9. My PC is very slow and/or takes a long time to start...

Slowing down is a common problem in computers which are more than a year old, especially with "budget" machines. It can also be an indication of a hardware fault or a virus infection.

If the delayed start-up or slowness has developed over a period of weeks or months then it is unlikely that a fault or virus is the cause, more so if you have working and regularly updated anti-virus software on the machine. In such cases, the problem could be the result of data and file fragmentation on the hard disk or incorrectly configured software installations.

Fragmentation inevitably builds up over time, as the computer is used and files stored on it change. Computer disks (even solid-state storage) do need 'housekeeping' from time to time, and de-fragmenting the files often does make the computer noticeably faster.

Software installations can sometimes interfere with each other, simply because computers are very complex things and developers can't test every possible configuration their software might encounter. This problem tends to need expert attention, as correct diagnosis can be difficult.

In general, poor performance issues that aren't viruses or faults usually have complex or obscure causes. Although there is a lot of 'speed-up' software available, automatic solutions often don't work. You are unlikely to actually see the performance improvements talked about, without the attention of a technically competent engineer too!

For further advice or to arrange a PC health check-up please call our helpdesk.