subject: Why is My Computer Running Slow - Is Your PC Under Attack From Malicious Software? [print this page] Many people start asking this question after they have already defragmented their drive and run a disk clean up on it. The question is, why is my computer running slow and want to speed up their computer which seems to get slower and slower.
This may be down several reasons. Tackling one at a time will fix it.
#1 Viruses, spyware and trojans can cause your computer to slow down. Having antivirus software is no longer good enough. More advances spyware and trojans can cause real damage and they do not just corrupt data.
Here is what you need to do here to find a solution to why is my computer running slow.
Install a good antivirus software if you do not have one. Update it and then run a full system scan. Many viruses are now hidden or masked as system files and running a quick scan will not find them. Once you have done this go to the next step.
#2 Check for spyware. Spyware can be completely invisible as far as what it is doing but it can leave some telltale signs that it is on your computer. Here is what to watch for.
1.Disk activity light constantly flashing away when you are not using the computer. This could be an indication of low disk space but if it does it all the time even when you are not using the computer something is going on and this something may be spyware or a Trojan.
2. Your network activity light on your modem and on your windows taskbar are lighting up like a Christmas tree. If this is going on for long periods and you are not downloading or uploading anything beware. This is a clear sign of unwanted network activity in and out of your computer.
3.you computer keeps freezing and pausing for no apparent reason and some programs will not run. This could be a registry error or something more sinister.
Here is how to fix this. If you have a good antivirus this will scan and look for spyware as well. You can also download a system and registry scanner will remove spyware and adware from your computer and help you find a solution as to why is my computer running slow.
#3 Trojans may have gotten onto your PC. This is everyone's worst nightmare. Trojans are malicious and some are very hard to detect and remove. Some spyware is borderline with trojans and the damage they can do is devastating. In a recent case someone lost over $50,000 from his bank account as the Trojan was copying everything he was typing in when he logged into his bank account online and was literally emptying his account as he was on the computer.
How can you protect against this. Avoid downloading free software. If your browser warns you about a site saying it is an attack site close the browser immediately. Everyone likes free software but if anyone is offering expensive software for free it is usually packed with trojans and spyware that you will never get rid unless you wipe your hard drive and reinstall everything.
There is some software you can run to see if you have been infected with a trojan and you can clean it for free. It is very effective and it is called hitman pro. Download it and scan your PC.
#4 Check your registry. The above steps should help you to find and eradicate most problems related to malicious software. However even after you have got rid of them there is the registry to consider malware such as trojans and spyware can cause corruption and errors in the registry as they run riot, altering and changing files at will.
Even after removing malware you will still experience program errors and strange performance. Downloading and running a system and registry scanner and cleaning and fixing these errors can stop you asking why is my computer running slow and make it run faster. Click here to scan your computer now and speed it up.
Why is My Computer Running Slow - Is Your PC Under Attack From Malicious Software?
