All computers slow down over time. Adding and removing programs, downloading updates, changing system files and editing data files over the course of years all cause small corruptions and inefficiencies that can knee-walk your computer all by themselves.

Most people don’t realize it, but it takes anywhere from about 18 to 25 different programs (“processes”) just to run most versions of Windows. Add an antivirus program and a spyware protector or two, and your computer can easily be running 35 processes at startup. That’s normal. But you’d be surprised at the number of computers that come into the shop with 65-70 programs or more running at startup. And no one needs that!

The biggest buzzword in the computer repair industry today is “optimization.” Basically that means cutting back the number of programs, especially junkware, that are running on your computer at startup. You may have heard radio commercials for the online optimization services; that is exactly what they’re doing.

Of course, viruses and spyware can have the same effect of slowing down your computer. And you could have a more serious problem, like a dying hard drive or a bad memory stick. And those kinds of things cannot be either properly diagnosed or fixed via remote control over the internet. We typically do a virus scan and a routine hardware diagnostic on every machine to make sure there isn’t a more serious problem. No charge for that, it’s all part of the service.