Why does my computer screen slow down? What to do if your computer lags a lot

Very often we hear the question “ The computer is slow! What to do?"In fact, there are many reasons why a computer starts to slow down and glitch. Below you will find our tips for improving PC speed. Possible causes of braking and corresponding tips for eliminating them are arranged in a certain order - from the most common to the rarer. Therefore, to save effort and time, we advise you to check point by point.

Why does your computer slow down and what can you do to improve performance?

1.There is not enough free space on the system disk (usually drive C:)

The less free space, the greater the likelihood of a drop in speed due to file fragmentation. This problem needs to be resolved as soon as possible, because... at one point there may not be enough space to even load the operating system. It's easy to fix this problem. It can be difficult to guess that your computer is slowing down precisely because you have run out of free space.

Tip: clear your hard drive of temporary files using . If after cleaning there is still not enough space, then increase the size of the system disk using the program.

For Windows 7/8.1/10 The system partition must have at least 7 GB free. Ideally, 30% of the total disk space should be free. If you have less than 10% of free space, you urgently need to increase the system partition, because... at any moment your computer may simply not boot. If the system disk capacity is 100GB, then at least 30GB should be free.

For Windows XP The system partition must have at least 3 GB. Ideally - 30% of the total volume. If the system disk capacity is 50GB, then 15GB should be free.

2. Viruses, malware and unwanted programs

Often, when examining a PC, it often turns out that the computer is slowing down due to viruses and advertising in the browser. On today's Internet, it is very easy to pick up an annoying program, a Trojan, or an extension that adds advertising to all sites.

Tip: Perform a system check using , and . Remove viruses, malware and unwanted programs:

3. Not enough random access memory (RAM)

Run Task Manager, go to the tab Performance, click Memory and see how much memory is free. It will say, for example, “2 GB available”:

It is not normal for a situation where less than 30% of the memory is free when a set of your normal work programs is running. In this case, you need to check which programs are taking up memory. If the memory is occupied by browsers and other programs you need, you need to think about adding more memory to your computer.

Go to the tab Details(previously Processes), sort all processes by amount of memory used and view the list. Sometimes it happens that a particular application eats up a lot of memory. In this case, such a program must be removed or a new version installed that will work correctly.

The recommended amount of RAM for Windows 7 and 8.1 is 4GB for computers used for surfing and working with documents. It is recommended to install 8-16 GB of RAM in a gaming, engineering or design computer.

Tip: Install at least 4GB of RAM to keep your PC from slowing down. Today this will not be much for any computer.

Attention! Sometimes RAM becomes clogged with unnecessary programs. Before increasing the amount of RAM, make sure there are no viruses or unwanted programs.

4. Not all device drivers are installed

Open Device Manager (Win+R, devmgmt.msc, Enter)

Check if drivers are installed for all devices. A very noticeable decrease in performance can result from the lack of video card drivers and motherboard chipset:

Tip: Install the missing drivers. Best of all, download the latest drivers and update the drivers for all possible devices.

Tip #2: try replacing the SATA cable.

Sometimes low-quality SATA cables fail after some time (about a year). Remove the cover on the system unit and if there is a thin Chinese SATA cable installed inside, replace it.

7. Fragmentation of data on the disk

Tip: Completely defragment the system disk using a standard defragmenter program.

To do this, you need to call the disk properties, go to the Tools - Optimize tab, then in the next window click Optimize:

8. Registry errors

The PC can also slow down due to errors in the registry.
Tip: Clean the registry with a program to eliminate errors and speed up work.

Registry —Troubleshooting:

Click To correct And Yes. Then specify where to save the backup copy of the registry changes :

After pressing the button Correct marked bugs will be fixed:

9. Visual effects

If you cannot improve performance using the above methods and you still experience system slowdown, this is probably the maximum performance that a computer with this configuration can achieve when working with the current operating system.

Tip: Turn off visuals and choose a theme Classical if you have Windows 7 .
Selecting a classic theme in Windows 7 Ultimate:

Choosing a classic theme in Windows 7 Home Basic:

It often happens that a weak computer slows down due to visual effects. Disable unnecessary effects:

10. Worn OS

If you are convinced that the computer was definitely faster before than it is now, try reinstalling the operating system. If none of the tips helped you, read the next paragraph.

How to radically improve the performance of a computer if it is slow

It's important to understand two things here: what tasks your computer was designed for and what tasks you use it for.

If you buy a budget computer and try to play a modern game at maximum settings, then it’s clear that you won’t succeed. And blaming the computer for this is stupid.

