Dear Geek,

My computer is running slower and slower.  At some point, I think my grandmother passed it.  What can I do?

Signed,

Gramma gots speed!

Dear Speed,

It sounds like this isn’t a sudden problem, but one that’s evolved over time.  There are several possible culprits to your loss of speed.

1.  The first culprit that could be slowing your computer down is malware.  You should be doing a weekly scan for viruses, Trojans, adware, etc.  If your kids (especially teens) are on your computer more than you are, you might want to consider a daily scan.  Malware generally likes to hide, but it also takes up system resources, which malware-detection software uses as an indication that there is malware in your system.  Update your virus definitions and do a thorough scan.  You can run more than one antivirus app, but NOT at the same time.  The best practice is to run one scan, once that one is done, shut it down completely, and run the next one.  You may find that the second scan picks up malware that the first scan missed.

2.  The second culprit that affects speed is heat.  Basically, when it comes to computers, heat = bad.  It’s hard on the interior components, which could make them work inefficiently, or stop working all together.  When a computer is beginning to overheat, it tends to slow down to try to cool off.  It may continue to work (for a while), but will continue to get slower and slower, until it eventually gives out.  Give your computer a routine cleaning once in approximately 6 months, paying special attention to vents and fans.  If you’re brave enough to clean the internals of your computer, take care!  The cards are delicate.  To be on the safe side, have your IT professional complete the internal cleaning.  They can do a thorough job, and they know which components need to be handled with kid-gloves.  Also, make sure there is enough space around the computer tower for the fans to draw in cool air, and to release the hot air.  Finally, if you use a laptop, don’t run it on soft surfaces (like on your bed), as a soft surface can obscure the vents and fans, which causes your laptop to overheat.  You may also want to consider using a laptop cooler.

3.  Not enough hard drive space can also slow down your computer.  If your hard drive is fragmented (which is often the case with a full hard drive), your computer has to waste time locating the little space it has left, on which to store new data.  Also, when you are running multiple heavy-duty programs at once, some of that memory-load is shifted to your hard drive.  Some of that memory is used (temporarily) as ‘virtual memory’.  This usually works efficiently, except when your hard drive is fuller than Gramma’s cookie jar.  When your hard drive is full, your system tries to shift the memory-load back and forth, because it can’t handle the demands on memory but your hard drive is lacking the space needed for the temporary storage.  This results in your computer slowing down.

The moral of the story?  Update your virus definitions, and run scans weekly (or daily, if needed).  Make sure your computer is in a computer-friendly environment, and kept free of dust.  Lastly, make sure your hard drive has enough space.

If you’ve checked all 3 of these, and you’re sure it’s none of these, call your IT professional.  We can run a “Performance Analysis” that can detect any potential problems that are causing your current frustrations, or that are likely to cause frustration in the future.

If you have a question for our Resident Geek, send it to:  geek@tbyd.ca.  We’ll translate it from Geek-lish to English, so it actually helps!

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Dear Geek;

Our business is at the point where we need a server.  What do we need to consider when buying one?

Thanks,

Served

Dear Served;

Increasingly, a server is a must-have in an office.  Even most small businesses benefit from a centralized operation, and run more efficiently with a local server.  Now, you know you need a server.  You just have to decide what server operating systems are best for your desired applications.  At this point, it’s best to speak to your IT professional to find out what OS’s (Operating Systems) are out there, and what would work best for your situation.

The most important things to consider when looking at Server OS’s?

1.  Security.  If you’re considering a server, computers are likely very important to your day-to-day operations.  Which also means that there is a lot of data that potentially could be at risk.  A loss of that data could mean huge losses, both in downtime and business/client confidentiality.  The more you have to lose, the more critical security should be in deciding what server OS you go with.  Make sure you do your homework (or your IT professional does), and look at known exploits against any potential server for your business, how secure the platform is, and maintenance of that security in the future.

2.  Manageability.  How easy is it to monitor and manage server operation from a console (usually a desktop or laptop) over the Internet?  How easy it is to manage when the server is down, so that ‘admin’ can reboot and/or troubleshoot the server?

3.  Performance.  All servers are not made alike.  Not all servers will deliver what your company needs.  A discussion with your IT professional should include budget, software your are running (or plan to run) in your current environment.

4.  Scalability.  Does your server give your company room to grow?

5.  Price.  The final frontier.  What can your company afford?  You need to account for licensing fees, client costs over time, how many administration accounts you will need, new hardware you will need to purchase to support the server, etc.

If you have a question for our Resident Geek, send it to:  geek@tbyd.ca.  We’ll translate it from Geek-lish to English, so it actually helps!

Comments?  Fill out the form below and let us know!