Member Avatar for jemmmy42

Hi, my computer is so slow that it takes sometimes 2 minutes to load a web page. Even offline it is that slow. What causes this and what can I do about it?
Jemmmy

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Given the popups noted by and the malware-focused suggestions from and , infection remains one possible cause. Because the machine is slow even when offline, though, system- or hardware-level problems are more likely explanations: failing disk or controller, corrupted system files or user profile, thermal throttling, or intermittent power. The diagnostics below prioritize fast, verifiable checks and data safety before making changes.

Start with a lightweight triage to locate the bottleneck. Observe CPU, memory and disk activity in Task Manager (Resource Monitor on newer Windows); on older systems use Process Explorer for more detail. Inspect the System event log for repeated I/O, controller, or filesystem errors — repeated errors there point strongly at disk problems. A Safe Mode boot (or booting from a Live USB) helps determine whether third-party software or the core OS is responsible.

From an elevated command prompt, these quick checks are useful:

wmic diskdrive get status
chkdsk C: /f /r
mdsched.exe

wmic gives a basic SMART status, chkdsk /f /r scans and attempts to repair bad sectors (may require reboot), and mdsched.exe launches the Windows Memory Diagnostic (use MemTest86 for a longer RAM burn-in). If SMART or chkdsk reports problems, back up critical files immediately before further repairs.

Also verify cooling and power (dust-clogged heatsinks, failed fans, or a weak PSU can cause dramatic slowdowns), and document which tests fail. If hardware checks come back clean, next steps are a clean user profile or OS reinstall. Hardware upgrades like adding RAM or freeing disk space — points raised earlier by and — are worthwhile only after identifying the root cause.

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Member Avatar for alc6379

Check the links in my signature. Also, check out our "Viruses, Spyware, and other Nasties" forum.

Most often, if your PC is inexplicably slow, spyware and viruses are at fault. Do you have any wierd stuff popping up or happening when you're online? Who is your ISP?

Member Avatar for jemmmy42

yES aLEX, I get all sorts of stuff and pop ups everywhere and oh, just losts of weird things happening.

My ISP is Telewest broadband

Jemmmy

Member Avatar for naruto

your computer speed you say, if you increase your RAM, and run anti-virus and anti-spyware that should speed it up alot!!! :p

Member Avatar for aussielad

I would suggest you go to the microsoft website and download the Antispy (beta) program. I have found that it works well at removing spyware, even thouigh I have a good firewall and antivirus, it still found adware on my system.

be careful though, u can destroy your system if ur not careful in how u use it. If unsure about what to do, then always choose "quarantine" when the scan finioshes and gives u a report on what nasty things are on your computer.

Member Avatar for MartyMcFly

In addition to the above, have you;

- Got enough primary disk space for your page file. I would recommend leaving 2 times the Ram that you system has.

- Disk Defragmenter and disk clean up found in Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools. (Worth trying if the PC is a year old or more)

Member Avatar for StephenLi

To speed up your computer, you should do lots of things:

1. Cleanup all of the cookies and plug-ins in the Internet Explorer.
2. Terminate unneeded programs on startup.To disable the startup programs, you can click "Start"--Run--Type in msconfig--Under the "startup" tab, you can choose the unwanted startup programs.
3.Detect and fix Windows registry errors.

You also can follow this article to .

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