There’s nothing like a brand new computer or a freshly installed one. It boots quick. It performs well. Windows and programs just pop up – almost before you boot them. But not before long your computer becomes sluggish, boot seems to take forever and programs take forever to load. Your CPU works overtime and you hear that constant nagging from your hard-drive.
Is it time to do another fresh installation, already ??
I hate doing fresh installations, it takes me two or three days getting my computer back up and running as I like it. So, I keep putting it off, until nothing works, and I have no other choice…
Inevitable? Yes, BUT – there is one thing to try first….
I recently came across a tip that will help prolong the inevitable – much longer. In this tutorial I am using Windows 7, but it should also apply to Vista and XP.
Lets open your Main User Folder:
- Windows 7 users, go to:
C:\Users\
- Windows XP users, go to:
C:\Documents and Settings\
Where of course C: is your main drive.
Right Click on your User Folder (the one with your name on it) and click: Properties.
In the General Tab you will find useful information: Folder Size and Disk Usage. Now IF the folder-size exceed 3GB (I’ve seen it as big as 40GB) then you might just have found your culprit. Remember that the User Folder holds every information, document, icon and preference you set. When you save documents, files, videos etc. to your desktop or any other Sub User Folder, you will actually contribute to your computers slow demise. Windows index the content in these folders, keeping most of it in RAM – no wonder things seem slow, huh?!
How to fix the issue
First thing you should try is: Delete. Delete or Move everything that you really don’t need to store in your User Folder (documents, pictures, music etc.) to another disk or folder. This spring cleaning should reduce the toll on your system considerably. Remember keeping your User Folder to a minimum, not exceeding 3 GB will keep your computer run smoothly longer. Moving without remapping will let Windows work without the knowledge of where those documents are stored, thereby saving memory.
Delete User Account
If you are not able to reduce the Folder Size. Or removing content doesn’t help – then you need to delete the User Profile from the computer. This will effectively Reset Windows back to Factory Settings (such as Desktop Wallpaper, icons, Browser and folder Preferences etc.). You do that by creating a new User Account and to make it an Administrative Account. Reboot into your new account, and delete your old user account from the User Section found in the Control Panel.
Should everything fail
Should you be as unfortunate that this doesn’t help – then the only choice is to do a clean installation. Good luck !
About Thomas
Computer geek from the age of 7, which amounts to 30 years of computer experience. From the early days (when every computer company had their own OS) of DOS, Windows 1.0 through Seven...
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