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on the left of the System Information screen, then click Startup below it, you will be shown what is set to run when you turn the computer on.

The issue is that some items do need to run on startup, and it is hard to figure out which ones don't need to be.

Some research online can explain what each item is, and a little more looking around will show how to prevent each from starting on boot up. One thing to note, however, is that quite often it will be adware, shareware, or malware applications that are loading and slowing the system. Luckily, there are also great programs designed to find and remove these applications, and the software is easy to use.

Registry problems:

The registry is the brain of the system. Many programs, when installed, updated, or changed, write entries to the registry. Old entries can be left in the registry. Uninstalling the applications doesn't always remove the written entries either. This creates orphan registry pointers and entries, which slow down the system.

It is dangerous to work in the registry without knowledge and training, so it is advisable to get a good quality registry cleaning program that can clean up the clutter for you.

Viruses:

Viruses, Worms, and Trojans aren't always apparent. Often you may have an infected system without ever knowing it. This means that it is important to first identify if the system is infected and, if so, what it is infected with. Anti-virus companies often have virus removal steps on their sites, but that doesn't help determining that the system is infected and by what.

A virus scanning application is vital, so a virus scan can be done frequently. Stopping the virus before the system is infected, or removing viruses as quickly as possible will usually result in a faster system.

Many problems can result in a system slowdown, and tracking down the reason isn't always easy. It can be done with a little effort and know-how. If you want to speed the system quickly and easily, though, there are great software packages that will do this for you.

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
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