Which of the following is not a cause of slow performance on a computer?

1) Too many programs are running at the same time.It is common for users to download utilities, applications, and other programs that run in the background. The more programs that are running – whether you see them or not – the less “attention span” your computer has to do other things you are asking it to do.

Avoid downloading web browser-helpers, more than one anti-malware program, or applications that claim to “speed up” your internet or your computer, as each one added will slow down your performance. (It’s also a good idea to uninstall programs that you do not use to increase your machine’s processing speed.)

2) There’s not enough free RAM.Random-access memory (RAM) is what your computer uses for temporary working and thinking space. The more programs running at time, the more RAM is used. If your computer is running slowly, it could be because too many programs are running, and not enough RAM. To make your computer run faster, run fewer programs at a time or upgrade your RAM.

3) You have a virus/malware infection.Internet slowdowns and slow computer operation can be a symptom of an infection. To find out if you have a malware problem, use an anti-virus and anti-spyware application to find it — like the free scanning tool we have available in the Self-Help area of our website.

4) You have low hard drive space.Lack of hard drive space often affects older computers, or computers that do a lot of video editing or design work. Hard drives, which store all of your computer’s information, have a finite amount of space. Once they’re filled up, the computer no longer has the ability to manipulate files. The computer will slow down, eventually becoming unusable.

Generally, Windows will alert you to “low disk space” if this is the case. Moving some of your less-used files — such as pictures, music, and movies — to an external hard drive would free up some of your computer’s hard drive space and make it run faster. Deleting temporary files and performing a disk cleanup are also good ways to reclaim wasted space. Another solution? Install a bigger hard drive.

5) Restart your computer.Every once in a while, it is a good idea to restart your computer. A computer cannot complete some of its updates until you restart. Restarting your computer can also free up memory resources tied up by buggy programs.

6) Sharing a wireless network.If your internet is running slowly, but your computer is running quickly, you could have a lot of activity on your wireless network. Check to see if anyone else on your network is doing something that uses a lot of bandwidth (like streaming video or playing online games), as this can make your computer run slowly. You should also make sure your wireless network is secure so someone else isn’t using your Internet bandwidth. If your wireless network is not secure, Geek Squad recommends you create a password to secure your data and ensure strangers don’t join your network.

7) Too many “bells and whistles.”Animated pointers and hi-resolution images of your favorite vacation spot may look nice, but they can also slow your computer down. Since animations and images load into memory every time you start your PC , there is less processing power available for more important tasks.

8) You have a scanning program running.When a scanning program such as an anti-virus, anti-spyware, or automatic backup is running, your computer may respond slowly. We don’t recommend disabling these, as they are an important part of your computers safety. These programs should be run at least once a week, but don’t plan on using your machine while they are running.

9) Your computer barely meets your software’s minimum requirements.Software usually has a list of requirements for things like processor speed, operating system, memory (RAM) and hard drive space. These specifications are the absolute minimum levels needed to make the software run. If your computer just meets the requirements, the software will run, but it might not run well. Try to meet or surpass the system “recommendations” of your software, rather than just meeting the bare “requirements.”

10) You have a fragmented hard drive.It’s important to defragment your hard drive to help the computer organize itself better and make sure it runs smoothly. Think of your hard drive as someone who really likes to be organized but is always in a big hurry. Because you hard drive is low on time, it might save bits of a file here and pieces of it there, rather than all together. This works fine for a while, but eventually everything is scattered, and it takes your hard drive longer to find everything and get moving. Defragmenting is like a really big clean up. Your hard drive will put everything back in the right place and, as a result, will be able to move more quickly.

Updated: 05/03/2022 by

Below are recommendations users can follow to help speed up a computer and make it run faster, or determine why a computer is running slow. It should be noted that this page only covers an overall slow computer and not a computer that starts slow or has a slow Internet connection. To diagnose those issues, visit the following pages:

What to do if my Windows computer starts slow.
Why is my Internet connection so slow?

