Monday, August 30, 2010

Computer Running Slow? 5 Common Computer Problems and Fixes

Computer Running Slow? 5 Common Computer Problems and Fixes

Owning a PC is a lot like owning a car, service it regularly and do regular small repairs and it will run problem free for years. Fail to service it and eventually it will have a major breakdown. Your PC is the same it needs to have regular maintenance done to it so it can run smoothly. Many people fail to do this and instead of having a computer that last 5 to 10 as their designed to, they're lucky to get three years out of it. Unless you like spending money you don't have to there's no reason that your computer shouldn't last five years or more.

If you take the time to do the simple tasks like de-fragmenting your hard drive, emptying cache files and deleting temporary files, registry cleaning and updating software. Your PC should run smoothly and performance should be like new for years. However if you don't do these simply tasks then you'll find your computer having many problems. Here five of the most common problems that people have with their PC's.

1. Crashes, Locking Up and the 'Blue screen of death' Most commonly these problems are caused by spyware. To get rid of this install anti-spyware software or if you already have software installed make sure it's updated to the latest version and run a full scan of your system. Ensure your hardware drivers are up to date. Out of date hardware drivers can cause numerous problems. Often the blue screen of death is caused by a random access memory problem (RAM) when you see this there should be an error code shown. Write this down and take it to you computer supplier who should have a database to check what the problem is.

2. Your computer reboots itself automatically and without warning. This is almost always a hardware issue, usually to do with your cooling system or power supply. Try cleaning out your cooling fans often they get full if dust and dirt. Your computer cannot cool itself and switches off to avoid overheating. If this does not seem to be the case check all the wires in your computer are attached correctly, overtime wires can come loose and cause issues with your power supply.

3. Computers making loud noises. Once again the fans are often the main culprit here being them moving part in your PC. Check they are clean and remove any build up of dirt from them and make sure no loose wires are hanging around the fans. Check all the screws in your computer as often they can work themselves loose and cause pieces of the housing to rattle. If the problem doesn't seem to be a loose wire or fan, it may be a good idea to back up your important data. Hard drives are made up of spinning disks and if they start making unusual noises it can often means there on their last legs. Back up your vital data and have a qualified technician have a look at it.

4. Pops ups keep popping up and your home page/default page has been changed. This is a spyware problem. Commonly known as 'high jacking' Somewhere along the way spyware has been installed on your computer from clicking on a webpage, through an email or one of the other numerous ways. This will require good quality up to date anti-spyware or in some cases anti-virus software to remove.

5. Computer performance has slowed down This is by far the most common complaint. Often it's not a hard fix to get a significant gain in performance by performing a few simple tasks. Deleting all temporary files, de-fragmenting your hard drive, installing updates, using an up to date anti-spyware program and ensuring there aren't numerous programs and services running in the back ground chewing up all your processing power. Doing these simple things will make a huge difference to your PC's performance.

As you can see there are a number of things you can easily do to ensure your PC runs smoothly and problem free. As long as they are performed regularly then your computer should run fast and reliable for years. If you run into serious problems then find a computer repair service with qualified technicians to perform a service on your PC to get it up and running.

Check out my website http://www.perth-computerrepairs.com.au/ for more tips on getting your computer running faster and crashing less.

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