If your wondering why your computer is running so slow, it helps to conduct a few tests to eliminate possible menaces. By now, you have figured out that your hardware matches your software and you've already scanned for and removed viruses and spyware. Now, all you need to do is optimize your software. This is the next step in making sure your computer is running as fast as it should be.

Steps to optimize your software include the following:

Make sure your Operating System is up to date.

Remove any programs that you don't use from your computer to free up hard drive space.

Conduct a Disk Cleanup to remove other items from your hard drive.

Perform a Check Disk.

Defragment your hard drive.

Take a look at your Registry.

See what items you have set to start up with your computer. All of these items can really affect your computer's performance.