Reboot

If your computer has not been rebooted recently, make sure to reboot it before following any of the steps below. Rebooting the computer can fix many problems and is an easy first step.

How to restart Microsoft Windows.
How to restart a Mac.

Background programs

One of the most common reasons for a slow computer is programs running in the background. Remove or disable any TSRs and startup programs that automatically start each time the computer boots.

How to identify what startup programs are safe to disable.
How to remove TSRs and startup programs.

Tip

To see what programs are running in the background and how much memory and CPU they are using, open Task Manager. If you are running Windows 7 or higher, run Resmon to get a better understanding of how your computer resources are used.

If you have an antivirus scanner on the computer, spyware protection program, or another security utility, make sure it's not scanning your computer in the background. If a scan is in progress, it decreases the overall performance of your computer. If this is the case, allow the scan to complete, and the computer's performance should improve.

Delete temp files

As a computer runs programs, temporary files are stored on the hard drive. Deleting these temp files help improve computer performance.

Windows computers

First, we suggest using the Windows Disk Cleanup utility to delete temporary files and other files no longer needed on the computer.

Unfortunately, the Disk Cleanup may not delete every file in the temp directory. Therefore, we also suggest deleting temporary files manually.

Open the Start menu or and press the Windows key, then type %temp% in the Search field.

Note

In Windows XP and prior, click the Run option in the Start menu and enter %temp% in the Run field.

Press Enter and a Temp folder should open.
You can delete all files found in this folder and, if any files are in use and cannot be deleted, they can be skipped.

Free hard drive space

Verify that there is at least 200-500MB of free hard drive space. This available space allows the computer to have room for the swap file to increase in size and give room for temporary files.

How to find how much hard drive space is available.
How to regain computer hard drive space.
How to uninstall software in Windows.

Bad, corrupted or fragmented hard drive

Check the hard drive for errors

On a Windows computer, run ScanDisk, chkdsk, or something equivalent to verify there is nothing physically wrong with the computer's hard drive.

How to use Microsoft ScanDisk.

On a macOS computer, access the Disk Utility program, and use the First Aid option to check the hard drive for errors. To open Disk Utility:

Click the Launchpad icon on the dock.
Open the Other folder.
Click Disk Utility to open the program.

Make sure hard drive is not fragmented

Run Defrag to help ensure that data is arranged in the best possible order.

How to run Microsoft Defrag.

Test hard drive

Use other software tools to test the hard drive for any errors by looking at the SMART of the drive.

How to test a hard drive for failures.

Scan for viruses

If your computer is infected with one or more viruses, it may run more slowly. If your computer doesn't have an antivirus program installed, run Trend Micro's free Housecall online utility to scan and remove viruses on your computer. We also recommend you install an antivirus program for active protection against viruses.

Scan for malware

Today, spyware and other malware is a big cause of many computer problems, including slower performance. Even if an antivirus scanner is installed on the computer, we recommend running a malware scan as well. Use the free version of Malwarebytes to scan your computer for malware.

Hardware conflicts

Verify that the Device Manager has no conflicts. If any exist, resolve these issues as they could be causing your problem.

How to Identify problems in the Windows Device Manager.

Update the operating system

To update a computer running Microsoft Windows, run Windows Update.

How to update a Microsoft Windows computer.

To update a macOS computer, run Software Update. To upgrade the operating system, use the App Store.

How to upgrade your Mac operating system.

Disable browser plug-ins

If your computer runs especially slow when you're using your web browser, considering disabling any browser plug-ins, add-ons, or extensions.

How to disable or remove browser extensions.

Update your drivers

Make sure you have the latest drivers for your computer hardware, especially the latest video drivers. Having out-of-date drivers can cause an assortment of issues, including slow performance.

What hardware device drivers should be updated?

Reboot the computer again

After making any of the changes above, reboot your machine.

Run a registry cleaner

Note

If you have a Mac computer, skip this section, as there is no registry in macOS.

