Everyone experiences it—that moment when you realize that your computer is running slower than normal even though there are only three of four windows open.  Instead of putting in a repair request to your five-year-old nephew or your IT support staff, and then waiting until they have time to fix your computer (five year olds and IT staff have notoriously impacted schedules) you can troubleshoot your computer yourself.  Here are several options to try when your computer slows down:

Check memory and processor performance

1. Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys.
2. From the options, select Start Task Manager.
3. From popup window, select Performance Tab.
4. Check CPU Usage and Memory Usage.  If CPU usage rates above 50%, or if memory usage appears high (the horizontal line that runs across the grid is closer to the top of the grid than the bottom) an application may be slowing down the computer.
5. To end a process, select Processes Tab.
6. Look at the Memory column for any application that has an abnormally high number when compared to other applications and close it down by using the end process button.
7. Reselect the Performance Tab and see if CPU usage and available memory have improved—if not, then repeat the proceeding steps again.

Check hard drive for fragmentation

1. From the Start Menu, select Computer.
2. Right-click the C Drive and select Properties.
3. Select Tools tab.
4. From the defragmentation section, select the Defragment now button.
5. In the new window, select the Analyze disk button.
6. The computer will analyze if there is enough disk fragmentation to slow down computer performance.
7. Follow computer’s recommendation to defragment if necessary.

Delete cached and temporary files

1. From the Start menu, select Computer.
2. Right-click C drive and select Properties.
3. Select the Disk cleanup button.
4. From the computer generated files to delete list, check all files listed, select the okay button, and reboot the computer.

Check for application and operating system updates

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Go to www.update.microsoft.com and check for Microsoft updates.
3. Download and install all available updates and then reboot computer.
4. Check for non-Microsoft specific updates.  Often, the task bar will have a notification message that informs of new updates.  For other applications, open programs and select the help button.  From that menu, select check for updates, follow prompts, and then reboot computer.

Scan computer for viruses

1. Open the antivirus application installed on computer and follow directions to manually initiate a virus scan.  If computer is infected, call your IT support staff for further advice.

Hopefully, you fixed your computer in less time that it would have taken you to bribe your computer tech to work on your computer before they play their next X-Box 360 game.  If your computer is still slower than you would like, please call the experts at All Covered (they are on X-Box restriction during normal business hours).