Computers are always in their tip-top conditions when we have just bought them. We appreciate how convenient and useful they are but after some time working with a computer, we suddenly notice ourselves getting impatient and irritable in front of them. It's not because you got some serious problem with yourself and you need to get some help psychologically. It's not you but it's your computer that's got a serious problem. It's gotten slower than before. You suddenly start to notice that your computer freezes from time to time, or it takes forever to open a file or make your computer do a task. That is because your computer has undergone some tremendous changes after a long time of using it or after a long time of getting access to the internet.

Below is a summary of the most common possible reasons why your computer is running slower and what you can do to fix it:

1. Too many programs running in the background. If you run your task manager and see a long list of processes, your computer may be using too much memory than it can handle. It can only do a definite amount of things at a time. Aside from the programs that you manually run, most of these processes are run automatically during startup. To fix this problem, you can disable some of the programs that automatically run during startup by running the msconfig application and unchecking some of the items in the startup tab if you're using Windows. You can also go to the services administrative tool and disable some of the services that automatically runs during startup. Restart your computer and you'll see that some of these programs are removed in the task manager's list of processes. However, if you can't live without all these programs, you can always get a new RAM and add more memory for your computer. This way, you can speed up your computer and run as many programs as you like.

2. Badly fragmented files. Fragmentation in computer is the scattering of files in your storage space causing the reduction of storage capacity and performance of your computer. This happens when the computer allocates a memory that is not properly used, leaving holes of storage space or causes the memory to be broken down or divided into small pieces. Fragmentation, when built up over time by running applications that do not properly deallocate memory, will cause the computer to lag down. This is because the computer has to do more rotations when searching a file in every separate space of memory. To fix this problem, you have to run a defragmentation tool to rearrange data storage so that related files are placed closely to each other. Patience is needed when defragmenting since it takes a long time to complete the process. The tool is available in windows but you can also get one from PC optimization and diagnostics softwares available online.

3. Cluttered Registry Errors. The registry is said to be the central nervous system of a PC's operating system. While the microprocessor is the brain of your PC's hardware, the registry is the brain of the operating system. It stores all information about system configurations, network settings and user profiles. Every time a computer performs a task such as accessing, installing, and uninstalling programs, or changing configurations and settings in your PC, an entry or a key is added to the registry. When these keys are no longer used, these are usually automatically deleted. However, some of these keys are either left behind or create holes causing fragmentation within the registry. These occur especially when uninstalling an application did not finished or when a computer did not shutdown properly. Useless and redundant keys pile up to form a cluttered registry making it hard to access valid keys and causing errors because the keys do not point to an existing file or document. Registry errors are sometimes the cause why a computer crashes, freezes or boots so slowly. The best way to fix registry errors is to get a trusted reputable registry cleaner online. Although there is a way to manually fix registry errors, registry cleaners can automatically scan and fix your registry, saving you a lot of time.

4. Computer is full of Temporary Files. Every time you run an application, temporary files are sometimes created. Temporary files are used to back up or store temporary data while the program is running especially for those that handle large files like image editing, word processing, and video editing programs. When an application ends or closes, temporary files are usually deleted; however, an application could sometimes meet an unexpected error and fails to delete these temporary files while it terminates. On the other hand, some applications just don't delete them because they might be of use in the future. When temporary files accumulate from time to time, they cause major fragmentation of storage space which in turn affects the computer's performance. This is evident when you run an application continuously for days and suddenly when you check back, your computer is already very slow, then, you can find a bunch of temporary files stored in your hard drive. Running applications is not the only source of temporary files; using the internet also creates these temporary files as well. That is why it is necessary to get rid of these files. A common solution to these is to run the disk cleanup tool in Windows but some registry cleaners and pc optimization tools provide a similar service too as well. After which, you can defragment your PC to speed it up once again.

5. Your computer has been infected or intruded. A Virus is probably the most notorious thing in the internet. Just like Satan, it is the old dragon of the web. It is there for who knows when. When your computer gets infected, it means the virus has already multiplied and you will suddenly notice a tremendous loss of free storage space. A Spyware, on the other hand, is like a bad secret agent of the internet. It stealthily maneuvers deep in your PC to wait for an opportunity to spy and collect valuable information about you. Both of these programs will use up your resources and will definitely slow down your computer. To fight against these malicious programs, antivirus and anti-spyware programs are updated regularly to identify every new virus and every new spyware that is born in the internet. There are several antivirus and anti-spyware programs available in the internet but one should take caution before getting one because some of these programs are actually malicious programs that disguise in order to easily get in to your PC.