We usually do not recommend registry cleaners. However, if you followed all the steps above and your computer is still slow, try running a registry cleaner on the computer.

Do I need a Windows registry cleaner?

Memory upgrade

If you have had your computer for more than two years, you may need more memory. Today, we suggest computers have a minimum of 2 GB of memory (RAM) for a 32-bit system and 4 GB for a 64-bit system. By having enough memory for programs to run within memory, your computer doesn't need to swap information stored in memory to the swap file. If the hard drive light is continuously active, it's an indication the computer is frequently swapping information between your memory and hard drive.

How to find how much RAM is installed on a computer.
How much memory or RAM should my computer have?
What type of computer memory to use in a memory upgrade.

Hard drive upgrade

One of the biggest bottlenecks of a computer is the hard disk drive. Upgrading from a standard hard drive (e.g., a 5400 RPM) to a solid-state drive (SSD) can drastically improves the computer's performance.

How to find the hard drive type and specifications.
How to install a hard drive or SSD.

Computer or processor is overheating

Make sure your computer and processor is not overheating. Excessive heat can cause a decrease in the computer's performance because most operating systems automatically reduce the speed of the processor to help compensate for heat-related issues.

What should be the temperature of my computer processor?

Dust, dirt, and hair can also constrict proper airflow inside your computer, which causes a computer to overheat. Make sure your computer case is clean, and that the fans are not obstructed.

Steps on cleaning your computer.

Increase or upgrade the processor speed

Increasing the speed of the processor (CPU) can improve your computer's performance. There are two options for increasing processor speed: overclocking or upgrading.

Overclocking a processor means increasing its speed beyond what it's designed to run stably. While overclocking can increase the processor speed, the increase is often not very significant, resulting in maybe a 10% or 20% speed increase at most. Furthermore, the processor itself must be capable of being overclocked. You would need to find the specifications for the processor in your computer to determine if it can be overclocked. An overclocked processor generates more heat, thus requiring a more powerful heat sink and fan to pull the excess heat away from the processor.

A safer alternative to overclocking is upgrading the processor in your computer. You would need to get the specifications for your motherboard to determine what type of newer processor may be used in it. You can then install the new processor in place of the existing processor.

How to install a computer processor.

Erase computer and start over

If none of the solutions above resolve your issues, another option is to reinstall the operating system, or you can erase everything and start over.

How to erase my hard drive and start over.

Erasing everything on your computer and reinstalling the operating system can increase performance by getting rid of old software or drivers. Installing a fresh copy of macOS or Windows, software programs, and the latest drivers help verify there are no software related issues causing your computer to be slow.

Hardware issues

Finally, if your computer is still slow after trying the above recommendations, there's likely a more serious hardware related issue (e.g., failing component). Examples of failing hardware could include the hard drive, CPU, RAM, motherboard, or other components.

You can run hardware diagnostic tests using the Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD) utility. This utility provides information on whether or not your computer has a bad piece of hardware.

Old computer

If your computer is more than five years old, it performs slower than a new one. As more advanced software programs are released, they are optimized to run more efficiently on newer computers. Older computers are not able to run these new programs as well, which causes them to perform more slowly. Furthermore, new software tends to be more demanding in general, which is another problem for old hardware. We recommend you consider purchasing a new computer or upgrading your current one.

How often should I buy a new computer?

What are the causes of slow performance of the computer?

Why is my computer so slow?.

Running out of RAM (Random Access Memory).

Running out of disk drive space (HDD or SSD).

Old or fragmented hard drive..

Too many background programs..

Too many startup programs..

Falling behind on Windows or driver updates..

Malware or viruses..

Special effects and visual features..

What is the possible causes of slowing down of computer class 9?

Files that are needed for programs to operate are stored on the hard drive, so as the storage space on your hard drive fills up, it may cause your computer to operate at a slower pace. Depending on how long you have had your computer and how you are using it, you may need to increase your memory (RAM).