It's hard to pinpoint the cause of laptop performance problems, since many different causes have seemingly similar symptoms. For many people, a slow computer is the stopping point with any other issues well beyond their level of knowledge. If you want to be informed during a repair or repair the problem yourself, take the time to understand a few deeper causes of computer performance problems and how to troubleshoot them.

It's Not Always A Virus: Check The Resources First

The threat of viruses and other malicious software (malware) is real, but sometimes over-exaggerated. Although virus removal can be a difficult and time-consuming task, detecting the signs of a performance-sapping virus can be performed fairly quickly. Take not that this is about viruses that affect performance, not the more deceptive viruses that can hide their symptoms.

Most modern computers have a task manager or resource monitor that can track down which processes are using the most resources. Although the worldwide-popular brands have different names, search for your operation's task manager on the Internet can give you a good idea. Some examples are Microsoft Windows' Task Manager or the Activity Monitor on Apple OSX systems.

These managers and monitors are able to list the processes in alphabetical order, different resources from least to most and other categories. There may be a lot of processes that you don't understand, but you can search for each process to get a quick idea of what is wrong. You can also post your results on Internet forums such as Bleeping Computer to have a look through the issue.

Keep in mind that while helpful, support forums expect you to have some computer skill, the ability to follow instructions and the willingness to risk further damage during suggested fixes. If you're not comfortable with deep troubleshooting, contact a laptop repair and virus removal professional instead.

Legitimate Software And Hardware Problems

If you're not noticing any extreme overuse of processes from viruses or a virus scan returns no major results, look to legitimate software or hardware problems instead.

Some of the processes using up resources may be coming from programs that you use, enjoy or need. Excessive resource usage could be caused by a memory leak or a significant update that you didn't know about.

A memory leak takes place when a program doesn't return memory borrowed from the system, or when the program continuously consumes memory that it doesn't need. This is a common problem with new programs from inexperienced or experimental development groups or when a major change happens with an operating system. The operating system decides what languages and techniques can be used, so a constant battle of understanding and compromise makes memory leaks an issue that always returns.

The issue of an unknown update takes place when your computer is no longer near top-of-the-line. You don't need to have the newest computer of the year, but if your computer is past half a decade old, there's new techniques and ambitions that consume far more resources than the previous generation.

A program's update could have ushered in a new generation of resource demands that require an upgrade for your computer. You may not need to upgrade the entire computer; new parts such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) upgrade may suffice. For virus, software, hardware or upgrade assistance, contact a laptop repair professional, like those at Computer Exchange.