WhySoSlow tells you why your PC is running slow

Martin Brinkmann
Dec 26, 2015
Updated • Dec 30, 2016
Software
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22

WhySoSlow is a program for the Windows operating system that brings together a system monitor with a component that analyzes core PC metrics to inform you about potential issues that may slow down the computer.

The performance of most PCs and other computing devices deteriorates over time as hardware starts to age, batteries get worse and the PC gets filled with all kinds of files and software running on it.

While it is possible to do something about that, for instance by cleaning up the PC regularly, it is my experience that most computer users don't do that.

In addition, hardware issues are difficult to notice especially if the owner of the computer is inexperienced.

WhySoSlow

Please note that WhySoSlow final has just been released. The program is no longer offered as a beta version. is a beta program. It is not intended for beginners according to the developer, and may have issues on top of it. The version will stop working on February 1, 2016 and it is unclear currently whether a free version will be made available next to the professional version.

The program runs a hardware monitor on start right away which looks at the following metrics:

  • CPU Speed
  • CPU Temperature
  • CPU Load
  • Kernel Responsiveness
  • App Responsiveness
  • Memory Load
  • Hard Pagefaults

Most are self-explanatory with the exception of hard pagefaults. Page Faults occur when programs request addresses on pages that are not in the current set of memory resident pages. This may slow down performance of the system.

The program records min, max, the average and the current value of each item it monitors, and highlights potential issues in orange or red right away.

You can stop the monitoring at any time as it is taxing as well. While the status information are useful on their own, the analyze function is what may provide you with better information on why your PC is slow.

This opens a new report window explaining what the analyze mode is and what it does. Another click on analyze, this time in the new program window, generates a report by enabling the monitoring for a moment to grab recent values.

What's special about the report is that it provides detailed information and suggestions. For instance, it may indicate to you that the temperature of the CPU is too high (which you may resolve in a variety of ways, from cleaning the cpu cooler to optimizing the airflow in the tower to buying a better cooler) or that memory usage is often maxed out.

Some tests did not return any information on my test system and it is likely that this is because of the program's beta status.

The same window offers detailed lists of drivers, processes, disks and if you run non-SSD drives, fragmented files. The report can be saved at any time.

Note: The program adds itself to system start which you may not want. You can disable that in the program settings under startup. There you find options to use what the program author calls antifreeze. Antifreeze is not enabled by default and when you enable it, it will automatically suspend processes to prevent the program from freezing up.

Closing Words

WhySoSlow is a handy program for Windows, but it is not useful to all users. If you are an experienced computer user, then you may have no need for it as you can look up the information easily as well. Inexperienced users on the other hand may find it useful as it puts the finger right on the issues.

While that is the case, it could do with more recommendations on how to resolve these issues. For instance, a tips section highlighting things that users could try to improve a certain area would be really useful.

Summary
WhySoSlow tells you why your PC is running slow
Article Name
WhySoSlow tells you why your PC is running slow
Description
WhySoSlow is a hardware monitoring and analysis program for Windows that provides you with information on why your PC is running slow.
Author
Publisher
Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. MerleOne said on December 27, 2015 at 11:39 pm
    Reply

    Seems nice but leaves a driver after uninstall.

  2. Graham said on December 26, 2015 at 10:10 pm
    Reply

    Couldn’t you accomplish the same result by opening the Processes tab in the Task Manager and seeing which programs are using up memory?

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on December 26, 2015 at 10:22 pm
      Reply

      If you are low on memory all the time yes. The main advantage of tools like this one is that they provide a quick overview of multiple areas that could degrade performance. You can theoretically check them all in one way or the other individually, for instance the cpu temperature in the BIOS/UEFI.

  3. Snuffy said on December 26, 2015 at 9:29 pm
    Reply

    so far the beta version does nothing for me.
    it fails to generate a report, have installed as Admin, and run as admin.
    it does tell me how good it is. but it fails 100% to do any thing, will not generate a report.
    and says run at least 1 min.
    It is purely a waste of time…

  4. Jason said on December 26, 2015 at 5:33 pm
    Reply

    “WhySoSlow is a handy program for Windows, but it is not useful to anyone.”

