Most PCs will last a minimum of three years before they need to be replaced, with many lasting longer. Macs, in particular, are known for their impressive lifespan. Common causes of a slow computer, this doesn’t mean that you won’t encounter any issues until your computer needs to be replaced by a new one though. Computers need maintenance to run smoothly, and often require repairs.

A common complaint, no matter what kind of computer you own, is that they start to run slowly after a while. Before you run out and by a new one, read up on these common reasons your computer might have slowed down and what you can do about it.

Memory Used Up

One of the common computer problems that can cause everything to slow down is that your memory is close to being used up. The more things you have stored on your computer, the closer it comes to being full, and the slower it will run — it has a heavy load!

You can mitigate this by clearing out your storage every once in a while. Go through your apps, programs, and files to check what you no longer need and delete them. You can store some on an external device or the Cloud to free up space too.

There are also programs you can run which will check for files that are no longer in use and automatically delete them.

You should try not to come close to using your full memory, as this can cause many computer issues.

Too Many Programs Open

Sometimes there are just too many programs open for a computer to handle, which is one of the computer issues some people don’t seem to realize causes a problem.

Often, people have a lot of programs set to open on start-up and never close them down. Make sure you don’t have a ton of these that open automatically, especially if you don’t use most of these apps and programs.

Speeding up a computer can be easy if you just minimize the number of tasks you’re trying to accomplish at once. Internet browsers, editing software, and games, in particular, put your computer through its paces, so don’t have too many of these running at the same time.

A Virus

These days, many computers are built to withstand viruses and most of us are clued up. Never click a link in a strange email, especially if it’s promising you won money or something else too good to be true.

Still, viruses still exist, and it could be the issue. Make sure you have anti-virus software installed.

Hardware Issues

Many hardware issues can also cause your computer to slow down.

These usually aren’t fixable by the average owner, and should be taking to a professional. Reputable places such as ifixomaha.com will be able to take a look and perform computer repairs to the hardware if necessary.