If you use a computer to perform tasks corresponding to its class (for the budget class - this is surfing, typing and watching videos, for the gaming class - games, etc.) , but the performance does not suit you, read below.

Method 1

The simplest, most reliable, but most expensive way to solve the problem of insufficient computer performance is buying a new computer with a suitable configuration for clearly defined tasks.

If the computer is more than 5 years old, then in most cases its upgrade will cost you an amount that will be from 50% to 70% of the cost of a new computer of the same class. Old memory is often more expensive than new one, and new components (for example, SSD) will not be able to realize their full potential on an outdated platform, etc. The result will be a mess of an ax and an unreasonable waste of funds. Read about it at your leisure.

Method 2

The second option is still upgrade. This is reasonable if you bought a computer not so long ago and overall it is not bad, but the performance is not quite enough for you.

Which components can be replaced to significantly improve performance:

A. Increase the amount of RAM

Budget computer models are often supplied by manufacturers with only one or two gigabytes of RAM. However, for normal operation of Windows 7/8.1 with such a minimum set of programs as a browser, Skype and antivirus, about 3 GB of RAM is required. Therefore, often the number one enemy of performance is precisely the insufficient amount of RAM.

For comfortable work, it is recommended to install 4 GB of RAM in an office or home non-gaming computer. In this case, the system will use the paging file to a minimum.

B. Install SSD

Today, the bottleneck in computer data exchange is the hard drive. When starting or closing any program, when using a swap file, or when saving or opening a file, the data storage device is used. To improve the speed of these operations, it is recommended to use a more modern alternative to a hard disk drive - a solid state drive (SSD)

Instructions

We will perform Disk Cleanup and clear the system of “garbage”. We launch the standard cleaning program.
For Windows 7: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup" (right click ->
For Windows XP: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Cleanup"
If your computer has several hard drives installed (or one is divided into several logical drives), then a window will appear asking which of these drives to clean. Select the desired system drive on which WINDOWS is installed. (Then it is better to carry out this procedure with all computer disks).
Check the boxes for all the items suggested in the box, click “OK” - and wait. You may have to wait a long time, depending on how dirty the system is

Now let's check the computer's hard drive for errors and failures. First close all running programs and remove all external media (flash drives, hard drives, etc.). For Windows XP and Windows 7, the procedure will be the same.
Open the “My Computer” window in Explorer. Right-click on the system disk or partition of this disk and select “Properties”. In the window that opens, go to the “Service” tab, and there click on the “Run check” button. A small window will open in which you need to check the boxes for the 2 check points presented and click the “Launch” button.
A message will appear stating that Windows cannot check the disk that is currently in use and will prompt you to do so after rebooting. Click "Schedule Check Disk" for Windows 7 and "Yes" for Windows XP. Restart your computer. After the reboot, a scheduled disk scan will begin in text mode. Until it completes, the operating system will not start. The scan will most likely take a long time, so it would be more advisable to run it at a time when the computer is not needed (for example, leave it checked overnight).

The next step will be to defragment the system disk. We launch a standard disk defragmentation program.
For Windows 7: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter" (right click -> "Run as administrator").
For Windows XP: "Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter"
In the window that opens, select the disk on which the operating system is installed and click on the “Disk Defragmentation” button. (Then it is better to carry out this procedure with all computer disks).

Now let's play around with the size of the paging file.
For Windows XP: "Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance -> Options -> Advanced -> Virtual Memory -> Change."
For Windows 7: "Right click on Computer -> Properties -> Advanced settings -> Performance -> Options -> Advanced -> Virtual memory -> Change."
In the window that opens, select “Specify size” (“Special size” for XP)
Now we multiply the entire amount of your RAM by 1.5 (if there is very little of it, then by 2). We write the resulting value in the "Original size" and "Maximum size" fields.
(And as an exception, if the computer has 4 gigabytes of RAM and Windows XP is installed, then you can set a small value, for example 512 megabytes)

Disable unused services. "Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services." In this large list of all services, we study the names and descriptions of all services. We decide that all of this can be disabled without damaging the state of the system. (Specific advice on the advisability of disabling a particular service can be easily found on the Internet). Stop the selected services (double-click on the selected service “Startup type -> Disabled” and click on the “Stop” button)

Disable unused startup items. First, let's go to "Start -> All Programs -> Startup" and remove all unused shortcuts from there. Then run the standard system startup setup program: “Start -> Run” and write “msconfig” in the line, go to the “Startup” tab and disable all unused programs. (You can easily find specific advice on the advisability of disabling a particular program in startup on the Internet by entering the name of the program in a search engine)

