Hardware
Is your computer's operating system freshly installed? If so then you may need to upgrade your hardware to cope with your system's demands. A fresh installation means that your computer is free from malware and viruses so it may be the operating system itself that is slowing your computer down. Newer versions of Windows has higher system requirements so check if your computer meet those requirements, particularly the memory (RAM in gigabytes) and clock speed (frequency in GHz).
Check your Installed Programs
If it's not the hardware constraints then it's definitely the software part that is causing the problem. Did you just install loads of programs? Some programs you install actually run in the background even when you are not using them. This puts an unnecessary load to your system.
Here's a tip: click the Start button, type msconfig on the text box, then hit Enter. On the System Configuration window, click the Startup tab and uncheck the programs you don't want to run on startup.
Scan your Computer for Viruses and Malware
Do you have an antivirus and anti-spyware installed? Make sure the virus database is updated as malicious programs are created on a daily basis! Your antivirus needs a regular update so that it can protect your computer and stop infection. Avast is one example of a very good free antivirus.
Clean your Registry
A registry is unique to the Windows operating system. It is where all configuration settings are stored so that the programs will function properly. Some programs contain a malicious code that will destroy the registry to either put a strain on your system resources or stop the computer from running altogether.
What's really disappointing is that Windows doesn't come pre-installed with a registry cleaner. It does have a registry editor but if you don't have the technical knowledge with the registry, you do not want to mess around with it.
Install a System Maintenance Tool
With so many things that could mess up your system, I know it can be quite confusing to troubleshoot a slow computer. Wouldn't it be nice if there was one program that will oversee all the stuff that's going on with your PC? Thankfully, such a program does exist!
