Troubleshooting Your PC For Dummies®

Chapter 12. The Slow PC

It puzzles me that people hang on to their computers for such a long time. Generally speaking, the typical PC has a lifespan of about four years. (Once upon a time, it was two years, so be thankful for four!) After four years, a computer not only begins to wear out, but by that time the new technology is also so much better and less expensive that it makes sense to upgrade simply to keep your productivity up. Still, people hang on to their PCs, perhaps because they don't know better, but I suspect that there's some emotional attachment involved as well.

Whenever you get a new PC, you're certain to notice one key thing: It's faster than your old one. Yes, that's because the new system uses faster technology. But more importantly, PCs get slow over time, as you use them. There's no specific reason; it just happens. The tips and suggestions in this chapter can help you deal with a sluggish PC.

Slow Is Relative

Computers aren't designed to be slow. In fact, if you were to peer into a tiny window and observe the microprocessor, you would discover that it spends most of its time doing nothing. It waits. That's because most things the computer does aren't that speed intensive.

When you word-process, the computer spends electronic epochs waiting for you to type the next letter — even if you're a fast typist. And, no matter how fast your Internet connection, the computer is literally twiddling its thumbs while waiting for the next byte of data to stroll in.

There are intensive ...