Let's turn off visual effects.
For Windows XP: "Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance -> Options -> Visual Effects."
For Windows 7: "Right click on Computer -> Properties -> Advanced Settings -> Performance -> Options -> Visual Effects."
In the window that opens, switch the item “Ensure the best performance” -> OK

Disable unused devices.
For Windows XP: "Right click on My Computer -> Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager."
For Windows 7: "Start -> Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound -> Device Manager"
In the window that opens, disable unused devices (right-click on the selected item -> "Disable")
You can disable unused camera, network card, IEEE 1394 controller, COM and LPT ports, etc. If something happens, a disabled device can always be “used” if needed

We clean your computer from viruses using an antivirus with up-to-date antivirus databases. You can use both permanently installed anti-virus programs and free “one-time” ones for routine scanning, such as CureIT from Dr. Web,

Video on the topic

Helpful advice

Do not store large amounts of data on the “desktop”; in most cases, this consumes RAM resources, which in turn leads to a slowdown of the computer. It’s better to transfer the information somewhere to “logical” drives or delete it altogether if it is not particularly valuable. Ideally, only shortcuts to folders and frequently used programs should remain on the desktop.

Probably the most common and most annoying problem that occurs with a computer for users is its freezing, which often has no apparent reason. In this regard, both experienced and novice users are constantly racking their brains over how to eliminate the unreasonable freezing of the computer and return it to stable operation. There can be many reasons for freezing, and in this article you will learn about some of them, as well as how to fix them.

Instructions

Go to Start > Run and type msconfig in the window. In the window that opens, open the “Advanced” tab and disable fast system shutdown. If fast shutdown was otherwise disabled, try enabling it. In the same window, in the “Startup” section, uncheck those programs that you do not need to autostart the system.

Open the system.ini file and add the following parameter in the section: PagingFile=C:WINDOWSwin386.swp.

It is possible that your antivirus program is causing the freeze. Try changing your antivirus and see if the system freeze continues.

Program crash

Sometimes the following situation occurs: you launch a program, and it stops responding to your actions, not responding to button presses and mouse clicks. You can forcefully terminate a faulty program: the combination Ctrl+Alt+Delete or Ctrl+Shift+Esc will come to the rescue. In the list that appears, select the problematic application and click “End task”.

If a program freezes regularly, it is better to install a new version of it or completely abandon it in favor of a similar one.

Extra files

The operation of the operating system leads to the formation of many temporary files. The system registry is also filled with unnecessary information. All of these can also cause your computer to freeze.

For example, the CCleaner program will help you clean your PC of junk. It is convenient, easy to use and allows you to quickly get rid of unnecessary data that slows down your work.

Video on the topic

If you don't pay enough attention to your computer, sooner or later it will start to slow down. Sluggishness refers to all sorts of freezes and system crashes when using a PC. Fixing this problem will only require a little effort and patience.

Software part

In most cases, the computer starts to slow down due to problems and glitches in its software. The following tips will help you troubleshoot problems:

Keep your hard drive clean - it is not recommended to install all the software on your PC (you only need to install on your computer those programs that you use);
- remove unnecessary programs and games - it is worth carefully analyzing the list of programs on your PC and removing those that you did not install (perhaps they were installed automatically when using the Internet);
- clean the operating system registry - after cleaning the PC, you should work on the registry (this can be done using a large number of specialized utilities, for example, CCleaner);
- remove unnecessary programs from startup (the same CCleaner utility will help you with this);
- defragment hard drives, do this at least once a month (this way all files will be well organized and the computer will work faster);
- free up space on your hard drive – there must be at least 5 GB of free space on the computer’s system drive (this is necessary for the correct operation of the operating system and installed programs);
- disable visual effects that add beauty to the operating system (these are all kinds of shadow effects, minimizing windows, beautiful icons and frames).

Viruses

Due to virus infection, your computer will slow down or work incorrectly. Viruses can take up PC processor time, and there will not be enough of it to run the operating system or programs. Of course, it would be easy to purchase a licensed antivirus program. But not everyone can afford this pleasure, so you have to use free analogues of well-known branded antivirus applications. Or free utilities.

If viruses are detected and you are absolutely sure of their presence, it is easier to reinstall the operating system while formatting the infected partition. You can also remove the hard drive and, for a fee, clean it of viruses in a specialized center or from a friend who has a licensed anti-virus program.

