Computers can become slow for many different reasons. One reason is viruses and more recently programs called "spyware" or "malware" can slow your computer down, sometimes to an absolute crawl. Another reason is as computers age their CPU performance does not compare to the newer machines being sold and software companies write their programs for newer speeds. Sometimes having too much software installed on your computer can slow it down as many of these programs start when the computer starts even though you may not even use those programs all the time. Any number of these factors and more could cause slow operation, but without analyzing your particular machine in-person it is hard to tell.

Depending on the age of the computer it is very possible to add memory or adjust the settings in order to squeeze more performance out of your computer. On the older computers their is a limitation as to how much memory the system can handle, thereby making it useless to add more memory. Please feel free to call us, and we can help you determine what type of memory your system could use.

The short answer is the internet. Where specifically on the internet is sometimes hard to track down. Generally speaking, any adult websites, gambling websites, file sharing or free music download sites, gaming sites, social networking sites, and most free download sites are the most likely culprits to give you viruses.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a perfect antivirus program. True, some are better than others, but in the game of viruses versus antivirus, we're fighting an uphill battle. That is to say, all the virus-writers have to do is write a new virus to infect your computer. They will always be a step ahead of the antivirus companies, who have to make reliable ways of identifying and neutralizing all the different kinds of viruses that are released into the wild every day. As long as you keep your antivirus updated, you should remain safe. But there's always the chance of catching a virus before the antivirus companies have a chance to identify it.

Also, it is possible to let in viruses yourself even though you have antivirus installed. Sometimes your antivirus program may ask you to confirm or deny a certain program. If you allow every program through, one day it may be a virus, and then you've "stepped around" your antivirus' protection.

In the long run, there's no perfect answer, but all we can say is to be wise about where you go and what you allow into your computer.

Yes, it is a good idea to perform regular maintenance on your computer to keep it running smoothly. There are a few things you can do monthly or bi-monthly to keep your machine happy. Soon we will have a list of those things for you to use.

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend upgrading your computer when you are spending a significant amount of time waiting for the computer to do what you tell it to. It should be the computer waiting for your next command, not the other way around.

Absolutely! We have over 11 years of experience helping customers pick out the right computer for them. There are a lot of pitfalls in the market that we can help you avoid. Also, we know where to go to find the best deals and love passing those savings along to our customers.

#1 on our list is Kaspersky Internet Security (kaspersky.com). They have won many awards in antivirus protection and do a great job of staying in the background and letting you use your computer without getting in the way.

Second on our list is Trend Internet Security (trendmicro.com). Maybe not as good as Kaspersky, but a little more affordable.

Lastly, if you don't want to spend any money at all on antivirus, AVG Internet Security is a free antivirus program (avg.com). We will caution you, however, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. The paid options will offer better protection than the unpaid ones.

At the moment, we tend to steer our customers away from Vista. It is a resource hog on your computer, causing it to run slower than XP would on the same machine. And for what? Vista doesn't offer any new features that our average customer would use or appreciate.

Currently every retail computer store sells new computers with Vista only, but if you call us we can help you order a computer with XP instead.

Yes and no. On the one hand, while you will never find a Mac in the $400 range, on the other hand you can't buy a PC that is cheaper than a Mac if you equip the PC with the same hardware. The long and short of it is Apple doesn't dabble in the low-end computer market. They sell high-quality top-of-the-line machines, betting that the higher quality hardware and software will make for a better overall customer experience. This has led to countless "Mac switchers" who keep on coming back to Apple time and time again.

Yes and no. Yes, people have written programs that can technically be classified as viruses for the Mac, but to date every single virus for the Mac has to be downloaded and installed yourself. In short, you will never get a virus on your Mac that appeared there inexplicably.

Yes! Macs come installed with a program called "Boot Camp" that can allow you to install Windows next to OS X on a Mac, giving you the option to boot into Windows or Mac OS X when you turn your Mac on. Even better, programs like Parallels Desktop (parallels.com) allow you to run your Windows programs alongside your Mac programs, all without having to reboot.

Yes! Believe it or not, Microsoft makes their Office software for Mac (microsoft.com/mac/).

Apple also has their own Office-compatible software called iWork (apple.com/iwork/), which is hundreds cheaper and creates professional-quality documents easier than Microsoft Office.

Absolutely! There are a number of factors to consider when switching over from Windows to a Mac, or even when just purchasing a new Mac. We would love to help you weigh your options.

There are some great resources on Apple's website. We would recommend:

• http://www.apple.com/findouthow/
• http://www.apple.com/business/