A friend pinged me last night for some help. His exact words were,

“Hey, I need some advice. Computer is running slow. Programs that use to work are locking it up, need to restart. When I log off there are some strange programs shutting down. This is not my strong point, what should I do?”

Over years I have developed a method, that from my experience, works very well in getting your computer back to “new”.  I have applied this simple method to countless computers over the years and have many satisfied customers.  These recommendations are geared towards the average computer user, I don’t need to hear a million other ways to tweak a system in the comments.  I want my Grandma to be able to do this.
1) Start by going through Add/Remove programs and get rid of anything you don’t need and/or don’t really need. This could take a while if your computer is acting up.2) Run a Spyware scan. Ad-Aware is good and they have a free version you can download here. Just use the default options and remove anything it suggests you remove.

3) Run a virus scan. If you don’t have a current subscription to an anti-virus program fork up the cash and buy one. Remove whatever you have and get Webroot. Opt for the version with Spyware scan included and then you can ignore #2 because it will scan that as well. Perform a full scan which can take a few hours.  I like Webroot because it has a small system footprint and doesn’t install a million and one things you don’t need like Symantec and McAfee does.

4) Update Windows. http://update.microsoft.com Even if you have automatic updates enabled, go here to see if there is anything else you need.

5) Download Registry Mechanic which is (kinda) free. You can run a full scan and it will repair the major things in the free version. If you have upwards of 300 or more errors, you might want to buy this as well.

6) Defragment your hard drive. Do this last because you want your hard drive to be optimized after you remove and install software. If you haven’t done this in a while or have never done it, expect it to take a few hours. Just start it one night before you go to bed and it will be done in the morning.

7) Use the “Ask Me” tab above if you have any other questions or particular concerns.

If the above fails you could be trying to run software that your computer really should be supporting or you have done irreparable damage and just need a fresh OS install (or a new computer).

Good Luck!

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