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Computer Runs Slow--Could Be Hard Drive Problems

By John Mowatt

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 20May2009
Word count: 726
Viewed: 337 time(s)

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The hard drive is one of the most important components of a computer. The operating system and programs are installed here and all of your data is kept on the hard drive. If you have hard drive problems your computer will not run as well as it should and in the worst case scenario it may not run at all.

There are various different utilities which can scan your hard drive for problems and then attempt to correct those problems. Commonly used utilities with Windows XP include 1. Disk defragmenter 2.Disc cleanup. 3.Error checker Tool.

1. As you use the computer over a period of time the files stored on the hard drive tend to become fragmented with parts of a file written to different areas of the drive.

The disk defragmenter will take all these file fragments and bring them together so that a complete file is all located at one point. This greatly speeds up access to the file.

The fragmented data increases the work the drive must do thus increasing the load on the drive and can in fact sometimes cause serious and permanent damage.

To minimise and correct file fragmentation the Disk Defragmenter should be run at regular intervals in order to keep the hard drive in good order. The disk Defragmenter is found by clicking on START->ALL PROGRAMS->ACESSORIES->SYSTEM TOOLS->DISK DEFRAGMENT.

2.The Disc Cleanup application allows you to erase unwanted temporary internet files and program setup files from your hard drive. This frees up hard drive space and helps the computer to run more efficiently.

You can find DISC CLEANUP by clicking on START->ALL PROGRAMS->ACCESSORIES->SYSTEM TOOLS->DISC CLEANUP. This tool if run at regular intervals will also help to keep your computer running smoothly and efficiently.

3.Error Checker will scan your hard drive for errors in the file system and bad sectors on the hard drive. To locate ERROR CHECKER bring up your Start Menu by clicking on START then click on MY COMPUTER, next RIGHT click on the hard disc volume you want to run error checker on and then click on PROPERTIES.

On the Tools tab click on CHECK NOW in the ERROR CHECKING section. Next in the CHECK DISC dialog box click on SCAN FOR AND ATTEMPT RECOVERY OF BAD SECTORS and click START. This may take some time as it checks a large hard drive for bad sectors.

Finally find the maker of your hard drive from the user manual or by looking inside the computer. Most hard disc manufacturers offer downloads of tools to test the hard drive for problems.

If your computer runs slow after completing all these tasks you should look elsewhere for the problem. One of the most common reasons for a slow running computer is a bloated corrupt registry.

The registry is a very large data bank which holds all the files used by the operating system to run the computer as well as much other information.

As the computer is used over a period of time a large volume of data fragments will accumulate in the registry. This is a problem with all windows operated computers unfortunately and there is no way to prevent it.

The corrupt registry makes it difficult for the operating system to locate the data it needs to run the computer. This greatly slows down operation of the machine and can also cause freezing and crashing.

The best solution to this problem is to use Windows XP registry repair software which can be downloaded from the internet. The top registry cleaners will first offer to give you a free scan to determine if you have registry problems. You can check the results of this scan before deciding to repair your registry.

We tested several Windows XP registry repair tools and found that they would all do the job but some were better than others. One in particluar found up to 50% more errors than some other registry repair tools and was clearly superior.

We recommend that you use a windows reg cleaner and do not try to personally edit your registry. There are many essential entries in the registry and if you mistakenly remove even one of them you can completely disable your computer. Do your registry repair the safe way and use a top registry cleaner to do the work quickly and safely.

Would you like to have a completely free scan to correct registry errors? Would you like to know which registry repair tool we found to be by far the best? Would you like to speed up your slow running computer and return it to good working order? For a lot of free information and resources just go to our website: Click Here

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