The 9 Root Causes of PC Slowdowns
Eliminate the worst speed-draining culprits
We've all noticed that the longer we've had our computers, the slower they've gotten. In fact, the problem
is
so common that people assume it's unavoidable and just part of the natural aging process of PCs.
But the truth is that your computer isn't slower because of the age of its components; rather, the root
causes
of a PC slowing down are fragmentation and corruption problems that can be easily fixed with the
right tools.
What causes slowdowns?
After years of investigation and testing, iolo Labs researchers have uncovered the nine key areas of a
Windows
PC that degrade over time?these are the issues that most significantly slow down your PC and
diminish its performance.
Several of these issues iolo has known about for some time and the related fixes
were included in prior
versions of System Mechanic®. But others were just recently discovered after extensive research
into
how modern operating systems and programs function and interoperate.
System Mechanic is now the only available product that
can resolve all nine root causes of PC slowdowns.
By focusing on these nine critical areas and running the System Mechanic
repairs described in this
article, you will experience noticeably better performance: both your PC and your programs
will launch
quicker, work faster, and perform with greater reliability.
1. Program misalignment
2. Memory leaks and RAM fragmentation
3. Startup Traffic Jam
4. Redundant and unneeded programs
5. Mismatched Internet Settings
6. Registry Errors
7.
Registry Bloat
8. Hard Drive Fragmentation
9. Accumulated junk file clutter
1. Program Misalignment
The Symptoms: Your programs take longer to open and, once
opened, they respond more slowly.
When you have multiple
applications running, you experience lockups or crashes.
The Problem: Over time, the many interdependent files that
make up a program tend to drift apart and
become scattered across the hard drive. This misalignment not only impacts
the speed at which your
programs can run, it also causes excessive movement of the hard drive, which leads to unnecessary
wear-and-tear on your hardware.
The Fix: Program Accelerator™ uses a patented calibration
technology to determine which program files
are misaligned and should be grouped together for the fastest possible access.
Once the dependent
application files are realigned, the result is faster launching and more responsive performance from
all of your programs.
2. Memory leaks and RAM fragmentation
The Symptoms: Your PC gets progressively slower throughout
the day, even after restarting. One or
more of your larger programs frequently lock up. You regularly see low memory
error messages.
The Problem: When memory is low, everything on your PC
suffers. The two critical problems that reduce
your available RAM are (1) fragmented memory, which occurs simply with
regular use?as we open, use,
and close programs, and (2) memory leaks, which occur when a program doesn't release memory
after
the program is closed.
The Fix: Memory Mechanic® reclaims valuable memory
and tackles both corruption issues: it reassembles
the memory into neat, contiguous order and it releases the memory
held captive by memory leaks.
3. Startup Traffic Jam
The Symptoms: Your PC takes longer to start than it used
to, as long as 5-10 minutes in severe cases.
Every time you start or restart your computer, you see unusual error messages.
The Problem: Many applications and services are set to
automatically start whenever your PC is
started. Some of these programs are required and should be in the startup process,
but many are not
needed at all and create bottlenecks that slow down the time it takes for your PC to boot up.
The Fix: Startup Optimizer™ uses research-based classifications
from iolo Labs to automatically
detect unneeded (as well as potentially dangerous) startup items. Your important programs
load, but
the unnecessary ones are prevented from clogging up the Windows startup process.
4. Redundant and unneeded programs
The Symptoms: PC speed and responsiveness
have slowed over time, particularly when running more
than one program.
The Problem: As a rule, the more programs you have installed,
the more work your PC has to do?and
installing multiple programs that run the same functions needlessly adds to this
burden. But with
certain redundant programs, the problem goes beyond just wasted storage space and a larger
processing
load; for these applications, having multiple ones installed is actively harmful
because it overloads background functioning
and leads to system conflicts that slow everything
down.
The Fix: CRUDD Remover™ detects and displays the
redundant programs that can impact your PC's
performance and stability, and then you can decide which programs you want
to keep or remove. By
removing redundant programs, you eliminate unnecessary processing, free up drive space, and remove
program conflicts.
5. Mismatched Internet Settings
The Symptoms: Your internet connection has recently started
to feel sluggish or it has always
been slower than expected, even with a high-speed connection. Video and other streaming
media
sputter when played. Online gaming randomly falters.
The Problem: A significant influence on your web speed
is a set of Windows configuration settings
related to network and internet connections. PCs come from the manufacturer
with certain settings
already in place, but these presets are not necessarily the best settings for your connection
type.
Further, various programs can make silent adjustments to these core settings.
The Fix: NetBooster® and Internet Connection Repair
technology automatically custom fits your
computer to suit your internet connection. By adjusting the settings that
affect network and
internet connection speeds, NetBooster fine-tunes your configurations so that more data can be
transferred.
6. Registry Errors
The Symptoms: You experience instability issues that can
range from annoying, time-wasting
lockups to complete machine failure. You see unusual error messages when printing,
opening
programs, attaching or detaching external devices, or restarting your PC.
The Problem: The registry, a database that holds key settings
used by the Windows operating
system, is one of the most important components of your computer. When it becomes corrupted
with invalid and obsolete references, as it commonly does with regular PC usage, the overall
condition of your
computer declines: both speed and stability are negatively impacted.
The Fix: Registry Tuner™, which can be run individually
or as a component of Total Registry
Revitalizer™, repairs the registry by removing all of its invalid and obsolete
references.
The cleaning and repair process can also detect and remove dangerous files that may be running
without
your knowledge.
7. Registry Bloat
The Symptoms: Overall PC speed and responsiveness have
slowed over time, particularly when
starting up or shutting down the computer.
The Problem: After cleaning the registry, old registry
keys are deleted, but the registry
does not get smaller. Rather, the old entries leave gaps and the registry becomes
bloated:
unnecessarily large and fragmented. And because the registry is loaded into RAM during
startup, the bloat
also eats up vital system memory.
The Fix: Registry Compactor™, which can be run individually
or as a component of Total
Registry Revitalizer™, defragments and compacts the registry to eliminate the bloated
and
unused space in the registry. Because the process allows the operating system to access
registry values faster,
it speeds registry access, improves registry efficiency, and frees
up memory.
8. Hard Drive Fragmentation
The Symptoms: Overall PC speed and responsiveness have
slowed over time. Files and programs
take longer to open.
The Problem: As you create and delete files, your computer
can't store a single file as one
unit and instead will split it up and store portions of it across different locations
on the
hard drive. Over time, this fragmented data builds up and your PC's resources become
overburdened: gathering
the scattered pieces takes more time and the physical wear on the
mechanical parts of the drive increases.
The Fix: DriveAccelerator™ defragments the hard drive
and reorganizes scattered data, which
not only boosts file access speed but also extends the life of the drive. In addition,
DriveAccelerator works in conjunction with Program Accelerator to maintain drive integrity
during the program
realignment process.
9. Accumulated junk file clutter
The Symptoms: You experience slower responsiveness, particularly
during intensive operations
like media streaming and game play. Your available disk space has noticeably decreased.
The Problem: With regular usage, junk files quickly accumulate
on your PC: unneeded debris can
come from internet browsing, programs that don't clean up after themselves, unexpected
computer
restarts, and more. And while the source of the clutter varies, the result is the same:
gigabytes of
drive space wasted and your PC's processing load needlessly overtaxed.
The Fix: PC Cleanup, one of System Mechanic's five all-in-one
PowerTools™, analyzes your
computer's level of clutter and then performs a deep cleaning by safely removing all
the
temporary and useless files that have accumulated.
