Coosnet
A Division of Comp-U-Talk
“Life is movement. It’s the person
who sits on the couch who’s living dangerously.”—Grete Waitz
It seems as if every day
someone mentions their computer doesn’t run as fast as it once did.
Sometimes, they will try to suggest it is my fault.
I have even been told, “You were able to make it run faster when
I brought it in five years ago! And it worked really
well after you worked on it three years ago! So how
come it doesn’t seem any faster after you worked on it yesterday?”
The answer: Fast is relative.
If you are using a newer computer at work and then go home to an
older system, there is nothing reasonable I can do to make the older
system’s speed match the newer.
Here is an analogy: Let’s
pretend you have VW bug. When the bug is brand new, it runs
wonderfully. Let’s also pretend that every month you are required
by some obscene law to put 10 pounds of bricks into the trunk. The
bricks have to stay there forever. It’s inconvenient, but doable.
It’s 120 pounds of bricks per year. After two years you are
carrying an extra 240 pounds of bricks, after 5 years you dragging 1200
pounds of bricks everywhere you go. Now I ask, how well is the VW
going to accelerate up a hill after 5 years of bricks have been added?
The same is true of your
operating system. The 2nd Tuesday of every month is
known as patch Tuesday. This is when Microsoft releases major
fixes (aka updates) to the operating system. This is the
equivalent of adding 10 pounds of bricks to your trunk every month.
These bricks can’t be removed without risking attack from outsiders.
Your antivirus software updates daily. This adds more bricks.
The bricks are unavoidable. As the system ages, it starts to slow
under the added weight of a larger operating system and larger antivirus
databases. It is unavoidable.
What is the cure?
First, you should always buy
the fastest computer you can afford. Doing so will
delay the onset of the sluggishness you are going to
experience from the onslaught of bricks.
Second, you can consider adding
RAM or upgrading the processor. RAM is the most cost
effective. Depending on the age of the system,
upgrading the processor might not be possible.
Third, you can treat the old
system with love and respect. After all, it’s old.
Finally, you can replace it.
If that idea makes you cringe because you’ve heard the horror
stories about Windows 8, relax… We still sell computers with Windows 7.
Details are on the back.
It’s time to -- Start your
engines!!