If your computer has all of a sudden started to run slow and is sometimes locking up on you, this can be caused by many things. Below are two problems you should check, and then some tips to get your computer repaired and back to running normally again.

Viruses and Spyware

The first thing to check is for viruses and spyware. All of these things can cause problems, including slowing down and locking up. 

You can get a computer virus by downloading files, opening an email, and clicking on a link or compromised website. Once the virus is in your computer it can delete important files from the hard drive, reformat a hard drive, and damage software programs you use. 

Spyware tracks what you do when you are online. It gathers data that you enter into websites. Spyware can track downloaded files, your emails and contacts, and payment information and may steal passwords to accounts you log into. It then relays the data to other third parties.

There are free anti-viruses online that you can download, or you can purchase one. Run a scan on your computer and if viruses are found, they will be removed. Virus software is always running protecting your computer from viruses. There is also anti-spyware that is available for either free or paid. Run a complete scan to remove all spyware found on your computer. 

Full or Bad Hard Drive

If your computer is older the hard drive may be full or close to it. If this happens your computer will slow down. This is because the operating system needs to have enough space to do its job.

Doing a disk cleanup is the fastest way to take care of this problem. Depending on what type of operating system you have, you may have a disk cleanup tool already installed. If not, there are disk cleanup tools that you can purchase. These tools search the hard drive and then show you a list of unnecessary programs, cache files, and temporary files. You then have the option to delete everything or can choose what you want to delete. You may want to consider replacing the hard drive with a new one if it is still full. If so, take your computer to a computer repair shop to do this for you. 

A bad hard drive can also cause a computer to slow down. You may hear a loud noise when on your computer, such as a clicking sound, or may notice a lot of corrupted files. The computer repair shop can determine if the hard drive is failing and then install a new one for you if it is. 

While your computer is at the computer repair shop, ask them to do maintenance and install the necessary programs you need to protect your computer. 

Share