Technical part

The computer may slow down due to severe contamination and dust on its internal parts and components. In this case, you need to carefully disassemble the PC and carefully clean all visible dust spots with a small brush. Depending on the performance and specifics of the computer, it is sometimes necessary on the processor and video card. If you have knowledge of this, you can do the replacement of the cooling paste yourself, but otherwise this work should be entrusted to a specialist.

Computer freezes can be caused by various user actions. For example, when one antivirus program is running (scanning), the user begins to perform another action that requires system resources. Freezing of a personal computer can be directly related to a large amount of malicious software that is located on the computer, etc.

Task Manager

Of course, first of all you need to calm down and not press the mouse on the screen, buttons on the keyboard, etc. The first solution to such a problem is to use the task manager. There are several ways to open it. For example, this can be done by right-clicking on the arrow located in the lower right corner of the screen. Another way is to use computer hotkeys. To open the task manager, press Ctrl+Alt+Del simultaneously, after which a new window will appear.

You can disable a frozen program in the “Applications” tab. To determine which program you need, look at its status. If it says that the program is “Not responding,” then feel free to select it and click on the “End task” button. After this, a window will appear where you need to confirm your action. In the task manager, the user can disable various processes (the “Processes” tab), which also load the system.

It should be noted that the most important thing here is not to disable an unknown program, since this tab also displays system processes, disabling which can lead to irreparable consequences. Most problems can be solved using the Task Manager.

Reset button

Of course, it may also happen that the user’s personal computer freezes so that even the task manager will not open, or everything will work too slowly. There is also a way out of this situation, but it will not be the best and should be resorted to only as a last resort. Today, almost every power supply has a computer reset button (usually it is located next to the power button and slightly smaller than it). When you click this button, the computer will automatically restart, but in this case all unsaved data will be lost.

Video on the topic

Severe performance degradation is one of the most common problems that computer users sometimes encounter.

There are many reasons that can cause “brakes” in the operation of the system. Fortunately, the user can fix many problems independently and quite easily.

The most common problem is overheating

Computer parts generate quite a lot of heat during operation. To effectively remove it, cooling systems are installed inside the PC. But their work can be disrupted due to dirt and dust, or they themselves can break, then overheating occurs. As a result, the computer begins to “slow down” or even turn off at the most unexpected moment.

Let's look at what signs may indicate overheating of some computer components:

• The PC often freezes, especially when launching games and other resource-intensive applications;
• a sharp decrease in productivity.

Users can fix this problem without the help of specialists, especially when it comes to stationary PCs. In this case, to troubleshoot problems, it is enough to clean the PC from dirt and dust.

Here is the procedure for cleaning the system unit:

1. disconnect the power cord;
2. open the block cover;
3. remove dust and dirt;
4. checking the cooling system;
5. if necessary, replace thermal paste;
6. assemble the computer and test its operation.

To clean your desktop PC, you don't need any special tools. It is quite possible to get by with a soft brush and a screwdriver; a vacuum cleaner will not be superfluous, since with its help it is more convenient to remove a large layer of dust.

Laptop users are less fortunate, despite the fact that the cleaning process is approximately the same as for desktop PCs, it is extremely rare to complete it on your own the first time. The first time it is better to use the help of professionals.

Video: Optimizing Windows 7

Problems due to incorrect update

Many updates are constantly released to the operating system that eliminate bugs found. Usually they are downloaded and installed automatically. In this case, the installation of updates may not proceed correctly for various reasons.

In this case, the following problems may occur:

If the user encounters any of the problems listed above after installing updates, he needs to perform the following steps:

1. roll back the system to a point when no problems occurred;
2. make sure there is free space on your hard drive;
3. check your internet connection;
4. try installing the update manually from the Microsoft website.

Lack of free space

If your computer starts to slow down, Windows 7 may simply not have enough free space on the system disk. The fact is that when the system and programs operate, many temporary files are created; if there is not enough space to create them, the system begins to slow down. In addition, space may be needed for virtual memory.

You can free up space on your system disk in the following ways:

1. removing unnecessary applications;
2. transferring or erasing large files, such as movies;
3. cleaning temporary files.

The first two ways to increase free space usually do not cause difficulties for users. But when cleaning temporary files, questions arise regularly. Meanwhile, this procedure is also not complicated.

There are two ways to do it:

• using system tools;
• using third party utilities.

The use of special programs for deleting temporary files is more effective, but requires higher qualifications from the user. Therefore, let's look at how to get rid of temporary files using the tools built into Windows 7.

To do this you will need to do the following:

Advice. Special utilities, such as CCleaner, are much more effective at deleting temporary files. They can often perform additional functions to increase system speed.

