Slow Computer Solutions

When Your Wife Is Right - How To Prevent Computer Problems

My wife has got her own laptop computer. She uses it every day to work and learn. Just as everybody. Whenever I use her computer I am always inspired by how good it works. Why? Well, the machine has twice weaker processor than mine, twice less of RAM, almost 2 times smaller of a disk. Her laptop and mine both have Windows Vista installed and both are the same brand and series. How is it possible that her laptop works faster and better, boots quicker and does not crash? I also have to add that she has no knowledge whatsoever of computers, all interventions in case of problems or installations are done by me. She merely uses it?

I could not stand it any longer and decided to work out what is going on. I asked her a direct question:
- What is it that you are doing with the laptop that you have not complained about having any problems with it for a long time? I myself can see how good it runs.
- I am simply smart.
- This I know. And more precisely?
- I have listened to directions of my ingenious husband, you silly ass? When Windows updates are available, I install them. When antivirus updates are available, I install them too. I defragment the disk once a month and I do not install rubbish.
- And what do you use it for in your spare time?
- I listen to music, watch films.

Sounds familiar?
My darling has Open Office installed on her computer. Me too. No difference. She uses Firefox, I do to (if you do not know why to use Firefox, click here). Only her Firefox runs 4-5 times faster than mine! I have had a closer look at that. She has 4 Firefox plug-ins installed, while I have…. 46.
OK, I need plug-ins to work and besides some of them pertain to Google services.

She has Winamp installed and a few GBs of music on the hard drive. Me too. Just as everybody. I have searched through her software and found very little there. Then I had a look at the software I have installed on mine…
Holy Mother! I even found applications I had no idea I had or I forgot I had them! (even some weird messengers I did not use or a program which presents weather forecast…)
I looked at the auto-start and I was struck dumb with terror to see how many of them are initiated with the system. I looked at the processes and I had another shock to learn how much resources are used be literally junk! And what for?
Am I really a silly ass or is my wife so smart?

I often see various cases of stuff installed on computers. Recently a client has brought a machine with Windows Dream Scene installed. When I asked him what he needed it for he replied that at first he liked it but now he dos not know how to uninstall it. Another client had 12-15 games installed and his Windows would often yell that he does not have enough space on drive C…

My friend when dealing with a client whose new computer “suddenly became slow despite the fact that it is almost new”, and who asks what to do, he gives this advice: “You have two choices:

1. Buy a new one.
2. It’s high time you learnt a little bit how to use a computer with Windows installed”
3. (another friend of mine presents 3rd solution: Buy a Mac).

Tags: slow down, speed up