have finally caught up to your computer. If you want to squeeze every bit of performance out of your computer that you can, this article is for you. This is just the basics, as IT can’t be taught in a day, but it can be started on the right path in a day.

Ruling out serious issues (hardware failures or viruses)

This should be done if your computer has gotten to the point where doing anything, even the most basic of activities is nearly impossible.

  • For hardware issues, several things make it obvious. If it is crashing constantly, and is showing the blue screen of death, it is likely because of a hardware issue. For something that turns itself off automatically, there’s quite a few things that could cause it. But it could be something simple like a battery-failure, which is easy to replace for non-Mac computers. For a hard drive, run a program called “Chkdsk.exe” to see if it is still running fine. But for most diagnosis you will need to get a professional for help.
  • Some viruses can hide themselves from anti-virus, but run a scan with whatever program you normally use, followed by one using MalwareBytes. MBam is not best for anti-virus in real time, but it is very good for checking to see if there is currently an infection. But something to remember is that if the virus is a rootkit or a trojan, it may have hidden itself deep enough to not be detected. And if it is detected, than certain viruses will not be removed by just using a simple antivirus.

Simple computer upgrades can also help

    • RAM is a very simple upgrade to make. Most computers can easily be taken apart to add RAM. You will want to use your System Settings in My Computer or This PC to check what kind of RAM you use. Normally you can get what you need for $30. If you have 2-4GB, if you upgrade to at least 8GB you will not have any problems with RAM at least.

Our next article we continue helping you tune your computer up, by going over startup programs, heavy apps, and program alternatives.

Don’t forget, IT can’t be taught over night. If you’re looking for computer maintenance services in the San Marcos, TX or Austin, TX area, give the experts at tekRESCUE a call today (512-843-2835) to discuss your needs!

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Speed Up Your Computer: Part 2

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