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A slow computer can be very frustrating. If you’ve had a system for any real length of time, then you know what I’m talking about. That feeling of wanting to bash your system, when you’re forced to wait seconds, sometimes minutes for it to carry out simple operations. Statistics have shown, that two-thirds of computer users get frustrated by having to wait for a computer that they know should be faster, to do simple things.
Additionally, slow systems have also been recorded to lose around 6 days of productivity every year for the average user.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to make your system faster. And this is where this article comes into the equation. So continue reading for those solutions.
1. Restart Your System
It’s not uncommon for end-users to keep a single Windows session going for days, weeks even months sometimes. This is because of how stable Windows is nowadays. That’s good, however, the main downside to this is that applications can start to slow down over time, as memory and CPU resources become clogged up. If your system is starting to feel a little slow, then you should first consider a simple restart, and see if that sets things right.
2. Remove Programs You Don’t Use
The vast majority of systems today, come with programs preinstalled, that are set to start during system boot-up. Many of these programs will run in the background, taking up vital system resources. If you want to get the most out of your system, then you should ensure that only the programs you need are running, and those you do not, are removed.
3. Run Disk Cleanup
This is a built-in Windows feature that many people are either obvious to or ignore. The tool is easy to get going and one of the easier ways of making your system faster. Basically, it works by identifying areas of your system that contain redundant or outdated data. Giving you the option to empty these locations.
To open this program, simply press Windows Key + R, to open the Run command box, then type cleanmgr into it, and click on OK.
An applet will appear, giving you the option to choose the hard disk drive you would like to clean. Select your primary drive and it will start to check the drive for areas that it can clean up.
Once complete, simply go through the different areas, click on the corresponding boxes, then click on OK.
4. Use High-Performance Power Plan
All Windows-based systems come with a power plan option which you can access and choose between Power Saving, Balance,d or High performance. When you select the power saving option, your system will run at a reduced speed in order to conserve energy consumption. At High Performance, it will run at maximum performance, however, this will use up more energy, which could be a problem, if you’re on a laptop system. If you’re on a desktop unit, then using High Performance is a must.
5. Install Additional RAM
RAM is short-term memory, used by the CPU when loading processes and applications. The speed of the RAM and the amount of RAM is integral to the overall Speed up Your Computer. When your system lacks an adequate amount of RAM, maybe, during the running of a specific application, the system will compensate by using hard drive space, which is significantly slower. This can have a massive performance hit on your system, slowing your system down to a snail’s crawl. The simplest solution to this problem is to just purchase more memory.
The first thing you will need to establish, however, is how much RAM you have in your system. Then you want to look at the actual RAM requirements for your operating system, and the various programs you regularly run on it.
It could be that insufficient memory isn’t to blame, in which case, buying more would have little impact on your system performance. To find out how much memory is being used up at any time, run Windows Task Manager. Just right-click on the Taskbar, then click on Task Manager, then click on the Performance Tab.
6. Enable Fast Booting
Most modern motherboards have support for fast booting, which is an option you can enable within the BIOS. This feature is designed to significantly reduce boot time, by cutting down on the number of things that are done through a standard boot up.
Check your motherboard manual, to find out how to enable the feature. There are certain things that need to be in place, before you can enable it, so I recommend you look hard and deep into this subject area.
7. Update Your Software
If you regularly update the software running on your system, it can have overall positive ramifications for your system. You also want to ensure your operating system is up-to-date, so consider checking for updates, from time to time. To do this, simply press Windows Key + I, to bring up the Settings options. From here, click on Update & Security, then click on the Check for Updates button.
8. Scan Your System for Malicious Files
If you’ve noticed your system running slower than usual, this could be because it is infected with a malicious file. Such files are capable of infiltrating and corrupting the data on your system.
If you have internet security software installed on your system, then it’s recommended that you carry out a full scan. Such scans usually take the longest to complete, but they will ensure that nothing is lurking around your computer.
If you don’t have internet security software, then you will need to get some. To start with, you can try Microsoft Defender, which is free, and built-in. All you need to do is enable it. Alternatively, there’s AVG, which is another free solution. If you’re running on Windows 10 or 11, then it should have Windows Defender. All you need to do is switch it on.
In addition, you may want to consider getting an antimalware tool also. As they are oftentimes more efficient at tracking down certain malicious files. So, have, both an antivirus and antimalware tool installed and running on your system, for maximum efficiency. This eliminates the chances of any virus files getting through both security tools, as what one misses, the other should identify.
And with that said, if your system is running slower than usual, or you’re simply not happy with its current performance, there’s no need to go out and purchase a new one. Just go through a few performance tweaks, and see if you can’t make it faster.
AUTHOR INFO:
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk/