8. Too Many Windows and Temporary Files. Your hard drive could be crammed with many useless files left over from re-installs, and just general use. To clear these up, you can first refer back to item #4 and clean your hard drive or click on "Start" then "Run" then enter "cleanmgr.exe" without quotes. Select the "C" drive and click ok. The hard drive clean utility will pop-up and do its thing.

9. Viruses or any ITD. Is this the "tail-wagging-the-dog?" Could be! But by this time, you should be fully protected with a bi-directional Firewall, (the Windows Firewall is only One Way), a good reliable and up-to-date anti-virus program. Because no individual spyware program can get all of the ITD's, two is better, three recommended. AVG is a dependable anti-virus with a free capability, but then, go to www.download.com with no quotes, and do a little shopping.

10 Hardware Problems. There are assortments of things that can happen to your hardware: wear and tear, over heating and dust. If you do not know how to clean the inside of your machine, put "Dust Removal" in the subject line of your e-mail to me. If you do experience a failure, crash or a shut down it can be traced to a hardware problem.

Rather than pay someone a lot of money, you, yes you, can purchase the parts and install them yourself with the explicit instructions you will receive with the parts. I have replaced fans, hard drives and CD drives. I know ... for me, it is easy, for you, it is difficult, but that is how I felt before I had at it.

These are the 10 most prevalent reasons for your computer slowing down. They are not listed in any particular order or by their gravity; this is just to inform you of what t