The Microsoft series of operating systems (95, 98, ME, XP) provides PCs with a basic platform for running programs such as Outlook Express, Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop and so on. Each of these programs share various Windows operating system services and what is called dynamic link libraries (DLL) in order to do their job. Services and DLLs are small programs which silently load into memory when the operating system is first started by turning on your PC. Most services sit quietly in the background using very little processor time until they are called on by other programs to do a specific function. And, there are many operating system services which actively run at scheduled times to do functions such as keeping the PC's date/time synchronized with the internet, taking pictures of system files for backup, searching for newly added hardware, looking for network files, creating logs of system events and so on. These are all normal operating system functions but can get out of control as more and more services may become accidentally turned on. This results in slower and slower PC operation. By examining what is being loaded during startup, unnecessary items can be removed to restore system performance.

Another problem typically occurs when the number of system log files and temporary files increase. This reduces the amount of available hard disk space which causes disk fragmentation. Disk fragmentation is when a newly created file has been broken down into small pieces so it will fit into available empty disk spaces resulting in files and programs becoming scattered over the hard disk surface. Fragmentation is typically the main cause of slow program launch and file loading.

Adding new programs or games to your PC can also cause slower PC operation in some situations. How? Many install programs don't take the time to look and see if a service or DLL has already been installed within the operating system. This results in service or DLL duplication. And in many cases, DLLs and services are replaced with older versions or incompatible versions causing a reduction in system performance and even system crashes.

A PC tune-up is where all operating system services are examined to ensure they are required and are up to date. Unnecessary services are either removed or shut down depending on their particular function. All files on the hard disk are then sorted through looking for unnecessary items such as temporary files and crashed files which need to be deleted. The system log files are examined next to determine if any technical problems have developed over time which need to be repaired. The registry is also examined to determine if any viruses or Trojans are being loaded when the system starts causing software damage or slow system performance. Internet garbage is removed along with unnecessary files created during new program installation along with files left over from system crashes.

The average user can spend days attempting to examine operating system components and files to determine why a PC is slow or if a virus, spyware or Trojan exists. If you would like to see how its done, learn how to perform a tune up yourself or just want the performance and fun put back into your PC, give me a call ....