How do i know if my slow computer needs RAM?

Question

the hard drive is only half full......but its still really slow when i first start it up. the microsoft defrag says its doesn't need to be defragged. ive used clean up and cc cleaner....still it is slow.

Answer 1

For normal usage, a good rule of thumb is:

Windows 2000: 256MB of RAM or more

Windows XP: 512MB of RAM or more

Windows Vista: 2GB of RAM or more

If you have LESS RAM in your machine than what is mentioned above, then you would definitely benefit from adding more RAM.

Another reason for a slow startup is having too many programs set to automatically run at startup. If your system tray (where the clock is) is absolutely full of icons when you open it up, and you have no idea what most of them do, then this may be your problem.

In Windows XP (and possibly vista) you can solve this by going to Run in the start menu and typing MSCONFIG. This brings up the System Configuration Utility. You can then disable any startup programs you don't need by going to the Startup tab, going down the list and unticking them.

Most people will only need a max of 5 or 6 programs in this list. I've seen computers with literally dozens of programs in that list - not surprisingly, these computers took an absolute age to start up.

Answer 2

Check http://www.pc-optimizer-pro.com

With pc optimizer pro you can safely clean, repair and optimize your computer.

It will help improve your system performance without expensive hardware upgrades.

Answer 3

Most computer users have been trained that if you want more speed for your computer, then add more memory. Well, this is true, in certain circumstances. But for most of the times, it really is just bad files in your registry files. Corrupted or missing registry files can make your computer too slow.

The registry is a main part of your computer's Operating System. With time, as you use Windows and install and uninstall programs, your registry will get congested and full of errors. So your computer could slow down. So, if you can clean it up this problem can be solved.Sometimes you can speed computer up by 300%. To clean up registry,You can download a software called regsitry cleaner---Clean registry,remnant,corrupt files and temp files,history,cookies,etc.. This site:

http://www.fix-system.com/

lists top 5 registry cleaner,you can download and scan for free.

Good luck!

Answer 4

My computer is also quite slow especially when first starting up

all i can say is that there are some small things you can do to speed up cpu's:

First you could try exiting any programs you have running in bottom right corner of screen (each program is gonna take up some of that precious RAM). Deleting temporary internet files would probably help. Minimizing number of shorcuts on desktop screen. Deleting waste in recycle bin. And yeah disk clean-up nice and regularly...

And if it's really slow even after it's taken ages to load up, buy a better cpu! Hope this helps dude...

Answer 5

If your virus/spyware free, there are  a couple things you can do get your computer working faster. If you using your computer for normal stuff and not gaming. You don't always need more RAM you just need to perform a few maintenance task.

First, if you haven't cleaned your registry in a while. This is necessary. Your registry holds all the information regarding updates, installs, un-installs etc. Each one of those events produces a key. That key needs your PC's resources and free space. So, if you clean your registry, you make more resources available for speed. Do a registry scan if you got more than 20 errors you should clean it.

http://www.delete-computer-history.com/w...

2. Clear your Windows cache files, this is your temporary file. It can grow up to a large volume and stop your computer from using RAM properly. In a sense slow it down by preventing it from using free space.Here is how:

1. Quit Internet Explorer, Firefox, or any other web browser

2. Click Start, click "Control Panel", and then double-click "Internet Options".

3. On the General tab, click "Delete Files" under Temporary Internet Files.

4. In the Delete Files dialog box, click to select the "Delete all offline content" check box , and then click OK.

5. Click OK.

3. Manage your startups. Your excess CPU usage is due to too many programs running in the background. You can cut these to barebones by alter your msconfig. Here is how:

1. Open your Start menu.

2. Click Run

3. In the command screen type "msconfig.exe"

4. In the "system configuration utility",click either "service" or "startup" tab

5. Uncheck all programs that your are no longer using.

6. Click "OK"

Answer 6

Hi..Computer may be slow due to various reason..You may check the following article.It may help you

http://itsupportcell.com/viewtopic.php?f...