Viruses

Computer viruses pose a major threat to information security in the modern world. They can destroy important data, steal payment information, or have a significant impact on the speed of your computer.

Let's look at the main signs of a virus infection:

• reduction in work speed;
• appearance of strange files and folders;
• disappearance of information;
• error messages appear;
• strange processes causing heavy CPU load.

Mini telephone exchange - what is it? Review here.

At the first appearance of signs of infection, it is necessary to scan your PC to detect “infection” using installed protection means.

It is not always possible that an installed antivirus can detect all threats that have penetrated a user’s computer.

Difficulty using the browser

Often, users may experience decreased performance while browsing the Internet. It is most often associated with the installation of unnecessary extensions and toolbars.

Let's look at how to remove unnecessary toolbars inWindows 7:

Unused add-ons should also be disabled.

Do it inYandexBrowser can be done as follows:

In most cases, performing these simple steps can significantly increase the speed of opening pages and working with the browser.

Hard drive problems

Problems with the hard drive very often lead to a situation where the computer freezes completely or opening applications is very slow.

All problems related to the hard drive can be divided into the following categories:

• hardware faults;
• logical errors;
• large data fragmentation.

The most difficult option is if bad sectors appear on the hard drive. They significantly slow down the operation of the entire system and may be evidence of imminent failure of the hard drive.

You can check for bad sectors using the built-in tools of Windows 7.

To do this you need to do the following:

During the troubleshooting process, bad sectors will be replaced with working ones from a special area of ​​the HDD. It should be taken into account that a large number of bad blocks indicates the possibility of an imminent hard drive failure. It is better to copy important data to avoid its loss as soon as possible.

Many programs in startup

Many programs are included in autorun when installed. Of course, the user can refuse this option, but as a rule, they do not. At the same time, any application running on the computer reduces the overall performance of the system. Therefore, it is recommended to disable unnecessary programs in startup.

You can remove an application from autorun using standard tools or using special utilities.

Let's consider how inWindows 7 remove an application from startup using the tools built into the OS:

Low hardware performance

The performance of Windows 7 can also be affected by the power of the computer's hardware. This is especially true for PCs that were purchased 5-7 years ago.

The main components that affect the speed of the system:

• CPU;
• video card.

The easiest way to get rid of brakes due to outdated components is modernization. During it, outdated PC components are replaced with more modern ones. But it is always necessary to ensure that the purchased parts are compatible with those already installed in the computer.

As a rule, problems that cause a decrease in performance are not associated with breakdowns of computer parts and therefore can be easily eliminated by the user. If this fails, it is better to contact a service center for help.

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Your personal computer has started to slow down, performing usual operations is taking longer, today we will look at the main reasons.

And so, the reasons for the slowdown of the computer should be divided into technical and software.
Technical reasons include:
Outdated components and partial failure. Modern programs require more power to run programs;

Poor care of your personal computer, pollination of the cooling system and components (coolers, radiators, motherboard, video card, RAM, power supply). As a result, the system overheats, capacitors blow off, short circuits, which in turn leads to system freezes and complete equipment failure. You can solve this problem simply by cleaning your computer, replacing thermal paste, and wiping contacts and slots.

Software reasons include the following:
We all know that during daily work in the operating system and installed software products, a lot of temporary files and links accumulate, which in the future cause slowdowns;

Installation without the knowledge of users of software applications that use system resources and run in the background.;
Firewalls and antivirus programs, along with the viruses they fight against, can also slow down the system;
Updates often worsen the performance of your PC as they may require more power to run.
These problems can be solved by regularly cleaning the system (deleting temporary files and broken links), removing unnecessary programs from the startup menu, and disabling various applications that require additional power.

To sum it up simply, you need to take care of your computer in the same way as you keep order in your home, otherwise you will experience deterioration in work results and failure.

Temperature. Often, users are not at all interested in the temperature of their processor, but this is in vain. You can check it by feeling the radiator with your finger, but you can get burned or pass current through yourself. I do not advise.

The most reliable way is to download a special program, such as Everest. Launch it, select the “Computer” menu, then “Sensor”. If the processor temperature is above 50 degrees, then you should think about it. Check the operation of the fans, blow out the radiator, or even better, remove the radiator and apply new thermal paste to the processor, which has most likely already dried out during the entire operation of your computer.

2. Registry. Not good when you install and uninstall a lot of programs. Unfortunately, deleting a program does not mean that it has been completely removed from the computer. And this is an extra load on the processor when performing various tasks. Use CCleaner and try to clean up this garbage.

