The one common phenomenon we seem to all suffer with computers is this: When we buy a new shiny PC we marvel at how fast it is when compared with our old one. As we use it and explore the Web, downloading lots of stuff as we go along, we note that it has become slower and slower. Even when we uninstall that piece of software we just had to try, orphan entries often remain in the Registry. Too, every visit on the Web subjects our systems to malware and these often have an adverse effect on our resources. Bootup is slowed as all our startup programs jockey for a position and give us lots of time to brew our morning coffee and even have additional cups while we're waiting.
When someone tells me his computer has slowed down, I first suspect a lack of RAM, short for Random Access Memory. RAM can be compared with one's short-term memory. It's the stuff that the computer calls on first when processing data, because it's a lot faster to work with than other storage media such as the hard drive. When there's not enough RAM, the computer has to resort to the hard drive and that slows things down greatly. Newer software and operating systems have become increasingly RAM-hungry. Windows XP did just fine in its early years with 128 MB RAM, now 256 MB is the bare minimum. Windows Vista will choke along on 1 GB RAM, but results are greatly improved with a second GB. The good news is, RAM has dramatically decreased in price over recent years, and it's a simple and relatively inexpensive process to add more RAM, provided your computer will accommodate additional chips.
Another thing I look at is the number of programs set to start up when the system boots. It makes little sense to have, for example, Microsoft Office to start if you don't intend to use it with that first cup of coffee. By eliminating programs in the startup group, you aren't deleting the programs themselves and you can always start them up whenever needed. So, check the list out by clicking on Start in the lower left corner of your screen, click on Run, and enter "msconfig" (without the quotes). The next screen is the Configuration Utility and clicking on the Startup tab will display all programs set to begin when you boot your computer. Most of these you won't recognize, but there's a fairly comprehensive list at http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ and dozens of other places on the Web. Or, you can just enter the file name in Google or other good search engine for a description of what the file does and whether you'd want it starting up with your system. If in doubt, take the "X" out and see if it has an undesired affect on your PC at the next bootup. If so, you can always put the "X" back in. And, by the way, the procedure described is for Windows XP and may vary a bit with other operating systems.
Many software programs force their way into your startup group, so if you clean out the startup programs now, you may find that others will soon be added. There are several programs that will notify you if a change is being made in your system's startup entries, so that you can make an informed decision to allow it or not. One such program is the
Startup Monitor at
http://www.windowsstartup.com/startupmonitor.php .
Slowed computers may be symptomatic of virus or malware and it may be a time to run a good thorough scan for both. I'll admit I'm partial to the free AVG antivirus at http://www.grisoft.com/ but there are a great number of good programs out there, so I'll let you do your own research for your favorite. Regardless what programs you use, you should do a regular thorough scan to rid your system of malware, and particularly if you've noticed a slowdown or strange computer behavior. While you'll need to settle on just one antivirus program, you can - and should - use several antispyware programs because each seems to find and remove different malware because of their own unique definitions.
It's also wise to keep your computer current with applicable updates provided frequently by Microsoft. These patches will make your system more secure and improve its performance. But note the operative word here, "applicable." It just doesn't make sense to install everything the Redmond guys feed you. For example, if you never use Microsoft Excel, do you really need the added bloat of patching it?
When's the last time you defragged your hard drive? Although a hard drive that's heavily fragmented doesn't exactly slow your computer, it does add to the time for search and retrieval of files from the drive. The jury is still out over how often you should run the defrag process (or, if in fact, it will appreciably improve your computer's performance). But defrag if you haven't done it for awhile. Use the Windows defragger (All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Defragment) or use a good commercial product such as
Diskeeper at
http://www.diskeeper.com/defrag.asp .
Make sure at least 10% of your hard drive is free. Delete files or move them to media such as external drives, CD, thumb drive., etc to make room. Go to All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup to clear out unneeded files.
Beware of software that uses heavy resources behind the scene. Antivirus and Antispyware programs are notorious for this, particularly while they are scanning online. Find out if this might be your computer's problem by opening Windows Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) and clicking on the Processes Tab. Examine the running processes to see what percentage of your CPU is being committed for each process. "System Idle Process" should be using most of your resources, and that's normal. If other program or programs show a high CPU usage consider uninstalling them or at least disable them from starting up at bootup.
Finally, there's the Registry. I like to think of it as the "brain" of the computer. Officially, it's the central hierarchial database repository where your hardworking PC keeps all its information as to the settings, options, and preferences required to accomplish each function. When you install a program and later decide to uninstall it, shreds of data may remain in the Registry. In time, this produces a large trail of data (for lack of a better term, Registry bloat!) Too, some Registry entries may become corrupted. At best, this slows your computer as it must analyze all that stuff in your registry. At worst, your system ceases to operate.
There are, of course, other problems causing a slow computer and there's lots of programs that will clean our history file, startup programs, duplicate files, unwanted files, and so on. There are programs that will clean our Registry, fix Registry errors, and remove traces of old programs we had thought were gone long ago. Each program seems to be specialized for one or two purposes. Some of these work well, others less than desired, and others are downright dangerous to our systems.
Wouldn't it be nice just to have one safe program to do it all? Well, there really is such a program and our Software Review Panel evaluated the 2006 version last year at http://neatnettricks.com/SoftwareReviews/review_JV16.htm . It's one you may be familiar with, jv16 Power Tools. Its opening screen displays the following:
It's really a toolbox and you can see from the illustration above all the tools you'll find within one piece of software. I like its ease of use, low resources drain, small download size, and particularly its safety. As you've heard me say before, mucking around the Registry is not 
for the faint of heart, and for this reason I've never, in all my years publishing NNT, recommended going directly into one's Registry unless you consider yourself really computer-savvy. But jv16 Power Tools does the work for you and makes automatic and comprehensive backups in case something goes awry.
So, what do you get out of this "tool kit"? Run it and your computer begins to perform better and run smoother. It starts faster. Privacy is improved, you spend less time on maintenance, and you can toss all those other programs that do a little part of what jv16 does in its entirety.
I just had to mention jv16 Power Tools again for two reasons:
1. It's the most often mentioned software on the NNT Forum at http://www.topfreeforum.com/forum/?mforum=neatnettricks as the answer to so many common computer problems; and,
2. Because I promise NNT readers a special software price from time to time, I'd like to offer you the latest 2007 version of jv16 PowerTools at a 20% discount, just $23.95 at the Neat Net Tricks Store, http://www.neatnettricks.com/store . Of course, you can try it free for 30 days at http://www.macecraft.com/jv16powertools2007/ but my guess is you'll be so impressed you won't wait for the 30-day trial period to end to place this one in your permanent arsenal. The one price gives you the right to operate this package of tools forever. Macecraft promises that future revisions will most likely be free; or, if there is an upgrade fee it will be less than $6. I think that's an offer worth considering, particularly when we see so many programs that are rolled off the assembly line and then upgraded weeks or months later for another hefty charge.
