My computer is very slow. It takes like 5 minutes just to get on Safari. How do I fix that?
By Victoria from Wilmington, NC
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The first thing you should do is uninstall any programs you don't use.
Then run your antivirus software just to make sure a virus isn't part of your problem.
If you don't have an anti virus program you can get Avast! for free (Google it, I think its just www.avast.com).
Next you should run a trojan/spybot program. I would recommend both Spybot and Ad-Aware (they are are also free). Be forwarned that one of those programs detects the other as a virus (I think it was Ad-Aware detecting Spybot). No biggie ignore it. Then you should run defrag, it is part of the Microsoft maintenance programs in Windows.
By the way, you should be able to get Spybot, Search and Destroy and Ad Aware from Tucows.com
If after all this your system is still running slower than it has in the past make a backup of all your documents, pictures and anything else of importance on your PC. Make sure you have all the install disks for all the programs you use. Then reinstall Windows.
If you have Vista or newer you can probably install from another partition on your hard drive. Otherwise you should have install disks for your operating system. If you bought your PC with Windows on it the place you bought it from was required by law to provide either an installable version on a different partition of your hard drive or supply you with the MS OS CD (Microsoft Operating System CD).
(If by chance you made a recovery point on your PC when it was running good then just restore to that point instead of reinstalling from day one purchase.)
You will have to reinstall your programs, documents, pictures, etc. as well as do all the MS updates.
Have fun. I just had to do this a couple weeks ago. The main thing is to make sure, doubly sure that you have everything important or necessary for you backed up. Once everything is back on the PC you can store the back ups in a safe place as a "just in case".
If you're uncomfortable doing any of this either ask around for a friend or friend's child to do it for you OR take it to a PC place and have it professionally done. But they to will need all the programs you have installed on your PC to restore it.
Reformat the harddrive? I'd rather hang myself.
Run all Virus, Malware [suspicion #1], Spyware [suspicion #2] and Trojanware softwares and also there are free Registry Scaner and Cleaners available online....[AMAZING how fast and smooth your computer runs after Registry cleanup]
It occurs to me to wonder if you're using a dial-up internet connection? And I've never heard of Safari... guess I'm out of touch. I see the site administrators linked in comments I've previously made on this subject.
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