Working with this program is not difficult. Launch it, select the “Registry” tab, check all the boxes, and at the bottom click the “Search for problems” button. The program will find a bunch of unnecessary incorrect extensions in the registry and errors. Click the “Fix” button and the program will do its job, removing what is unnecessary and fixing what is possible.

3. Swap file. If you have little RAM and a small page file, then demanding games may slow down. What to do?

Right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties”. Go to the “Advanced” tab, here in the “Performance” item click “Options”. Again, go to the “Advanced” tab, below under the “Virtual Memory” item there is a “Change” button, click it. Now select the disk to create the paging file and specify the size. Set here approximately 1500 – 2000, then click “OK” several times to save.

4. Autostart. What if your memory is being consumed by too many running programs? When installing any programs, very often they are added to startup - these are programs such as ICQ, uTorrent and many others.

Go to “Start”, click “Run”, in the window that opens, enter the msconfig command and click “OK”. In the window that opens, go to the “Startup” tab. Here we remove all the checkboxes from unnecessary programs, be sure to leave “ctfmon” and, of course, your antivirus. Then click “Apply”, then “Ok” and “Reboot”. After you restart your computer, check the box so that you are not reminded of the changes you made.

5. The system hard drive is overloaded. The local drive “C” is a system drive and more often than not it only has a capacity of about 20–30 gigabytes, and some people keep huge folders with music and movies on the desktop, but what is on the desktop takes up space on the “C” drive. Store large amounts of space on other drives!

6. Viruses. Viruses such as Salits slow down programs. Make sure that your antivirus has not fallen asleep, it is working and being updated. !
And the last and most valuable piece of advice: don’t litter your computer with all sorts of crap.
First, let's figure out what affects the performance of your computer or laptop: computer hardware - hardware. The obsolescence period of a computer can be assumed to be 5 years. And if the software is updated and requires more resources, over time more different computer programs are used - the speed of the computer will steadily decrease. equipment condition.

A dusty computer performs less efficiently. It is possible that protection may be triggered when the processor overheats and reduces its clock frequency, reducing the power of the power supply and, as a result, the overall performance of the equipment.

Involuntary reboots, blue screen or computer freezes. hard drive speed. Free space on the system disk is required. Large file fragmentation negatively affects the speed of reading information. software - software. Settings and requirements of the operating system, programs or games used.

In addition to the above, the speed of the Internet is affected by the provider’s tariff plan. 3G or wifi signal level, quality of wired connections. provider network load. the speed of the sites you access. Internet connection settings. browser settings and programs that use the Internet. So, the computer is slowing down (and it wasn’t slowing down before). What to do? Try restarting your computer (if you haven't done so before). Although this seems stupid, it solves any problem in more than half of the cases. Are you working on a laptop? Turn on the charger.

Check how much free space is left on the system drive C:. To increase performance, paging files are created on the hard drive (the system drive by default). Paging files are buffer information that is written to the hard drive to increase the speed of RAM. Moreover, by default in the Windows operating system, the file size selection is set automatically.

This means that as the system disk fills up, less and less space is left for the paging file, and this affects performance. You can notice this process by the exclamation mark next to the clock and the words “too little virtual memory”. Set the size of the paging file manually to a fixed size, approximately 1.5 - 2 times larger than the installed RAM.

Right-click on My Computer - Properties - Advanced - Performance Options button - again Advanced - Virtual memory - Change button. Is there less than 1 GB of free space on the system disk? The computer will slow down. Even due to the fact that during operation the operating system writes and overwrites a whole lot of different files. When the amount of free memory is low, the speed of the hard drive slows down. Spaces less than 200 MB? It's strange that the computer is still working.

The Windows xp operating system does not boot if the space on the system disk is less than 200 MB. How to free up space on your system disk? Transfer all files and folders from your desktop to another drive. For example D: or E:. Move the "My Documents" folder to another drive. To do this, select the destination in the folder properties and click “apply”. Delete or transfer games from the C:Program Files folder to D:Games. Using the control panel - install and remove programs. Disable the use of sleep mode.

The system disk will free up space equal to the amount of installed RAM. Empty the trash and folders with temporary files. To do this, try dustbuster or ccleaner. Often the computer slows down due to a large amount of garbage in the temporary folders of the operating system and browser. These folders are regularly scanned by the antivirus, and this process slows down your computer at certain moments.

Check your antivirus. The computer can slow down both because of a virus in your computer, and because of the antivirus itself when there is an error in updating the database or program files, an unfinished version, etc. In system properties, disable system recovery (system protection in Windows 7) completely or on all disks except the system one. On the system one, move the slider to the minimum (200 MB) - this will allow you to recover in a critical situation.

