INFORMATION SYSTEMS

SLOW COMPUTER (For your home system)

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HELP! MY COMPUTER IS SO SLOW! (Windows XP)

*This is for personal home systems. If your office computer is running slow, contact the Help Desk at x6322 for assistance.

Most likely, this is a software related issue. You might need to defrag, you might need to clean up your temporary internet files, you may have spyware or a virus…but 9 times out of 10, this is not an issue related to hardware.

Try the following steps before taking your computer in for costly repairs. You will be surprised how simple it is to do a little computer housekeeping! Best practice is to follow these guidelines, and make sure to perform routine maintenance (monthly) on your computer to keep it running smoothly. We will go over the basic causes and help for a slow computer: Spyware, fragmented hard drive, temporary files, startup and viruses.

NOTE: Before making any changes to your system, make sure you have backed up your important files!! All instructions are common maintenance and should be performed on a regular basis, however, it is at your own risk.

You may also want to create a System Restore Point (this is for software only; this does not restore your documents and files). To do so, go to:

• Start
• Programs
• Accessories
• System Tools
• System Restore
• Create a Restore Point
• Give it a name
• Click “create”

Spyware
This is the number one cause of slow computers. But you are probably wondering how you got spyware…well, there are many ways:

• Playing online games (or your kids playing online games)
• Unknowingly installing it with any software you may have installed recently
• Inadvertently clicking links online that may install adware or spyware
• A number of other reasons will lead to spyware, but these are just a few.
• So, how do you get rid of spyware? The easiest way is to install anti-spyware programs. But not just any program. There are many out that that actually slow your computer down!
• We recommend three of the top freebies to help fight spyware: Microsoft Windows Defender (formally named Microsoft Antispyware), Spybot Search & Destroy and AdAware.
• Microsoft Windows Defender: www.microsoft.com (under downloads)
• Download and install this program.
• Allow it to update and run a scan
• Remove anything it may find that you are not familiar with (NOTE: for FPB office computers only, DO NOT remove VNC. Choose “always allow” or “always ignore”.)
• Schedule the program to update and run weekly.
• This program runs in the background with little user initiation.
• Spybot Search & Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/
• Download and install this program
• Manually run an update and install the updates every time you use it
• Allow it to find problems
• Remove anything it may find that you are not familiar with (NOTE: for FPB office computers only, DO NOT remove VNC. Choose “always allow” or “always ignore”.)
• Run Spybot on a regular basis (monthly, or weekly if you have children who use your computer)
• AdAware: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
• Download and install this program
• Manually run an update and install the updates every time you use it
• Allow it to find problems
• Remove anything it may find that you are not familiar with (NOTE: for FPB office computers only, DO NOT remove VNC. Choose “always allow” or “always ignore”.)
• Run AdAware on a regular basis (monthly, or weekly if you have children who use your computer)

Notes and Tips:

• Check to see if you have Microsoft Antispyware installed first. If you do, REMOVE IT. It its outdated and causes a slow computer and you will not be able to install Defender properly until Antispyware is uninstalled.
• Make sure to update your software each and every time you use it.
• AdAware and Spybot may give you warning messages that they have detected another anti-spyware product (each other). That is ok.
• Keep an eye on what you are removing, and do not remove programs you may need. (very seldom does this occur, but can).
• Check for more recent version of the software periodically (about every 6 months). Don’t know your version? Inside the software, click help/about.
• Another tip is to READ anything you install and make sure not to just hit "next" when you install programs that you may have gotten off of the net (specifically FREE). Most programs that you may download from the internet, will install other programs as part of the package...programs that you may not want installed on your computer. So remember to check before you click next!
• Another tip: Avoid clicking on banners or pop up ads! Make sure you have Service Pack 2 installed for Windows XP, which comes with an automatic popup blocker!
• Make sure that all of your AntiVirus definitions are up to date, as well as your Windows Updates.

Defrag Your Computer
Some folks are not even aware that this tool exists. But, what does it do, and how do you do it?

Clean up temporary files
This one you have to be careful not to remove anything that you may need. But it is a great too to use. Windows loves to write files all the time to your hard drive and until you run out of room on your hard drive or ask it to clean it up, it will leave old temporary files there. Windows XP comes with a handy program that cleans them up.

Viruses
Of course, a virus can slow your computer down. You should always have an up to date Antivirus program running on your computer at all times. This does not just mean a recent version of the software, but updated VIRUS DEFINITIONS.

• This means you will not have to pay a yearly fee to update your definitions
• You can install new versions for free as long as you remain an active Case employee or student (be sure to sign up for the Softwarecenter mailing list when you go to install, to receive info when new software versions are available…always install the latest version of Symantec)
• Alumni and ex-employees are not entitled to new software versions but are able to update the virus definitions/install patches on the existing software version as long as Symantec supports it. (Note: sometimes it is necessary to install the latest software version vs. just updating the definitions, due to vulnerabilities)
• How to obtain and install the University’s Symantec Antivirus: http://fpb.case.edu/it/softwarecenter.shtm
• Remember to remove any previous antivirus software FIRST.

Notes and Tips:

• Be sure to keep the subscriptions up to day and renew them if necessary
• Be sure to update your definitions regularly
• Be sure to run a virus scan regularly
• Follow the software’s removal instructions if a virus is found.
• Additional removal instructions of a virus, as well as downloadable fixes can be found at: http://www.symantec.com/security_response/index.jsp

Programs in Startup
*does not need to be performed monthly.
This one is tricky. But worth looking into. Computer companies, such as Dell, Toshiba, HP like to bundle software into their system and have it all start and run every time you turn your machine on. In addition, software that you install on your own might configure to run on startup. Knowing what to disable, however, is always a challenge.