Your computer uses RAM (random-access memory) for quick, short-term storage.

Programs store their instructions in RAM when they run, so RAM determines how many programs you can open at once, the size of the files you can open in programs, and, to some extent, how fast a program executes its instructions.

Where do I Find the Information about My Computer’s Resources

STEP 1
Start your computer and locate the My Computer icon.

STEP 2
Right-click on your mouse when you touch it to the My Computer icon, and select Properties from the menu that appears.

STEP 3
Look under the General tab.  This is where you can find out information about the size of your hard drive, what operating system your computer has, and the amount of RAM in megabytes (MB) or Gigabytes (GB).

STEP 4

If you just [left] clicked on the My Computer icon with your mouse, you will need to follow this STEP 4.

Next, click on View System Information. Write down this information (your Computer’s hard drive size; OS; and RAM in MB or GB).

What Might Cause My Computer to Run Slowly

After you download some new software program, have you noticed your computer is running more slowly or is quite sluggish?

These days, computers require more memory to run faster and more efficiently because the newer and more recent computer programs use more memory (and more of your computer’s resources).

As an example, two drains on the resources of your computer are:

(1) Some Anti-virus protections

(2) AOL

Memory

If you have installed either Norton AntiVirus or McAfee on your computer, your computer should have at least 1 GB of memory.

Most memory is inexpensive, so upgrading your computer’s memory doesn’t have to be a costly proposition.  Depending on the make and model of your computer, prices vary, but now is a good time to increase the memory your computer has to run the anti-virus programs and other software (such as AOL).

Computer Care Associates will order the correct memory for your computer, and install it for a mimimal labor charge.