Many PCs come with too little memory for it to run at its full potential. They also come with a lot of programs that you don't need and that load in the background for no good reason. And, over time, your PC collects lots of files from the internet that are taking up space and slowing things down. Add to that adware and spyware programs you didn't even know were running. All these factors can slow your PC down and bring your blood pressure up. With a good tune up and, perhaps, an upgrade, your old PC may have a couple years left in it.

Each new version of Windows requires more resources from your computer. If your computer came loaded with Windows XP, then it's only a few years old at the most and can still be a fine PC for most people. When Windows XP was first released, many computers came with a minimum of RAM and you would probably benefit from an upgrade. If you upgraded your PC from Windows 98 or ME to Windows XP, It's highly likely that you don't have enough RAM and you're PC is struggling to keep up. Your processor is probably marginally adequate as well. If you're still using Windows 95, 98, ME or 2000, you should very seriously consider getting up to Windows XP as soon as possible. No, Microsoft doesn't pay me anything for the sales pitch. The reason is this; Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 2000 on June 30,

A new computer can cost only a few hundred dollars if you watch for a sale - and there's always a sale. I picked up a refurbished HP computer for my daughter for $200 and it's as good as some lower-end new PCs. If your old monitor still works and is still in focus, use it with the new PC, it'll work. My minimum recommended hardware list for Windows XP is: RAM - 256MB for simple documents, email and web surfing. 512MB or more is really recommended for most people as antivirus and other security software is running all the time and most people have more than one program open.

Processor - I wouldn't go any slower than 600MHz. Something this slow will work, but will struggle, and it shows the age of the computer. If your processor is faster than 1GHz, you're fine for a while. Hard drive - If your hard drive is bigger than 10 GB, you're fine. But keep in mind that hard drives get old and fail. It's not a matter of if, but when.

There are other, more advanced hardware specifications, but these will help guide most home users.

The Parker Computer Guy can tell you if your PC needs to be upgraded, tuned up or cleaned out. And if your computer is in need of repair, we can fix it quickly and get you back on track.
About the Author

Scott Dary, aka Parker Computer Guy, runs a computer repair and consulting business. Additional articles by Scott can be found at http://www.ParkerComputerGuy.com