When your computer slows to a crawl, it is very frustrating. One of the worst things that people do when trying to restore the performance of their PC is to remove the security software. Getting rid of your protective barrier just opens you up to threats that could make things even worse.

So you know that you need a security product on your computer, but you don't want any software to impact the speed or performance. That's why an excellent choice is Avast antivirus products.

But don’t take my word for it.

AV-Comparatives, a well-known and trusted third party testing lab, recently tested 20 antivirus and internet security products. Avast Free Antivirus topped every single one of them - paid security suites and free antivirus protection - and received an Advanced Plus three star award for the May 2015 Performance Test.

Reasons your PC may be slow

It is not always security software that is responsible for a slow system. Other factors can play a role, which means that with a few tweaks your systems performance can be improved.

Old hardware. If you try to install modern software into your old computer, it could start running at a snail's pace, because the hardware simply is not capable of running the software. Ideally, buying a new PC with a multi-core processor is the best solution. However if your budget does not include a new computer, then you could add more RAM.

For Windows 7 or Windows 8, you should use a minimum of 4 gigabytes of RAM. If you use Windows XP or Vista, switch to Windows 8.1 64-bit. Avast security products are compatible.

More than one security program is not good. It's not advised to run more than one security program with real-time protection at a time. Please uninstall any trial software that came with your PC before installing different protection. You can find a list and instructions to remove here. We recommend you follow their instructions before proceeding with the uninstallation.

Make sure your software is up-to-date. The most up-to-date software contains fixes and patches that makes it run at its best. Avast has ended product updates for older consumer versions of Avast Antivirus. Versions 8.0.1497 and lower continue to receive threat updates but do not receive any patches or technical support. The latest version of Avast has enhanced features and higher detection rates to protect your computer from malicious attacks.

Clean out the clutter. Clutter from leftover files and registry entries, unneeded shortcuts, adware, toolbars, and bloatware can slow your computer down. Getting rid of the junk can bring new life to your machine.

If your hard disk is almost full you could transfer movies, images, and other infrequently used files to an external disk. For the best performance, you should leave 20 percent of your disk space free.