If you are like most of the people in the world, then that is you can not live without doing something on your PC. The problem is that many people ask: Why Does My Computer Run So Slow? There are many contributing factors, but programs running in the background / foreground or intensive programs tend to be a popular cause of slow computers. This article will aim to educate you on these common two problems so that you will not be asking, "Why Does My Computer Run So Slow?".
In Windows, there is many different processes running on your computer. Mainly, there are system files and there are program files. However, some of these programs are necessary and some are not. How do you know which is which?
Try this little exercise: Open your Task Manager by holding down the following keys: CTRL + SHIFT + ESC (You can also get the task manager by right-clicking your task bar and selecting Task Manager). There are the usual system files: svchost (although, sometimes this may be a virus), system, spoolsv, winlogon, etc etc. These system files run in the background and are necessary for your computer to function. Then there are your program files such as iexplore.exe, outlook.exe, etc etc.
You should get to know what each of files do and one way to do that is to use a program called Process Explorer (Just do a search on the Microsoft.com website). You will be able to see all running processes with descriptions. When you get familiar with these processes, you will be able to target which ones are not necessary to run all the time.
By using Process Explorer, you can also see what programs are using most of the CPU's processing. This is another cause for slow computers to occur because of the fact that a program is drawing all the attention from the CPU. In order for other applications to function, highly intensive programs need to be either run by themselves or run on a computer with a higher CPU speed. A lot of graphic applications such as Video Editors and Graphics Editors tend to require a lot of processing.
So to answer the question: "Why Does My Computer Run So Slow?" means for you to understand what processes are running and which are necessary. It is equally important to understand which programs require a lot of intensive processing. Now I'm not saying this is a means to an end, rather it is a start in trying to troubleshoot your computer issues. To readate, take a look at Process Explorer from Microsoft and start analyzing what programs are sucking the life out of your computer.