It’s a fact that a fast computer will slowly turn into a slow computer if you aren’t diligent. Here are a few things that will slow down your computer, and some suggestions for what you can do about it.

Disk Errors

Overtime, the constantly copying files on your computer will accrue little errors. These errors will build up over time and they can really slow down your computer to a shocking degree. Doing a disk cleanup every once in a while will remove this problem and you’ll be able to use your computer at top speed once more.

Dust

Given enough time, dust can really build up in the fans and in the internal mechanisms of a computer. It’s a good idea to go in there once a year with a can of air and blast out all the dust. If the fans slow down due to being clogged with dust, then heat can be a problem with your computer and it could slow down.

Viruses and Malware

Overtime, some bad programs can enter into your computer by going to shady websites by accident, or by installing programs that add extra programs that you don’t need. Some of these programs could cause popups to jump up on your computer at random moments, which can really slow it down. Other programs might simply track your computer’s actions. But the point is that these programs are unnecessary and potentially harmful. They are taking up valuable computer resources, and you should remove them regularly with an antivirus or antimalware program.

Cookies

Cookies are bits of data that track your computer, or that save info like passwords and so on. But they can really build up on your computer given enough time. If your browser is taking forever to load, for example, then it’s a good bet that you haven’t cleaned out your cookies recently. It’s usually a simple task to delete all of the cookies in all of your browsers, though it can help to get a program to automate this for you a bit.

Defragmentation

Hard drives that still use spinning disks can have problems from time to time. You can fix this by doing a “defragmentation.” This will take a few hours, but it can really help your computer’s operations in terms of speeding it up and making sure it works right.

Spring Cleaning

Some of these need to be taken care of more frequently, but for the most part you can get away with doing them all in a “spring cleaning” option once a year. If you just go down the list and thoroughly clean up your computer in one big spring cleaning effort, you’ll ensure smooth operation.