The reason most computers run slow is because of the amount of programs running on it, rather than the amount of data on the hard drive. Another comment I often hear is that “it was alright when I first got it, but it’s started to go right slow now.” This is because of the amount of programs you install over time, and often programs that execute at the start-up of your machine; unless you get your PC from one of the major High St retailers, where they’ve already loaded it up with loads of useless programs from companies who obviously drink in the same pub as them. Anyway, I digress, when you turn your computer on, all these programs get loaded on to RAM, including your operating system: XP, Vista, 7, Ubuntu, etc. Everything you need to do on a computer gets loaded onto RAM. When you double click Word, it executes a program, to load it on to RAM. The document I’m working on now is on RAM. It’s only when I click save that it saves a copy of it onto the hard drive. It’s only when I close the program that it’s tucked up back in the hard drive and not in RAM.

The best analogy I’ve heard for the RAM, Hard Drive, and Processor relationship is that the Processor is like the person in the office, and the Hard Drive is the filing cabinet, and the RAM is our work desk. We click on something the Processor Person gets it out of the Hard Drive Filing Cabinet and puts it on our RAM desk. If our RAM desk is already rammed (sorry) with all sorts of programs, then there’s not enough room to work. So the processor has to keep running backwards and forward between the RAM and the Hard Drive in order to create some space on the desk to work.

So the answer is, either get a bigger desk, or get rid of some of the programs that are running at start up, close programs when you’ve finished with them, or best of all, all of the above.

Minimum RAM Recommendations:

·         Windows 7 1024MB (1GB)

·         Windows XP is officially 128MB, but in reality no less than 512MB

·         Vista is same as 7 with the exception of Home Basic (512MB), but I’d never try and run Vista with less than 1Gig.

·         Ubuntu also recommends 1GB

With desktop operating systems, like the above are, I would always try and go for the maximum addressable memory. Which is 3GB in XP, and 4GB in the others.

Obviously, other factors like a totally full hard drive, overheating and hardware faults, and misconfigurations can affect your computers performance. I would recommend taking advantage of Microsoft’s Windows Live SkyDrive: a 25GB hard drive in the cloud and with Office 2010 you can save directly to it. Oh, and it’sfree! Google docs are great, but there is a fee for over 5GB, but access to a myriad of Google Apps, templates, and the full gamut of planet Google.

So, if you need any advice, or want to discuss anything, please comment, or get in touch!