If you’ve owned a computer for three or more years, you may have noticed that a computer generally starts getting slow after about this duration. And when the owner gets excessively annoyed by his slow computer, he thinks about getting a new one. You don't need to start looking for a new computer yet. We are here to provide you with simple ways to speed up a slow computer. There could be numerous reasons your computer is getting slow: malware, excessive apps running in the background, slow internet, accumulation of cache files, weak hardware, and less physical Random Access Memory (also known as RAM). Some of these problems can be reduced, and some cannot. You can always free up your memory, uninstall unnecessary programs, upgrade hardware, etc. Here, we have formulated a comprehensive list of simple tasks that’ll speed up your computer.
It is natural for every computer to get slow over time. As the software becomes more advanced and power-demanding, your computer's performance is significantly affected. Your operating system and whether you've upgraded to Windows 11 also affect your computer's performance. There are a lot of factors that contribute to your computer’s performance. These factors determine how quickly your computer can run programs, stream media, handle multiple internet browser tabs, edit videos and photos, and perform other heavy tasks such as playing games.
Each computer has two types of memory- the storage on the hard drive and the physical random-access memory (RAM). Both of these memories are quite important for a fast computer. If your computer’s memory is used and overloaded by unnecessary programs, it may slow your computer. Freeing up the memory is a quick way of speeding up a computer. Some other minor adjustments will also help speed up the computer. Although these adjustments may not seem important, when all of these are combined, they can significantly improve any computer's performance. You can also find several applications to help you free up your memory. These applications will also guide you in getting rid of unused programs.
Here we’ll discuss some of the common and simple tasks that can help you speed up your computer:
If you have an old PC and have been using programs from unauthorized resources, it is most likely that the computer has defected files and viruses. These defective files slow down the computer and significantly affects its efficiency.
Solution: You need to remove these types of files from your computer. You can try installing some Anti-Virus programs from the Microsoft Store. These anti-virus programs will perform a thorough scan, eliminate any suspicious files from your computer, and ultimately speed up your computer.
Another major step for speeding up your hard drive is to perform the defragmentation process on your hard drive. It will optimize your computer's hard drive, ultimately speeding up your computer.
Solution: For the solution, select the "System and Security" option in your PC's control panel. Under Administrative Tools, you will find the Disk Defragmentation option. Please note that defrag can take from minutes to hours.
Computers are built to perform hundreds of millions of operations simultaneously. However, the little artificial intelligence will lose its focus at some point. A computer's ability to run multiple programs simultaneously depends on random access memory (RAM). The RAM can switch between programs from one program to another seemingly smoothly. Still, if the requests from an open program exceed the memory and processing capabilities of the computer, it can cause a slowdown.
Solution: Open the Task Manager (Windows: Ctrl+Alt+Del) to see which programs are open and consuming processing power. Then close what you don't need. On Windows 10, Windows 7, and earlier versions of Windows, you can exit the program from this menu. On Windows 10 and 8, the program is designed to run in the background for some time and then shut down automatically. However, if you want to manually close one and close all the related files simultaneously, drag from the top of the screen until the icon wraps.
Some Windows-based laptops can adjust power settings for optimal performance. If your laptop is running on a low-power mode, it reduces its performance to save power. This power-saving process reduces performance.
Solution: You need to open the Control Panel on your computer. Then click on 'Hardware and Sound.' Here you'll find the option 'Power Option.' Here, select 'Create Power Plan.' If your computer can adjust the speed of the components, you will see three options: Balance, Energy Saver, and High Performance. Select High Performance to create a plan name. You will be prompted to select a power plan. Select a new plan. Create a power plan based on High Performance to maximize your computer's performance automatically.
If you want to change the settings further, select "Advanced Power Settings " and adjust the settings in the open window.
If you have a slow experience on your computer, it may not be the computer's fault. And, you are blaming your computer. Today, most of the work you do on your computer is done online. If you have a problem that it takes a long time to load a webpage you visited, it may be a bad connection, not a computer problem.
