There are few things worse than a slow computer. Ok, there are many things worse than a slow computer, but working with a slow computer is maddening. If you can work faster than your computer, there’s probably a problem somewhere along the line. Although not the first suspects, Windows driver problems can cause severe performance degradations.

Bad Drivers Can Slow Your Computer Down
There are about a zillion things that can cause a computer to slow down, so troubleshooting a speed issue can be difficult. If you have the patience to locate the problem, you’re one step ahead of the game.

With speed problems, you want to know what the computer’s processor is doing and what the computer’s memory is doing. When these two resources are taxed, you can expect your computer to slow down. Windows comes with a performance monitor that can help you determine how much of your computer’s memory is in use, and how much of the processor is being used.

You can also use the Task Manager in Windows to find out what programs are running and how much of the processor’s capacity each application is consuming. If you have one process that’s taking up 90% of the processor, shut that application down using the Task Manager and see if your problem improves. It’s also a good idea to reboot the computer, particularly if an application has gone “walkabout” on you. Restarting the computer can clear out other problems in the OS or memory that may have caused the application to misbehave in the first place.

Once you restart your computer, look at the Performance Monitor and the Task Manager again. If the problem persists, scan your computer for viruses and malware that could be causing bad performance. Get rid of whatever you find.
You can also check your drivers. A missing, bad or corrupted driver can wreak havoc on your system. It can significantly increase the time it takes for your computer to boot, and it can also cause hardware malfunctions and other system-related problems.

To diagnose driver problems, unload your drivers and reload them manually one at a time. If you find the offender, uninstall it and re-install a fresh copy of the driver. Test your system to see if your speed problems improve. If unloading and reloading all of your drivers manually sounds like a chore, it is. You could also use a driver manager like Driver Detective. This program can automatically spot bad drivers, or drivers that are missing or in need of an update. Using Driver Detective to manage your drivers won’t solve all of your speed problems, but it will eliminate most of your concerns about your Windows drivers.

Photo Credit: Karola Riegler, via Flickr