If you are like most people, when you turn on your computer that initial wait time can sometimes seem like an eternity even if it is less then a minute. As soon as the system
comes on, you immediately want to dive in and start clicking away trying to get your work done. Come on, you know who you are. Well I am here to tell you that any computer, no matter how fast or slow, needs time to initialize before you start overwhelming it with requests.
The problem is actually a very common one of not allowing the computer enough time to complete one task before attempting to start another. This can be a problem with not only slower older computers but also with new fast computers as well. For all systems, certain tasks are more computer intensive then others.
Lets look at Outlook as an example. Many folks have hundreds if not thousands of e-mails stored in their e-mail programs. We get lots of calls that Outlook takes too long to open. In a case such as this, we first look to see how much e-mail is stored in the program.
In almost every case, it is a lot and sometimes excessive. This will cause the program to open slowly. What complicates matters even more is if you try to open the program before the computer is completely initialized. Sometimes you will click and click several times trying to get the program to open. The truth is, every time you click the program the computer remembers your selection and it is stored in memory. Now, instead of just trying to open the program once, the computer is opening it several times. This will further stress the computer out.
If you have an older computer or a system that runs Vista, you might notice what seems to be a long time for the system to boot. This is sometimes partially correctable but more often it is just part of the “personality” of the machine. Lets look at an example. When you have a microwavable dinner and the label says it takes 5 minutes to cook, how often do you just start at the microwave and wait for it? Usually you go and do something else while it is cooking. Well, if you have an older machine or a machine that has a slow boot up, do something else while the machine is initializing. When you come back, you will be ready to go.
When you first start up your computer, how can you tell if the system is still busy? Well, there are two ways to check for computer activity. You can look to see if the hour glass is active or you can check your hard drive light to see if it is flashing or not. A flashing hard drive light indicates that your computer is busy and is performing background tasks.
It is important to remember that no matter how fast your computer is you cannot expect all tasks to be implemented instantly. It is just not going to happen. Certain programs are going to tax the system and cause occasional lags. The best way to ensure your system is running as fast as the hardware will allow is to have regular tune-ups and clean-ups performed on the computer. This should be done about every 3 months or so for optimal performance.
Posted by ,Ross Deprey from Computer Geeks Online.net
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