If your PC lately has been responding curiously slowly or applications are freezing up, you may be considering getting a new one. Before you spend several hundred dollars or more on a new one, try these 4 proven and cheap fixes that take 5 minutes each.

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Fix #1: Scrub your hard drive: Your computer likely has a number of unused and unneeded files that take up valuable space on your hard drive and slow performance. There are two effective fixes for this, both of which take only a few minutes. First, run your PC's built-in Disk Cleanup utility to automatically remove these files; you can find it in the Systems Tools folder of your operating system. For a more comprehensive solution, clean your hard drive with professional cleaning software. Try the excellent CCleaner, which you can download for free from the Internet.

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Fix #2: Install an anti-virus tool: Computer viruses are malicious programs that drastically affect your computer's performance, either all at once or bit-by-bit over time. To mitigate this problem, install anti-virus software on your PC. It will perform regular scans, locating the offending viruses and quarantining them for you. I like Symantec's line of products, but there are a number of good ones out there.

Fix #3: Clean your registry: Your computer's registry is a place you may have never seen. It is accessible, but most people have no reason to go into it since most of the files stored there are not easily readable unless you know what you are looking for. Your registry faithfully works for you every day, storing user profiles, remembering important application settings, and even telling your computer which programs to run upon startup. Over time, all computer registries get corrupted and this slows down performance or makes your computer unstable. Fortunately, there are some great products available that will clean your registry for you. At the touch of a button or two, the software will scan and then fix the problems with your registry. I recommend RegCure, whose scan revealed well over 1,000 problems with my registry; the fix took less than 5 minutes.

Fix #4: Run anti-spyware software: Spyware consists of malicious routines that install themselves on your computer and do things like monitor your usage and generally throw a wrench into smooth functioning. Spyware is a real problem today and shows no signs of going away. Fortunately, fixes are easy to find. I recommend the free SpyBot Search & Destroy. Trying running at least 2 different anti-spyware applications to improve protection.

Each of these recommended fixes is safe and takes no more than 5 minutes to run. Try them before shelling out big bucks on replacing your computer.

Slow Computer Performance - 4 Fixes that Take 5 Minutes

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