Solution: What is the solution? Check your connection speed and contact your Internet service provider if necessary.
Computer RAM acts as a short-term data center for your PC. When saturated, performance may decrease. Generally, 8 GB of random-access memory (RAM) is adequate to ensure the speed of browsing and multitasking that the average PC user would expect in terms of performance. But if your computer is old and has less RAM. It is a big reason for slowing down your computer. And you need to upgrade your RAM. To check your PC's activity, open Task Manager from the Start menu or press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, click the Performance tab and then click memory. If you want to speed up your PC for game management or some other heavy tasks such as video editing or graphic editing, you may consider changing to 16GB (or 32GB if your PC supports it). However, this amount of RAM may be excessive (expensive) for typical computer users.
Solution: Fortunately, upgrading RAM is not difficult for most computers. However, you will open the PC and handle sensitive parts. Therefore, it is instructed to be watchful and prepared so that it does not damage the computer. It is necessary to check the amount of RAM storage on your computer. Generally, the number of "slots" in which RAM is placed is fixed.
Note:
It is essential to remember that while the basic method of installing new RAM is to remove and replace old memory slots, this task is much easier with a desktop tower PC than with a laptop. But before buying a new RAM stick, ensure your PC is ready for the upgrade. The maximum random-access memory your computer can manage is the minimum acceptable value for your motherboard and operating system. Make sure that your PC accepts either DDR3 or DDR4 random access memory. RAM is sold at many online retailers, including Amazon and Newegg.
Another reason for a slow computer is the older OS version. Companies are always trying to make their OS more efficient and lighter to make it run smoothly. It is necessary to keep a computer updated. It is also slowing your computer if you are still using an outdated version of Windows, such as; Windows Vista or XP. Older versions of OS are not efficient and optimized enough compared to the latest version. Moreover, older versions also have older drivers. These older drivers substantially affect a computer’s performance.
Solution: If your computer is slow and is running on an older version of OS, consider updating your operating system and installing the latest drivers on your computer. It will enhance the computer's performance and streamline your experience.
Your computer comes preloaded with applications that are not used by many people but may consume system resources. You can usually tell when a pop-up window asks you to update a program you haven't used before.
Solution: Delete them from your computer to make room for your disk. Click Start to display the All Applications menu. Here you can see all your installed and not installed applications. When you find the program, you want to uninstall, right-click the icon to display the Options menu.
Or, right-click Start and go to Programs and Features. You can also search for "programs" in the search box of Windows's assistant Cortana, which may be useful. From here, you can find a record of your recent applications or applications that are taking up a lot of space. After checking what is installed, you can decide which programs to remove to improve the system performance.
Note:
You also want to know which programs your computer needs to function properly and which programs you can remove. One of the main reasons why these applications slow down your PC is because it often starts
on its own when you start it.
Clearing the cache on your computer or Internet browser is one of the easiest ways to speed up your computer or internet browsing.
Your computer stores temporary files to speed up loading, but if these temporary files accumulate, your computer may run slowly. Select "Disk Cleanup" from the Start menu to clear your PC's cache. Delete the temporary file by selecting it from the drop-down menu (along with emptying the Recycle Bin).
To clear your browser cache, you must clear temporary files from your preferred browser settings. Make sure you have as much storage as possible for each browser, such as Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox.
Final words
As computers get old, they start becoming slow due to multiple reasons. We can mitigate some of these factors, and some cannot. A user must take good care of his computer to get the most out of it. A user can delete unnecessary big files, uninstall pre-installed unused apps and stop the apps from auto-launching in the background to speed up his computer. Malware and viruses significantly decrease a computer’s performance. Install an Anti-Virus software to get rid of these defective files. Moreover, one can always physically upgrade random-access memory (RAM) to speed up the computer
Australia!