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Getting a new computer is usually an exciting experience, whether it's your first or twentieth. The excitement can sour quickly though, if the system begins to slow down and when it seems to drag just to accomplish the simplest of tasks.

There are a lot of things that can cause a computer to run slowly, but the most common causes can be broken down to make it far easier to correct the problem. Ultimately, the goal is to get the system to run as rapidly as it once did and as it should. Let's look at those different kinds of problems.

Memory problems:

Nearly every time a program is installed on a computer, temporary files are created. Many programs may even write temporary files as they are used. For instance, Microsoft Word creates an emergency backup file as you type, so if the system goes down, not all of the work you did will be lost. The file that is created is a temporary file, however it doesn't automatically remove itself. The temporary files take up hard drive space.

Also, temporary Internet files are created as you visit websites. This is true even if you are just looking around and not actually doing anything on a given web page. Many of the web sites also write cookies to your computer. Neither temporary Internet files nor cookies are usually damaging, however like the other temporary files they do take up space on the hard drive.

The more space on the hard drive that is used for the clutter, the slower the hard drive will run and the less space will be available for programs and data. Thankfully, the temporary files and cookies can be easily removed by clicking the Start button, clicking All Programs, clicking Accessories, clicking System Tools, then running Disk Cleanup, making sure that Windows Temporary, Temporary Internet, and Recycle Bin are all checked.

Remembering to do the cleanup, or remembering how to do it, may be a problem though. It is also a hassle. For this part of the problem, there is good software that will clean the temporary files up for you even more easily, and the software may even have a built in scheduler to do the cleanup automatically at the time you want it done.

Running programs:

As with problems with excess temporary files, if there are too many programs running when you turn on the computer, the system may be sluggish or could freeze.

It is relatively simple to find out what is running on startup. You can click the Start button, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Information. If you click Software Environment

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