Here at the casa, we've had a lot of tech challenges in the last month.
The new router continues to be a problem in that our Samsung TV won't stay connected wirelessly. But that's probably because it's several years old.
The other issue is a slow-running computer—my 2011 Lenova desktop PC. It's several years old too, but updates have been kept up.
This desktop PC has been a problem-free workhorse. In fact, it's been so dependable that when it came time to replace my laptop, I bought a Lenovo.
MY TECH GUY
As many of you know, My Tech Guy is my Darling Hubby. When he hears me ranting and raving in my office and using inappropriate language because of some computer problem, he comes to the rescue. What a patient guy who is my biggest supporter.
He researches tech problems and finds a solution or a workaround. He assured me the new router wasn't the problem. It's my 13-year-old PC.
BIG SLOWDOWNIt appears that an overall slowdown of a computer is one of the most common problems and the one people complain about most often.
In case you're wondering what running slow means, it's how long your PC takes from the time you turn the computer on to it being ready to open a program.
Sometimes you'll also notice that typing something on the keyboard doesn't instantly appear on the monitor. Unfortunately, there's no 1 single reason for a computer to run slow. It can be caused by several things which kind of makes it more difficult to diagnose and fix.
TO FIX A SLOW COMPUTER
Most often, a slowdown occurs because certain programs or processes take too much of the computer's RAM (Random Access Memory), hard drive, or the CPU (Central Processing Unit).
Of course you know that the hard drive has a certain capacity. If you're close to maxing out the storage space, that can make your computer slow down. The solution is to offload data to another device or upgrade the hard drive if your computer is capable of that.
The
RAM, or Random Access Memory, is the hardware that provides temporary storage for the operating system (OS), software programs, and any other data in current use in order to make all of that quickly available to the device's processor.
The more RAM, the faster a computer processes. It's like a person's short term memory. Always get the most RAM you can. If your computer is upgradeable, add RAM.
The
CPU, or Central Processing Unit, the main part of your computer, is a complex set of electronic circuitry that acts as the control center. It's what actually runs your computer's operating system and apps.
Just running your operating system takes a base amount of resources—just like a person's basic functions takes a certain amount of calories.
If you have a computer program that takes a huge amount of RAM, hard drive space, and processing resources, it's going to slow your computer. An easy way to check to see what program is sucking your resources is to run Task Manager.
HOW TO USE TASK MANAGER
(1) Task Manager is a part of Windows. Right-click your taskbar and select Task Manager.
(2) On the top of the Task Manager window, you'll see tabs. Select Performance.
(3) You'll see a list of everything that's running on your computer. If you see something showing 100% or close to that, click that.
It will show you how much of your computer resources are being used for that program. If that's an open program you're not using, close it.
I know it sounds very basic, but I too disregard this. I'm bad about opening several different programs and going from one to the other.
I know all those open programs slow my computer, but I don't think about it until my computer bogs down.
TAKEAWAY TRUTH
Get in the habit of closing programs when you're finished with them so your computer can run fast and efficiently.
No comments:
Post a Comment