I had a new computer 2-3 years back and it was quite fast. I only use my computer for trading -IB and QT. I have no downloads and I donot even read my e mails on this computer. In this period computer has become slow . Anything I can do to bring it back to speed when it was new. Help much appreciated. Thanks
1. Reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything. 2. Double the amount of ram if its currently under 2 MBytes 3. If there is a faster processor that will fit in your existing motherboard instead of your current one it will probably be another very cheap upgrade.
Scan for viruses. Defragment the hard drive. Did anyone install software on the computer that you do not know about?
Since you only have a couple of trading programs on it, I would just reinstall Windows and start as a new one... Any computer slows down in 2-3 years time...
You might consider that even though you are using the same software on the same computer, that software and its updates are becoming bigger and more taxing on resources. For example, if you are using IB, you might be running a Java that is much more resource intensive than one from 3 yrs ago. The same with QT. Also, you might have a lot of data accumulated on your QT that is eating into available memory, etc. I reformat and rebuild my trading systems 2x per year. I upgrade every 3 yrs. You can go to various websites that help you tweak your PC for best performance depending on your needs. There is a lot you can turn off in XP that can improve performance slightly. The hardware upgrades suggested by others are also an important step to stay up to date. The life of a computer is really no more than 3 yrs or so if you want to maintain performance.
Osho, all the above is good advice... imho, the cleanest and most efficient method is that offered by Kiwi/futures trader71... by the time you tinker with de-lousing etc... you could have re-formatted and re-loaded you operating system and trading programs... Memory is inexpensive and the best bang for your buck... Only other advice I could offer... is to avoid Vista at all costs and be sure to back up your data and assemble all the current drivers onto a readable media before you begin.... I will be re-formatting my hard drive, uninstall Vista and loading XP on my new computer as soon as my new copy of XPpro arrives as well...I have spent more time installing patches and re-loading programs, than re-formatting three times over, it isn't worth troubleshooting any more. good luck...
Thanks for all the replies. I am going to take few actions as suggested. I will be able to to add 1 gig ram so it will make 2 gig. I am exploring for a fast processor. Thanks
You might want to check your Task Manager for RAM usage when all of your apps are loaded. If Commit Charge is <1GB used, adding another G of RAM will mostly be a waste of $$$.