October 27, 2005 7:30AM  |
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“Computer slowdown is caused by many factors, including malicious software running in the background and ‘heavy’ security solutions that drain system performance,” said Leon Rishniw, vice president of engineering for computer security firm CloudMark.
 A new computer right out of the box is an engineering marvel. Programs and files load with lightning speed. Unfortunately, computers do not remain in this pristine condition very long. You do not notice it at first, but usually sooner rather than later that peppy performance is gone.Why do computers slow down? There is no single answer; a combination of factors contributes to the gradual degradation of a computer’s performance. The causes fall into three categories. The first is hardware design. The second is virus and spyware infiltration. The third is caused by some of the remedies applied to cure the first two causes. We looked at some of the key ways Windows PCs get bogged down. We will tell you about disk fragmentation, conflicting DLLs, registry issues, viruses and spyware, and other things that can cause the processor to sputter. Once the causes are exposed, we will explore the most popular cures.
Over time, files on the hard disk get spread out. Known as fragmentation, this scattering is caused by adding programs, deleting programs, and modifying files. All contribute to the clutter on the hard drive that develops with continued use of the computer. Hard disks are designed to store data in predetermined clusters of storage space. Smaller files leave unusable “free space” within these areas, and oversize files are split into numerous clusters. These stored file segments become more fragmented as the hard drive absorbs data. The more fragmented stored files become on the hard drive, the longer it takes the reading apparatus to pull together all of the data and assemble them in their original order. Similarly, when more data is written to a fragmented hard drive, it takes longer to find enough unused clusters to store the data segments. This problem often is compounded by physical defects on the hard drive’s surface. Hard drives can develop bad sectors that slow down performance and make file saving difficult or impossible.
Almost as deadly to a computer’s performance as a cluttered hard drive is a lengthy list of start-up programs. This problem often starts at the factory, where the manufacturer bundles numerous programs as part of a marketing campaign or licensing agreement with software makers. Many of the installed programs are configured to start when the computer boots, even if the consumer does not want these programs to run. Often, special utilities that enhance features in software or hardware components run in the background. Most consumers, however, have no idea that these programs are running because the software does not show up on the screen. But they might show an icon in the system tray, where they sit idly waiting to be discovered. (continued…)
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