We are all experiencing the strain of adjusting to a new routine during the coronavirus pandemic – a normal that now involves remote learning and work from home. A sluggish or unresponsive machine is the last thing we want to deal with.
When you open an application and your computer slows to a crawl, rather than texting IT or calling a tech support relative for assistance, keep in mind that there are a few options you can do on your own.
Who knows, you could end up repairing your machine and picking up a few new skills in the process. Just don’t tell anyone, or you’ll end up as the family tech help. Before moving to the actual tips let’s know why and how your computer slows down.
Top Reasons for a Slow Computer
- Too many programs or browser tabs open at a time
- RAM or your hard drive can be maxed out
- Unwanted software are overloading your computer
- Too many application loading on startup
- Your devices can be infected by a computer virus
5 Tips to Repair a Slow Computer
Disable Startup Apps
If your PC takes an eternity to boot, you possibly have far too many applications attempting to run at startup. By opening Task Manager and clicking on the Startup tab, you can edit the list of applications and services that start when you log in to your device.
Proceed through the list and disable any apps that you do not need to be loaded and ready when your PC turns on. To do so, click the app’s name followed by Disable.
Get a Hard Drive Upgrade
Regardless of how neatly you hold your machine, if your hard drive becomes too complete, it will affect your PC’s efficiency. If you use your device for CPU-intensive tasks such as video and media recording, the probability is that your drive will become full before you know it. Nowadays, mega storage drives exceeding 1TB are available, which is sufficient for thousands of HD movies.
Upgrade your RAM
Have you found that when you attempt to work on several applications simultaneously, such as email, the internet, and word, your machine suffers a minor stroke? This is due to a lack of RAM. This is the memory that your computer uses to run programs and can be conveniently (and very affordably) updated if you know where to look.
Get Rid of Virus and Malware
Your machine can run slower if it is infected with one or more viruses. If your machine does not already have antivirus software installed, you can try downloading one of the many free ones available online.
Today, spyware and other malware are a significant contributor to a variety of computer problems, including decreased performance. Even if your machine already has an antivirus scanner installed, we suggest running a malware scan as well. Check your device for malware using Malwarebytes’ free edition.
Delete Temporary Files
When you use Internet Explorer, your entire browsing history is stored on your computer. When you install something, the same thing occurs. It’s similar to never throwing away the packaging when purchasing a new television; doing so frees up room on your system. To clear out all of this clutter, open “My Computer,” navigate to your primary drive, click the “Windows” folder, and then click the “Temp” folder inside that.
Right-click the folder with your mouse and select “Information” from the “View” menu. After that, pick all files older than the current date and press the delete key. Then, on your laptop, navigate to the Recycle Bin and clean it.
Conclusion
If your computer is still slow after performing all those steps then it is high time to get some professional help. MSP 365 is a team of Sydney’s most experienced IT technicians. Contact us today and we will help you with your problem right away.