Sluggish computer, I might need something fixed

[Foobambinaift]

My computer is working really slow, I was thinking about getting some assisatance. I really have no idea what I am doing, has anyone on here tried geek choice ? A co-worker said they might be good. I also found these guys, but their site does not look good to me.

 

I just need somoene who can solve the problem with my computer.

 

Every time I open my internet explorer it takes nearly 3 minutes to display on screen

 

I have also noticed a small clicking sound inside the computer itself. What does this sound mean?

[insane_alien]

clicking sound could either be something brushing up against the fan or the harddrive dying. likely the former(if its the latter you'll find out in a week depending on whether the thing still boots)

 

as for sluggishness, this can be caused by a multitude of things, fragmented filesystem, malware, adware, viruses, or seeing as we're dealing with windows here (going by your use of internet exploder) the phase of the moon.

 

google up a 'how to speed up windows <insert version here>' if you want or just get and run 'ccleaner' yes, thats two c's deliberately. http://www.ccleaner.com/

 

it should clear out a lot of the digital dust-bunnies that have no doubt built up in your system.

 

also, run the disk-defragmenter program and leave it till it's finished(seems obvious i know but you wouldn't believe how many people if told this to and they just shut it off after 5 minutes because they were bored) you can still do other stuff on your PC but it will be even more sluggish while defragmenting.

[Dudde]

Is it possible to take the side cover off the computer? That clicking could be a number of things, and could be very important to the reason the computer is going slow. Is it loud or quiet? And how frequent is the click? Like once per second, or to fast to count, etc.

 

other than that, I recommend either running scandisk or looking into a utility called Ccleaner , which usually works fantastically for me.

[StringJunky]

I found this site which lets you listen the various sounds a failing hard drive makes:

 

http://datacent.com/hard_drive_sounds.php

 

Your personal data will need saving and your hard drive replacing if makes any of those sounds...best save it now just in case.

 

I second Dudde's comment, Ccleaner is very good and Defraggler by the same company should help as well.

 

It sounds like to me you need to start again and do a full clean install after recovering your wanted data. then endeavouring to learn some basic computer maintenance to keep it that way...using the two apps mentioned on a regular basis would be a good start. Prevention is easier than cure.

 

Your computer probably has a multitude of minor software issues that has accumulated over time causing it to run slow.

 

A Windows computer falls apart and grinds to a halt over time without a regular software/data maintenance routine.

 

I see this happen with my extended family's computers all the time...guess who sorts them out? I'm learning minimalist intervention automated maintenance strategies.

 

You might have a hardware issue and this should be addressed first by someone experienced in these matters.

[michel123456]

My system is working really slow, I was thinking about getting some help. I really have no idea what I am doing, has anyone on here tried geek choice ? A co-worker said they might be good. I also found these guys, but their website does not look good to me.

 

I just need some company who can fix my computer.

 

Every time I startup my browser it takes nearly 3 minutes to show up on screen

 

I've also been hearing a small clicking sound coming from the PC itself. What does this mean?

 

_ IMO the problem is software.

_Maybe you should try to run a malware removal program (such as Adaware, free available, or other).

_you may also disable some automatic upgrade feature from some program running in the background each time you are starting your browser. If the upgrade cannot run completely (maybe some old program running on a new system), you may experience the same delay each time.

[Andrew Diaz]

Hi Foobambinaift,

 

The other posters have some great suggestions for you. You should definitely back up your files to either a remote hard drive or an online service and you need to figure out what mechanical issue is causing the small clicking sound.

 

Before you hire out help or purchase new hardware (or computer) you should run a diagnostic scan to see what, if any, fixes you can make to your computer. You can use the free Norton PC Check up to run the scan if you have not run any others yet. You can access Norton PC Check through the link below.

 

Norton PC Check

 

After the scans have been completed the interface will provide you with a diagnosis and some DIY steps to resolve any issues. I hope this helps.

 

Regards,

Andrew Diaz

Norton Outreach

Symantec Corporation

nortonoutreach.com

[Dudde]

to be honest, I prefer Housecall to Norton - or most others as well that cost less than 100 bucks to a year subscription

[michel123456]

http://ask-leo.com/

 

Very helpful & reliable.