In general, System Restore slows down your computer a lot. And it takes up a whole bunch of free space on your hard drive. After disabling System Restore, make sure that temporary files are deleted. Since we do not have access to the System Volume Information folder, and it is in it that temporary information for recovery is stored, it is necessary to calculate the difference between the full and occupied volume of the system disk and compare it with free space. To calculate the occupied volume, turn on the option in the windows or file manager settings

Show hidden and system files. If the actual amount of free space does not match the theoretical one, boot from a boot disk or flash drive and delete everything in the System Volume Information folder. Periodically, at least once every 6 months, perform maintenance on your computer. Arrange the information on the disk in order. Increase the speed of your hard drive with defragmentation.

Go to the properties of any of the disks - the Tools tab - the Run defragmentation button. The defragmentation process takes quite a long time (an hour or more) and depends, first of all, on the amount of information to be defragmented and free disk space. Check startup. To do this, go to Start - Run and type msconfig - Startup tab. Clear the checkboxes next to useless programs, such as checking for updates.
Upgrade your computer.

Perhaps your old man has already outlived his usefulness? If your computer is more than 2 years old, it’s time to consider the possibility of upgrading (increasing) RAM as the simplest means of increasing performance; replacing the processor, video card. If modernization is necessary, but you need to do a little more work, turn off visual effects such as shadows, font smoothing, etc. in the system properties; remove the screensaver from your desktop.

All these solutions together will give your computer a second wind. The computer slows down only when: a specific game or program Check the minimum required requirements for the game or program. When using multiple resource-intensive programs simultaneously, the minimum requirements for the hard drive and RAM must add up.

Don't forget that the operating system also requires resources to operate. For the game, do not forget to adjust the appropriate graphics quality - worsen until it stops slowing down; improve until it starts to slow down, take a step back. when using a CD-DVD drive This is possible when using a CD-DVD drive and a hard drive with parallel data transfer via the IDE channel and connecting both to one cable (data cable). Connect the CD-DVD drive to a separate cable.

The computer no longer slows down, only the Internet slows down. check your Internet connection When using wired telephone modems, high-speed DSL modems and network connections, check the condition of the wires and connections. Throw out the telephone modem and connect to a high-speed one. Excess network wires (twisted pair) cannot be twisted into several turns. 3G and wi-fi depend on signal strength and network load. With a 3G modem, use a USB extender to strengthen the signal. check your internet connection settings

Uninstalled DNS servers and an alternative proxy server may not affect connectivity, and the Internet will often work somehow. Take the instructions from the provider’s website or in the leaflet and make all the necessary Internet connection settings. disable torrents What are torrents? Set a limit on the loading speed for normal Internet browsing.

When watching videos or playing online games, turn off torrents completely. Torrents, with a sufficient number of peers, can not only occupy the entire available Internet channel in terms of speed, but also in terms of the number of simultaneous connections. If the Internet is slow with torrents, fine-tune the program, look for instructions on your torrent tracker. check your program settings

Most modern programs check and download updates on the Internet. With long breaks in access to updates, slow speeds, and multiple programs being updated at the same time, the process can look catastrophic and take quite a long time. Disable automatic program updates in settings (except antivirus).

Read more: why the computer and the Internet slow down | money online

If your PC slows down, it causes you maximum inconvenience, as it appears at the most inopportune moment. This happens due to the fact that preventive maintenance of the machine’s operation, both inside and outside, is not regularly carried out.

Reasons for lags

There may be a number of reasons why your computer has become slow:

You can get rid of this as follows:

• In Start, go to the “Run” line;
• enter "msconfig";
• in the tab that appears, select the submenu - “startup”;
• uncheck all unnecessary processes (except ctfmon). Then click “OK” and reboot;
• Storing information on the system drive C can also be a cause of retardation. The load on the disk negatively affects its performance and performance;
• viruses. The most common reason that occurs due to the lack of an antivirus, or due to its passivity;
• If you use a desktop PC, you need to clean the inside of the system unit from dust.

Programs for computer optimization

Optimization software, in simple terms, is an assistant that removes stagnant junk on your computer.

CCleaner or Autologistic Bootspeed:

• easy to use;
• frees up space on your hard drive;
• cleans the registry;
• fixes existing system errors;
• deletes unused files.

There are only 4 sections:

This makes it easy to use. Beginner level users should use the “clean” option. You can schedule cleaning automatically by setting the time and date in the settings. If you are able to understand which file can be deleted and which cannot, then use the “registry” item.

