HELP! MY COMPUTER IS SO SLOW! (Windows XP, personal and home systems)

*for office systems, contact the Help Desk

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:

a. Playing online games (or your kids playing online games)

b. Unknowingly installing it with any software you may have installed recently

c. Inadvertently clicking links online that may install adware or spyware

d. 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.

o 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.

o 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)

o 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?

a. What it is: When your computer stores a document/installs a program, it starts to put the document in the first area of free space on your hard drive and then when it runs out of room there, it stores another part of the file on the next space available and so on, until the entire document is stored/program is installed. One simple Word document may be stored in many different spots. When you access the fragmented document again, it has to go to all the spots on your hard drive, gather the information, put it together and then display it. If you have a lot of fragmented files it takes time for the computer to find the data.

b. This can also occur if you have added or removed a lot of software recently.

· To defrag your computer, go to the following:

· Start

· Programs

· Accessories

· System Tools

· Disk Defragmenter

· Run an analysis

· Defrag if it recommends

Notes and Tips:

· If you have multiple hard drives, or a partitioned hard drive, you may defrag each one.

· Highly recommended if you install a large amount of software in a short period of time.

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.

· Go to Start

· Programs

· Accessories

· System Tools

· Disk Cleanup

o It will now scan for files that can be deleted

o BE CAREFUL what you delete!!! Common items that are safe to delete are:

§ Temporary Internet Files

§ Recycle bin (as long as you are SURE you do not want anything inside)

§ Temporary offline files

o Items you should not delete may be:

§ Temporary Files

§ Compressed old files

§ Office (or other program) setup files

Notes and Tips:

· Never remove anything you are unsure about.

· Always remove Temporary Internet Files (NOT Temporary Files)

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.

· The top antivirus software packages: Symantec (Norton) Antivirus and McAfee Antivirus.

· Your computer may have come with one or the other

As a member of the Case community, you are entitled to Symantec Antivirus Corporate Edition for free!

· 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

o 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.

· Take a look at all of the little icons in the System Tray (near the clock in the lower right hand corner). Do you see a lot? You probably do not need all of them starting up and running with your computer.

· Remember to NEVER disable your Antivirus program! This should run all of the time.

· So, how do you disable the non essential items from starting up?

o Go to Start

o Run

o Type: msconfig

o Click ok and the utility will open

o Click on the last tab in the window: “Startup”

§ From here, you can disable (and enable again) programs that aren’t do not need to run in the background.

§ All you need to do is uncheck the box, and click ok when finished

§ IF YOU ARE UNSURE of disabling a program, leave it alone. But remember, you can always turn it back on.

Notes and Tips:

· Note: after you reboot, a window will pop up when you sign onto Windows, reminding you that you have disabled items in MSconfig. You can choose to not display this window again.

· Items that are usually safe to uncheck:

o Qttask (quicktime)

o Acrotray (acrobat)

o Drag to disc (roxio)

o Adobe Acrobat Speed Launcher

o Adobe Gamma Loader

o Msmsg

o Adobe Gamma

· DO NOT uncheck anything related to your Antivirus software, Antispyware software or Microsoft/windows updating.

· If you uncheck other software updaters (Real Player, etc..) be sure to periodically check for updates manually within the software.

· If you are unsure, do not uncheck it.

· Remember, you can always recheck an item.