How do I speed up a slow Computer

Bleg

My computer seems to take ages to open even the simpliest of applications. I am using windows 2000. I just feel that it could be a whole lot faster. It still has plenty of memory so I know that is not the problem. Please all you computer wizards out there-what can I do???????????

CAT-THE-FIFTH

The problem could be software related or hardware related.Perhaps a virus,spyware or old registry settings maybe causing this. You could try AVG free edition or the trial version of Nod32 to look for viruses.For Spyware you can use Spybot,Adaware and Ewido to check for any.You can use CCleaner to look for and remove old registry settings and cleanup any programmes that load at startup which you do not need.

Also make sure that your hard disk is defragmented too as if it is very fragmented this can cause the computer to slow down.Make sure that you have at least 20% of your hard disk free too as a full hard disk can also cause Windows to slow down.

Bleg

Thanks. I have Spybot and norton 2006 anti-virus. I wll have to check the fragmentation of my hard drive

CAT-THE-FIFTH

It is also possible that Norton antivirus could be part of the problem!! It has been known to take up alot of system resources.

GreenNotM

have a look in task manager - .

On the performance tab have a look at the CPU % used and the memory amount actually used. see what is taking up the processing time - arrange columns so they are arranged by CPU - on the processes tab

When you say you have plenty of memory - how much is plenty - numbers pls.....

Look at using disk cleaner to get rid of temp files or even ccleaner.

imho

Have you tried http://safety.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm you have to run it from the latest version of Internet Explorer,takes a while to scan ,but it cleans up your computer of virus,temporary files,checks that every thing is firewalled. really good .

mediaman

Could be a few things as mentioned above Defragging could help, check for spyware
You didn't say how much RAM you've got. I would recommend 512mb. Clear out temp files also if your hard drive is nearing its capacity that also can slow down a pc. If you install and uninstall a lot of software especially from magazine discs you may need to use a registery cleaner to remove junk files.

bat999

Hi Bleg

I agree with most of what's already been said above.
When you've done all of them, here are my two tips:-

1) Look in your start up folder. This contains programs that are started automatically at bootup. Get rid of any that you don't definitely need running all the time.

2) Look in your add/remove programs section. Get rid of any programs that you don't use any more.
:cool:

tawnyowls

When was the last time you reformatted? An awful lot of stuff builds up over time, and many IT sources say you should reformat every 2-3 years. Might be worth backing up and doing that. I reformatted my old PC a couple of months ago and speeded it up no end.

jampton

all of the above and update your drivers

dosh

Try - Advanced Windows Care V2 Personal (free version) http://www.iobit.com/
Not sure about Windows 2000 but it certainly made my Windows XP PC a lot faster.