The computer has become slow
Tell which of the three kinds of slow you have, and say what is actually happening inside.
Slow is not one fault. It is three, and they feel almost identical from the chair.
Key points
- Tell the three kinds of slow apart by when they happen, not how bad they feel
- Explain what a full memory does, and why a restart clears it
- Say why nothing inside a computer wears out
What to remember
- Before we go on — what have you been told about why yours is slow?
- Memory is the workbench. When it is full, the machine starts shuffling, and shuffling is what slow feels like.
- Slow that comes and goes with the day is the memory. Slow that is always there is the disk or the age.
Try this
Count the tabs open across the top of your browser right now. If there are more than about ten, close everything you finished with — a great deal of afternoon slowness is sitting in that row.
Practice: The computer has become slow. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.