    Martin, I laughed at that sentence. ^_^ You might want to re-phrase it (unless you really mean to say that it is not useful to anyone!)

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on December 27, 2015 at 8:59 am
      Reply

      Ah well, it happens :) Thanks I have corrected it.

    2. Womble said on December 27, 2015 at 7:02 am
      Reply

      That’s actually not too bad when compared to the standard set by many native English speakers. :)

  5. renklin said on December 26, 2015 at 4:05 pm
    Reply

    Thanks, many good software’s reviews here– but I think you need to improve the formal “Summary” block ‘template’ for these reviews. IMO that summary should ALWAYS include:

    – Exact name of the software program
    – Valid download link and/or source link for software author (if available)
    (country of software origin also desirable)
    – Statement of “installation-required”, or clear reference to portable version (or both)
    – VirusTotal summary result for the specific software & its download website

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on December 27, 2015 at 9:01 am
      Reply

      Thanks for your post. I would like to provide additional information but I don’t have the time to look at the plugin powering them to find out whether it is possible at all, and how much time it would take to integrate new features.

      Currently, I don’t review Beta software in the same way as stable programs as I don’t rate these programs (the summary is different).

      You can check out the summary for a stable program here: https://www.ghacks.net/2015/12/24/context-for-chrome-create-extension-groups/

    2. Fena said on December 27, 2015 at 2:00 am
      Reply

      Martin’s format is better your comments are not needed. IMHO

  6. Dwight Stegall said on December 26, 2015 at 3:52 pm
    Reply

    Working great in Windows 8.1 64-bit. No issues reported on this Asus M51AC desktop.

    1. PhoneyVIrus said on December 28, 2015 at 7:36 pm
      Reply

      I’m Sorry, ASUS machines are worthless, take it from someone that almost burned his full machine, a custom build on the count of ASUS motherboards. If I see ASUS name like this I’ll immediately tell you what I think of them, worthless like Mac products, damn I hate that company!

      1. AAA said on April 15, 2016 at 4:35 pm
        Reply

        Really? I love my ASUS G30AB. I bought it three years and haven’t had any problem so far.
        And same goes for my MacBook Air 2011; it works great. :)

  7. Herr Schillingberg said on December 26, 2015 at 2:02 pm
    Reply

    >shilling this hard

    Calm down, Martin Freemann.

  8. Jonathan said on December 26, 2015 at 1:38 pm
    Reply

    Odd program. It seems to think that my CPU running @ 24-27C is too hot!
    Your CPU temperature ranged between 4294967268 °C and 4294967279 °C (equal to 7730941114 °F – 7730941134 °F) during the tests.
    That’s pretty hot! :D

  9. william said on December 26, 2015 at 12:29 pm
    Reply

    Try this link http://www.resplendence.com/whysoslow but keep in mind its béta!

  10. CHEF-KOCH said on December 26, 2015 at 12:08 pm
    Reply

    Excuse me but there is no link to the program/homepage or did I miss something?

  11. malefizX said on December 26, 2015 at 12:07 pm
    Reply

    it looks more like a hardware info tool and not a “whysoslow” tuning tool.

    this kind of information was useful 20 years ago when we had 128mb ram
    pagefault slows down my pc?
    fragmented files? on my SSD really? …. I lol’d a little.

    Merry Christmas!

  12. Domen Lo said on December 26, 2015 at 10:31 am
    Reply

    Thanks for the sugestion, cool app.

    You kinda forgot to include a download link in the article though: resplendence.com/whysoslow_beta … Also, the table at the end shows you as the author, while the website points to Daniel Terhell.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on December 26, 2015 at 12:52 pm
      Reply

      Thanks, link corrected.Author refers to the author of the article, not the software.

      1. Lorissa said on December 29, 2015 at 1:27 pm
        Reply

        Wow! Welcome to the planet Earth Domen Lo.

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