My computer is running slow – part 1

A common issue we hear from our customers is their computer is running slow. A computer is a complex machine built from multiple moving parts with an elaborately designed operating system that interacts with software from multiple developers to perform relative or independent functions. Put simply, there are many areas for things to go wrong. To keep things simple, we will separate the possible issues into two categories, hardware and software. In this post, we will discuss hardware.

First, we should note, “slowness” is a relative term. What one person views as a slow computer may appear normal to someone else. Along those same lines, what appears to be a slow machine to an end user may appear to run normally to a computer technician.

A long time ago, computers became obsolete after about two years and had an average life expectancy of almost 7 years. New versions of software and hardware started being developed so frequently that computer hardware can now be obsolete in as little as 6 months and the life expectancy has dropped to around 4 years. Software developers are aware of this. Many of them will attempt to design applications that utilize as much of the current hardware configuration as possible, so they will run and look better with each revision. As time goes on, your computer gets older, these applications keep getting updated, and your computer begins to strain while performing functions it once accomplished quickly. Nothing is wrong with your computer or the software, but they no longer run together as efficiently.

When this happens, you have a few options. The least attractive option for most would be replacing the entire computer, transferring your files, reinstalling your software and reconfiguring everything the way it was on the old computer. Depending on what you use on your computer, this could be a huge undertaking.

A simpler option could be upgrading the hardware in your existing computer. Depending on the original configuration of your computer, it may be possible to install more memory, upgrade a video card, install a larger hard drive, swap out a CPU, etc, greatly improving performance. The specific upgrade and the potential cost will vary from one machine to another. You want to make sure you upgrade the right components for your particular issue. In most cases, the cost of upgrading is significantly less than replacing the machine and will offer the fastest solution.

Another possible cause of a computer running slowly is faulty hardware. As your computer ages, the hardware degrades. Although it is possible to repair any computer problem, every computer will eventually die. Computers seldom fail as a whole; this usually happens one part at-a-time. As one or more parts start failing, a computer might still appear to function but the issue gets progressively worse and the machine begins to slow more and more. You may only notice this happening when you open a particular program, or when the computer is booting into Windows, or when you’re typing an email, etc. Regardless of how the issue presents itself, the symptom is always slower performance.

In any hardware issue mentioned above, you should bring your computer to a service center to identify the best course of action.  In future posts we will discuss software related slowness.  Feel free to contact Flash Tech with any questions at 201.656.3800 or sales@flashtech.com.