Wise Care 365 and information about it:

Why Weiss Care 365 and its advantages:

• Weiss Care 365 allows you to control the PC shutdown at the time you need;
• will help if you want to hide a specific file or folder;
• if you accidentally delete the necessary material, you can restore it using this program;
• a large selection of languages ​​for the interface, including the ability to choose Russian.

Glary Utilities

There are only 3 sections in the interface:

1. short review;
2. one click;
3. modules.

The first section contains useful tasks “Startup Manager” and “Deep Cleaning”. The second section includes “registry cleaning” and “spyware removal.”

So you can:

• speed up the system;
• destroy unnecessary material;
• manage startup;
• block the work of pests;
• clean disks;
• restore the system.

Ashampoo WinOptimizer

Like previous programs, Ashampoo frees up space, fixes errors, but also provides better performance and preserves your privacy. The main thing is that this software takes up little space, includes several useful modules and launches quickly.

Video: PC freezes

What to do if your computer lags a lot

In this case, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures to ensure that the cause of the lags is eliminated. And the reasons may be:

• a disk that has not been cleaned using various cleaners to optimize the computer, as well as a disk that has not been cleaned manually. If you need to remove stagnant unnecessary audio and video files;
• automatic loading of unnecessary files when turned on, which need to be disabled;
• defragmentation that you rarely perform, which needs to be performed at least once a month;
• uninstalled or not updated antiviruses;
• disk overload, to solve this problem you can use CD/DVD or portable hard drives;
• dusty “insides” of your hardware, this can be eliminated with a vacuum cleaner;
• Rare reinstallation of the system has a “braking” effect on the operation of the PC.

We now know what to do when the computer lags very badly, remember, in order for your machine to work faster, you need to eliminate the reasons described above, sometimes it’s enough just to reinstall the system or defragment the drive.

Cleaning from dust

Infrequent cleaning of equipment leads to overheating of its components, which is why the machine begins to become “dull.” To prevent this, you need to look inside your PC at least once a year.

How to clean:

You should monitor the processor temperature; this can be done using special utilities mentioned above. After cleaning, pay attention to the temperature; if it has not changed, then you should replace the thermal paste located between the processor and the cooler.

Removing viruses

Very often, it is viruses that affect the decline in performance. And their destruction is an important step towards productive work. Viruses must be removed using special utilities - antiviruses. The program is ideal for this purpose Dr.Web Cureit.

Existing free, time-tested ones, such as Microsoft Security Essentials, Comodo Internet Security, and they eliminate the risk of being dissatisfied.

After choosing the software, all you have to do is:

• install it;
• remove viruses;
• update your antivirus regularly.

RAM

For high-quality operation of a PC, a sufficient amount of RAM is necessary. If there is a shortage of it, the paging file is activated, where data that is not currently in use is sent, which leads to “braking”. In order for your computer to run faster, you should increase the RAM.

The paging file must remain in any case so that memory minidumps can be recorded.

You can solve the problem as follows:

• install SSD disk;
• use a flash drive as a cache into which the system will place frequently used data (it should be installed in the slot located at the back of the system unit, since you go straight to the motherboard, and this eliminates additional interference). This technology is called Readyboost.

Freeing up space on the HDD

Free space on the hard drive is necessary for the system to boot. There should be at least 5 gigabytes left.

While you are working with the HDD, the file is split into parts and involuntarily “scattered” in different corners; searching for parts makes it difficult for the PC to work. Defragmenting a file finds all these pieces and saves them in one place.

To perform defragmentation you must:

1. close all applications;
2. go to “My Computer”;
3. click the right mouse button;
4. open “Properties”;
5. go to the “Service” tab;
6. Click the “Defragmentation” button.

After the requirements are met, “Disk Optimization” will open, after which you need to:

• click the “Analyze” button;
• When the analysis is complete, click the Defragment/Optimize button;
• You can also perform defragmentation using special utilities.

Video: cleaning your computer

Cleaning the registry

A register is a kind of “cabinet” in which information is located on each shelf: its weight, location, and purpose of action. As a rule, even after deleting unnecessary files, the information in the registry remains. All kinds of errors, file extensions, old versions of software, even old information about the activity of viruses remain there.

Cleaning the registry is possible using special utilities; to perform this particular function, the following will suit you:

1. CCleaner
2. jw PowerTool
3. AusLogics BoostSpeed

These programs have a Russian interface and are also easy to use.

Regularly check and monitor your hardware, namely, to ensure that debris does not accumulate both on its parts and on the system itself. Reinstall the system periodically.