Why is my PC running slowly?
Sluggish performance and computer crashes happen when a program (either an application or part of the operating system) stops performing its expected function and stops responding to other parts of the system. Often the offending program may simply appear to freeze. If your PC is crashing frequently, it may be the result of malware symptoms that have gone undetected on your system. Malicious threats such as spyware and computer viruses may be at work, tracking your activities, tampering with your files and stealing personal information.
How Malware Slows Your Computer Down
Slow computing, unexpected behaviors, excessive pop-ups and frequent crashes can all be signs of malware. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you may be dealing with a malware infection. Here's a typical timeline for a malware invasion.
Malware invades your computer.
You visit a website, open an email message or download a picture. Somewhere in your normal online computing activities, malware silently loads itself onto your computer. Once on your PC, it sets up shop by installing itself in many places. This makes it difficult to remove and can lead to disruption of all the files and programs to which malware has attached itself.
Malware activity bogs down PC processes.
Malware in action can consume a substantial amount of your computer’s memory, leaving limited resources for other legitimate programs to use. This can lead to extremely sluggish performance of vital programs, like your Internet browser or operating system and a slow PC overall.
Files become damaged and programs malfunction.
The most noxious malware can cause more than inconvenient disruptions. It can bring your PC crashing down to a grinding halt by:
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Deleting, changing, renaming or transferring files
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Opening and closing programs at will
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Interfering with your operating system, resulting in frequent PC crashing
You can no longer rely on your PC to operate properly, if at all.
With all these malware symptoms wreaking havoc on your PC, you can never count on programs to run properly or files to remain intact. Eventually, you may not even be able to open programs or start your computer at all.
Tips to Prevent Malware Infection and Improve PC Performance
There are a few simple things you can do right away to prevent further malware infection and speed your PC performance and stop frequent PC crashing:
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Update your operating system regularly
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Increase your browser security settings
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Avoid questionable websites
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Only download software from sites you trust. Carefully evaluate free software and file-sharing applications before downloading them.
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Practice safe email protocol:
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Don’t open messages from unknown senders
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Immediately delete messages you suspect to be spam
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Make sure that you have the best security software products installed on your PC:
- Use antivirus protection and a firewall
The best way to avoid PC performance problems is to prevent malware infections in the first place. Products like Webroot Internet Security Plus and Webroot AntiVirus guard against malware entering your computer and prevent it from slowing your PC through damage to your files and programs. A good anti-malware program searches every place on your PC where spyware and viruses can hide and removes every trace to boost your PC performance. While free anti-spyware and antivirus downloads are available, they just can’t keep up with the continuous onslaught of new malware strains. Malware symptoms that have gone undetected can often do the most damage to your PC, so it’s critical to have up-to-the-minute, guaranteed protection.
