Computer help forum: Why do all Window systems slow down over time?

You may also try changing the way Windows prefetch works. According to MSDN "Prefetch is a utility that is intended to improve Windows and application startup performance by loading application data into memory before it is demanded". By default the prefetcher key will make data files for system boot and applications. The more software you run, each one of them will create data files at the Windows\Prefetch folder and Windows will take longet to boot. Update the EnablePrefetcher registry key in your run-time image:

Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters

The default value is 3, change it to 2. This will enable boot prefetching and disable application prefetching. Then delete all data files inside the Windows\Prefetch folder and reboot the system. The first time maybe Windows will take a little longer to boot while rebuilds the data files.

This method requires changing the Windows registry, if you had not ever done it before I suggest to get help from someone with experience.

RAM disks aren't on the SSD. They are in RAM. And they lose their contents when you shut down.

Kees

I have just installed Windows 8 Professional from scratch, the PrefetchParameters section default values are:

BootId 9
EnableBootTrace 0
EnablePrefetcher 3
EnableSupertetch 3

I ommited the BaseTime Reg_DWORD value only. That computer does not have any software yet, just the operating system. I have no idea of why your computer does have a "0" on EnablePrefetcher. Is it an OEM Windows 8 version?

Just wanted to add that a motorcycle can't be too fast either. One can drive them too fast for conditions, but not too fast of a machine.

I have not found that updates on there own will slow down a computer. The proof of this is the fact that you can wipe your hard drive clean and reinstall Windows and then download and install all updates and service packs with little to no effect on speed or boot times. Now if Windows is already corrupted or damaged, then maybe I could see an update making things even worse.

Your explanation was so simple that even I understood it. I learned somethings, thanks.

That is an easy way to make people buy new pc's every two or three years. Just like they did with Y2K...remember that one? Wonder how many millions they made when all US companies bought new systems. We are so gullible.

As long as Microsoft's Windows does hang on registry, temporary files and manual defrag the pc's will always be collecting data which do increase the reading time of the system. Helpful or not, needed or useless, windows is going through all the steps on which the system is based to get "fast" access... contradiction at its best!
When i used XP (i changed onto macs in this period) i backed up my data and installed the whole OS from zero 2-3 times a year. Several attempts to handle the slow-down with cc-cleaner, registry fumble and nonstop defrag never really fixed the thing. Guess Windows 8 will show the same phenomena since the core of the OS isn't really changed, and when i look at the price and the very lo-fi support of Microsoft i get only one conclusion: be smart, go mac!

I've always used PCs and replaced them whenever they slowed down (every 3 years or so). But your experience influences me to try a Mac next time (which is probably soon, my current one is 3 years old)

Moving swap files to another drive may seem to be helpful. But to my logic it will not give you any advantage unless it is moved to a drive on another physical hard disk, preferably on an SSD. But why don't you think of creating Swap files on to a RAM Drive? This will be possible for those who have invested on more RAM, up to and more than 8 GB.. This will be a good experiment. The readers of the forum may please report their findings.

Please learn about Radeon RAM Disk. I have been using this for a while.It definitely improves loading of programs. May seem disturbed at times when it takes longer to shut down. It is,in fact, the time take to save the files on the RAM disk on your hard disk.
It is true, but not as exactly as you may be thinking that we are moving files from one side of the RAM to another side. For those who are using 32 bit windows,and if they have more than 4 GB of RAM, why not use a portion of the RAM for a small RAM disk?

I've never claimed to be a computer expert and if someone tells me something that contradicts what I say, I usually believe them because I did not study computer science in college. However, in my experience, I've found that Windows XP is the only version of Windows that I've never had any major problems with.

I grew up with an old Mac LCIII and it wasn't until Windows 98 came out that my family got our first PC. It was great, for a while. Eventually, it slowed down and was pretty awful those last few months before we upgraded to XP. About two years later I purchased my own laptop with Windows XP Pro. That was in the summer of 2005. I am happy to say that I am typing this on that very same laptop and my version of XP is running great. Just as fast as it did when I first turned on the computer back in 2005.

My father, on the other hand, got a laptop a few years later with Vista. It sucks. It freezes up all the time and once or twice a week will just go blank while he's working on it. He has to manually restart the entire computer. My mother got a laptop with Windows 7 a year ago. It was fine at first but now it's so slow. My laptop is way faster than hers. And no, they don't have overloaded hard-drives or tons of programs/games. Neither do I, but you'd think that a year old computer would be faster than mine nearly 8 year old computer. I'm sure someone will try and point out why theirs may have problems, but it's not just theirs. I have used other computers with Vista and 7 and they just don't match up to XP. And I don't think it has anything to do with my computer (hardware) either. It's nothing great. Just a plain old Dell, like my mom and dad's. Maybe I just got lucky, but I swear by XP Pro. I dread the day I have to buy a new laptop because this system and computer have been so good to me.

There are multiple causes for computers slowing but IMO almost all of them have one thing in common, they are forcing your computer to do something else you don't want it to do at that moment. Common tasks are things like automatic backups. More sinnister are adware, tracking cookies, spyware, worms, viruses. They are everywhere all over the internet. Unless you block all cookies, create an impregnable fire wall and stay off the internet you are going to get some of them. I clear them out several times a day with Norton, once every week or two with Malware Bytes, and I use other software too. But sometimes you have to look at what programs were inadvertenly downloaded. Coupons was a terrible one. Bonjour was inadvertently downloaded with Safari. Blix or Blinx was another. These are not always easy to get rid of. Going into Control Panel/programs/uninstall isn't always enough. Often you have to go on the internet for specific advice. Also periodically clean up your registry and your temporary files. Maintenance is a constant chore. It's bad enough when your computer is doing something else becuase you need it to, like run a backup. It's much worse when it's doing something someone else needs it to like checking to see what websites you are visiting so it can target advertising at you. When you download software read carefully and uncheck all those ad ons they try to sneak on you. Don't allow anyone to automatically download anything on your computer. Decide only after you know what you will be getting. One inadvertent click can result in a long frustrating process of cleaning out a mistake.

The answers given are good, but most seem to apply to personal computers in general rather than to Window systems. I would be interested in the narrower question of "Why do all WINDOWS systems slow down over time" as opposed to "Why do all COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS slow down over time" (or do they?). In other words, is the problem or part of the problem specific to Windows (and if so, what?) or not?

They are all somewhat right except not completely.

I have completely started from scratch to speed up my system. I reloaded the O/S, but then you have to run all the updates anyway. The same updates someone said would slow down the system over time. I then reloaded all my software, because that is the software that I use. I then reloaded all my data, because that is the data that I use. Then guess what, I get pretty much the same speed as when I first bought the system.

Oh and I had done all the other tricks that were mentioned (run programs to clean the registry, defrag, etc.) first before resorting to a "clean install". The Clean Install still makes it faster and useable again. So the answer is more elusive.

The one thing I did notice that helped is that I finally gave up on an old XP but it had a 1st generation quad processor so I did the January cheap upgrade to Windows 8 which after all is Windows 7 with a Metro/Start front end. Guess what, it seems more responsive with less memory than my 3rd Generation Quad Windows 7 with 8GB of memory. Both are now 64 bit systems and it starts up and shuts down faster. Oh, and I run about the same basic software on each.