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Please include your operating system information and approximate age of the machine.

Dear Guru
I have an older Gateway desktop, and It runs slow. It takes like ten minutes to start up, webpages open slow, and programs stall. I can't afford to replace it, but it's not usable. I was told there is a way to make it go faster, would it be worth putting money into? would it work?

Slow

Dear Slow,
There is a way to make it go faster, and it is certainly worth the cost.

Older computers do run slower, and hold less memory than newer ones, however older computers can hold enough memory to still run the new software. the minimum requirements to run most anything now is 800Mhz processor, 256 MB Memory and at least a 10GB hard drive. You can still use Windows XP and even Windows 98 for most work you do. There is a comfortable bubble of older software that can still outperform the latest technology. The first thing to do to make your computer faster is a tune up. Most computer stores will charge you about $40 to do this, its simple and quick, and really shouldn't
cost more than that. Then have a virus scan done, this will ensure your not slow due to viruses or spyware.  Next is to check all your programs to see if they are compatible with your version of Windows. Just go to Add/Remove programs in Control Panels to see the versions. Make sure all your windows updates are done, and if it still runs slow, check for hardware updates.

Memory (RAM) is the most likely need here. All of these options will make your computer run like new.

Guru Tip of the week:
Surfing the web
There are different ways to surf the Internet, and now there are more ways
to get there. First the tools you need. Internet browsers include Internet
Explorer, Safari, AOL and FireFox, they all include an address bar, back and
forward buttons, and a home link. You can add other buttons such as a
history feature, print button, link to email, refresh, favorites and a
custom search bar.

To surf the Internet, you can use a search engine such as Yahoo, MSN or
Google, type in what you are looking for and it will give you several
possible results. Or simply type in the address you want from the address
bar. All websites include the following pretext (http://) Address (name)
and suffix (.com) Most modern browsers are set up so all you have to type is
the name without the http, www, or sometimes even .com. Since more than one
organization will use the same name, there are more suffixes such as .net,
for business websites, .gov for government, .edu for schools, .info for
databases. You use a IPS or Internet Service Provider to access the
Internet. The common ones are DSL, such as Qwest or Falcon Broadband, Cable
such as Comcast, dial up such as People PC, and cellular such as Cricket,
Sprint and T-Mobile. The prices all vary depending on speed and quality.

Happy Computing!

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