If your computer is slow and acting problematic, then you might blame it on hundreds of different things. You might blame that new antivirus program you downloaded, for example, or a recent patch by Microsoft.
But many people are misinformed about why computer problems actually occur. Today, we’re going to reveal some of the most common myths that involve slow computers and general PC problems:

4) You need to buy an expensive antivirus program as soon as possible

 

 
If you’ve ever been to an antivirus software website before, then you know how stupid it is to leave your computer unprotected. Not installing antivirus software is like shooting yourself in the foot. You might as well just throw your computer out the window, right?
Wrong! Not all antivirus software is useful, and in many cases, free antivirus software is equally as useful as the most expensive solutions. But no matter which antivirus program you buy or download, it won’t defend you against 100% of virus threats. That’s right: you could spend $60 on a premium antivirus program subscription today, only to have your computer become infected with a dangerous virus tomorrow.
In other words, antivirus software isn’t as useful as you think. It won’t defend against unsafe browsing practices and it won’t always protect your computer if you deliberately do something dangerous – like run an .exe you downloaded from a suspicious website. To make matters worse, many antivirus programs can force your computer to slow to a crawl, which makes computer security far more of a hassle than it’s worth.
A better alternative: Be smarter when browsing the internet, use free antivirus programs

3) RAM always makes your PC faster and solves computer problems

If you talk to many PC users about speeding up or fixing computer problems, they might recommend that you buy more RAM. But is RAM really the best solution to your computer problems? Will it always make your PC faster and cure your performance woes?
No, RAM doesn’t always improve computer performance. It only improves performance on computers that actually need more RAM. To see if you need more RAM, open your Windows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete or by right clicking anywhere on the taskbar.
Once the Task Manager is open, go to the Performance tab and take a look at how much RAM and CPU power your computer is currently using. If you’re just browsing the internet and reading articles, then both RAM and CPU usage should be very low. However, as you open up more programs, you’ll see that the load on your computer increases, which will eventually slow it down.
Try running your most performance-intensive computer program – like a video game or photo editing tool. Watch the Task Manager to see how your RAM usage changes. If RAM usage regularly peaks above 50% to 75%, then you could benefit by adding more RAM. But if it doesn’t even come close to that mark, then RAM isn’t your problem. Save your money.
A better alternative: Only upgrade RAM if your computer regularly runs out of it

2) Your computer hardware degrades and becomes slower over time

This is a persistent myth among members of the PC community. As our computers get older, their parts degrade and become worse. After all, the computer you’re using today isn’t nearly as fast as the brand new computer you purchased two years ago, right?
Yes, PCs slow down as they get older. But no, it generally doesn’t have anything to do with hardware degrading. Instead, it has to do with the buildup of clutter and junk on the hard drive. As the hard drive fills up with more data, it becomes harder and harder for your computer to find the information it needs.
It also has to do with the number of programs that are running on your system. Most computer users are surprised to learn which programs load when their computer starts up. When you install a new program, it might automatically add itself to the boot queue, which means that program is always running in the background of your system and draining resources.
Try using PC Cleaner Pro to wipe out clutter on your system. Or, if you’re looking for an even more powerful solution, reinstall Windows and wipe your hard drive clean. It will feel like you just bought a brand new computer – and the speediness you noticed the first day you purchased your system should also return.
A better alternative: Clean out your hard drive regularly and reinstall Windows to recapture the power of a brand new PC

1) You need to defragment your disks on a regular basis

For years, PC optimization experts have been preaching the importance of regular computer maintenance. One of the most important parts of PC maintenance, these people claim, is defragmenting the hard drive.
Well, these people preached the importance of regular disk defragmentation so loudly that Microsoft finally took notice. On Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8, the operating system will manually defragment the disk on a regular basis. So, instead of having to manually run a scan every month on your own, Windows will do that for you.
In fact, defragmenting drives on your own can actually harm computer performance. Since Windows is already defragmenting the disk as often as it needs to be defragmented, defragmenting it beyond that number will put undue stress on your hard drive, shortening its lifespan and putting your data at risk.
A better alternative: Let Windows defragment disks for you, and make the defragmentation process more efficient by deleting programs and large files that you don’t need

So how do you actually fix computer problems and optimize performance?

Just because most common computer solutions are myths doesn’t mean that fixing a computer is impossible. Programs like PC Cleaner Pro can have a significant impact on computer performance. And there are hundreds of little tweaks you can do to improve the performance of your computer, including:
-Running msconfig and choosing which programs load as your computer starts up
-Buying a new hard drive or RAM only when needed
-Using fast internet browsers like Chrome
-Uninstalling programs you no longer use
-Replacing your hard drive with an SSD
-Reinstalling Windows
-Installing antivirus software only when you need to get rid of a pesky virus, then uninstalling it afterwards
–And more!