But you don't need to hunt across your hard drive for them just use the built-in System Configuration Utility. Windows uses several files and the Registry to determine which applications run at start-up. To cut out the bloat in the operating system, we turned to another Windows 98 tool, the System Configuration Utility. Clearly, Windows was loading more programs at startup than it needed or could handle.

Your readings will vary, depending on how much RAM you have and how many programs you run at once, but in our case something really needed to be done. Once Windows uses up all the RAM or physical memory, it delves into much slower virtual memory on the hard drive. Our test system displayed only a sliver of color at the bottom of the graph, meaning that, while we ran a word processor, one Web browser window, and an instant messaging program, only 2MB of our system's 64MB of RAM remained free. (Physical memory is the total amount of RAM on the memory modules plugged into slots on your motherboard.) To do this, select Edit, Add Item, select the Memory Manager category, and then click Unused physical memory at the bottom of the Item list. You need to add the more important 'gas gauge' - the one that shows how much physical memory, or RAM, is available for use.

When you first use the System Monitor, you'll probably see only its default gauge, called Kernel Processor Usage, which shows how hard the CPU is working at any given moment, similar to what a tachometer does. Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Monitor to start the program. It's easy to find out how much memory you're using: Run the System Monitor, a set of gauges for your PC. The following resource diet plan can help you find the big memory hogs and kick 'em out of your system.

Whatever the reason, a lack of RAM will slow down your system dramatically. Maybe you downloaded a killer MP3 jukebox that also chugs memory, or maybe your machine can't handle running many programs at once. The most likely culprit is software taking up precious RAM while it runs. What's slowing your PC down? It's not the long years of hard labor.

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