Major causes of poor PC performance
Temporary Files: Computers
naturally create many different temporary files,
which are typically stored for your advantage.
However, these temporary files on your computer
(as the following sections discuss) can stack
up, which can contribute to poor PC performance.
Internet Cache: Web
browsers (for example Internet Explorer)
typically create temporary files, often referred
to as Internet Cache, during web browsing. These
temporary files usually aren’t needed after you
are finished surfing the web, and can take up
large amounts of space on your hard drive.
Therefore these files, if not removed
periodically, may contribute to poor PC
performance. If you are curious, you can view
Internet Explorer’s cache: 1. Open Internet
Explorer, 2. Open Internet Options from the
Tools menu,4. Click View Files..., 3. Click
Settings... under the Temporary Internet Files
section, 4. Click View Files...
Recycle Bin: Remember,
files are not actually removed from the hard
drive when you delete them the first time. For
instance, deleting files for the first time
actually sends them to the Recycle Bin.
Then from there you
can either permanently remove them from your
computer, or in case you figured out that they
should not have been deleted, you can restore
them. You can easily view the content of your
Recycle Bin:
1. Go to your
desktop.
2. Double-click the
Recycle Bin,
3. The Recycle Bin
will appear Windows Temporary Files
The Windows
operating system and other applications create
temporary files for various reasons, such as
during software installations. These temporary
files, however, are typically not needed after
the application exits or when Windows is shut
down.
In many cases, the
applications do not always clean up after
themselves and leave behind a stack of files,
which will use up some of your computer’s
valuable disk space.
Getting Out of
Date: Microsoft
releases periodic updates for Windows to ensure
your PC is protected from the latest known
security holes and programming bugs or errors.
In addition, many of these updates will help
increase your PC’s performance. Therefore you
shouldn’t let Windows get out of date; otherwise
you’ll compromise the security and performance
of your PC.
Unused Files and
Programs: Unused
programs and files are one of the biggest
contributors to wasted disk space and can cause
a reduction in your PC’s performance. As a
general rule of thumb, the less disk space you
use of your hard drive, the better overall PC
performance you’ll experience. Therefore, it’s
best to remove software programs that aren’t
used and files that you don’t need anymore.
Unnecessary Startup Programs Many software
programs may add themselves (with or without
your knowledge) to your Startup folder, which
may cause your PC to take longer to start up.
computing power from other applications you are
using and will overall bog down your PC.
Invalid Registry
Entries: The
registry contains information that Windows
continually references during operation, such as
profiles for each user, the applications
installed on the computer and the types of
documents that each can create, property sheet
settings for folders and application icons, what
hardware exists on the system, and the ports
that are being used. There are many specific
registry keys that can slow a computer’s
performance.
These are typically
invalid keys containing information about COM
and ActiveX objects. These objects are parts of
programs, and when you remove the programs,
these keys sometimes still exist. However, if
these registry keys aren’t removed they can
contribute to slower PC performance. Here are
some common areas of the registry that may
contain invalid keys:
• Invalid
Class IDs (CLSID)
• Invalid
Program Identifiers (ProgID)
• Invalid
Type Libraries (TypeLib)
• Invalid
Interfaces
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