New PC

[alancdavis]

Think it time to get a new PC as this one is getting very slow

Question is shall I go for windows 7 or 8 and whats the difference

[KelvinS1965]

I think the difference is '1' but my maths has never been great.

TBH I'm quite happy with 7 myself on a laptop I bought about 5-6 months ago. I tend to take the view that the new version of an operating system might have teething troubles or drivers might be harder to get for old printers, etc, so prefer to go for the established one. You might not have much choice now though, perhaps if you find a PC with 7 on it then it might be a bit cheaper?

I don't think that 8 will do anything dramatically different to 7 plus it depends on what software you use such as which web browser, etc.

[ATR477V]

Windows 7 is fine for a pc Alan, 8 hasn't been getting brilliant press and from what I've read, it's more designed for laptops. You say your pc is getting slower, have you decluttered it and defragmented it?

[alancdavis]

System says no defrag needed but still slow as a snail

[Miniliteman]

Have you cleaned up the registry and removed all the old porn?

[alancdavis]

how do you clean the reg

[ATR477V]

how do you clean the reg

Alan

Go to programmes/ accessories/ system tools/ disc clean up and just accept the options shown. It will clean out loads of temp files/ error report files etc.

[Northern Bloke]

Windows 8 is very much designed for touch i.e. tablets and is not nice to use without it, in fact I'd go as far as pointless without touch.

[Miniliteman]

how do you clean the reg

What Alan said cleans up the harddrive; the registry over time is filled with entries that are no longer needed, not valid etc.
I use Registry First Aid to clean it up every few months.
Also use as few shortcuts on your "wallpaper-screen"; they eat up processor power also.
Your pc can be 'infected' with harmless software that informs you of products when using open websites.
Use Spybot to clean your pc with that shit.
Oh an stay with windows 7.

[alancdavis]

Done a clean ,,,bit better now ,,,,you say to delete unused icons from the desk top may help ?

[KelvinS1965]

I find that the best way to stop a PC slowing down over time is to be very careful when installing new software/drivers: So many of them add extra crap that you really don't need which ultimately slows the PC down as more and more programs start up in the background every time you boot up. I usually do the custom install option so I can deselect all the unwanted crap.

Dell computers seem particularly bad for this even when new, so I've striped off the excess stuff that is configured to start up when this PC boots. I use my laptop for HD video editting, so I want it to stay as clean as possible to keep it running sweet. So far so good, but have to stay disciplined with what I install and updates too.

Cynically I think they do it on purpose to get us to upgrade to a faster PC. I cleaned up an older AMD Athlon powered 'Shuttle' PC for my son to use for homework and Youtube, etc. Considering it's age it's well up to the job and it boots quicker than our newer PCs, so a good clean up can really work well.

[flyingpilot]

Most, if not nearly all anti-virus soft wear cripple PC's. Remove all versions, Mc alfe, Norton etc. Then install AVG free version, it's all you need.