1

I have a computer but I don't use it often (about once a month). Every time I turn on the computer, it slows down noticeably and the fan just gets louder and louder. It still slows down overtime even after I made sure there is no dust inside the computer. I wondered why, and how can I stop it?

PS. I use Windows 8. HP TouchSmart 300. CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 235e. 4GB RAM. 500GB HDD.

Improve this question
1
  • 5
    You will first need to define what you mean by slow down. Specifications of the computer could be useful as well. For example, a computer may seem to become slower and slower after every use if the hard drive has bad sectors on it. This could lead to your hard drive stalling when it comes across these bad sectors. Fragmentation, Viruses, Malware and Large temp folders could also cause some latency.
    – kobaltz
    Jan 4, 2014 at 2:52

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
5

I can only guess. Is it Windows? If the computer was turned off for a long time, it could be possible that Microsoft Windows Update and other Update programs (Antivirus programs, Quicktime, Java, Flash, etc.) are running in the background. Such Microsoft Updates and patches are published every month and can slow down the computer. The CPU can be active then a lot, too. If you are using Windows (what I guess now), are you able to see what process or which processes are using the CPU in the main at that time (see Windows Task Manager)? As kobaltz said, more specifications of the computer and the used operating system might be very helpful.

Improve this answer
3
  • I've just editted the question to include the specifications in the post. Thanks for the answer anyway!
    – brillydev
    Jan 4, 2014 at 3:52
  • Resource monitor (available from task manager I believe) can help you pinpoint which process is accessing the hard disk the most, (assuming high CPU usage has been ruled out) As others have said, updates/antivirus are the likely culprit... especially if you only use the computer occasionally. Try turning off automatic updates and move on from there.
    – cloneman
    Jan 4, 2014 at 4:10
  • 1
    Had the same issue. And keeping it idle for sometime and restarting it fixed the issue.
    – Gowtham
    Apr 28, 2019 at 13:20
0

Most likely if you visit task manager (Ctrl+alt+Del), you'll see in the performance section that your, "disk 1 (C:) is at 100%. My friend tells me that because since I haven,t turned on my computer in a while, the computer decides when you first turn it on to automatically try to install of of microsoft's junk, making running apps, browsing with the internet, and even turning off your computer extremely difficult because your computer is so focused with downloading stuff. To fix the problem, just leave your computer alone for a while until it figures out all the problems. This might take a long time.

Improve this answer
1
  • I've hit the issue several times of "cold start after not using PC for a while", and no chance disk space was issue in any of them. Updaters are likely cause, but can't check for sure
    – Alleo
    Jul 9, 2021 at 15:01

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .