There is nothing worse than having to wait to do a simple task because of a slow computer. Sometimes the simple solution may be to just buy a new computer. But new computers can slow down as well. If you need a computer fix for a slow computer here are 6 things you can try to get your computer running at lightening speed:
- Run a virus and malware scan
Hopefully, you are already running virus protection on your computer and updating virus definitions on a regular basis. If not, it’s very possible that you have a virus or malware on your computer. To find out, first download and run a scan with Malwarebytes which will scan and clean your computer of malware. Once you have done this, you then need to scan for viruses with a program such as Windows Defender, AVG or Norton Anti-virus. Any of these programs will find infections on your PC, remove them, and protect you for as long as you need. If you have a stubborn malware or virus infection that can’t be removed you may need to boot up your computer in Safe Mode which will stop loading normal startup applications and hopefully that stubborn virus. - Defragment your hard drive
By defragmenting your hard drive, you can optimize your hard drive’s efficiency by reducing the amount of fragmentation in file systems. Windows 7, 8 and 10 automatically will defragment files for you on set schedule, but sometimes this can be inconsistent so to do a manual defrag search for “defrag” in the taskbar, select your hard drive and then either select “analyze” to check the percentage of fragmented files or select “optimize” to defragment the hard drive. Ideally you want the fragmentation percentage to be at 0% when complete. - Remove unused programs from startup
Removing unused programs from startup is another good computer fix for a slow computer. Most computers have pre-installed programs running on start up that you never use. These programs can slow down your computer by using a ton of memory and disk space. To disable unused programs you can either uninstall them completely from your computer or you can go to Task Manager, click the Startup tab, right-click on Enabled programs and choose Disable. This is a simple way of customizing what programs will load on startup without deleting anything. - Clean up your hard drive
Windows comes with a disk utility tool that finds and deletes unnecessary files on your computer. To run, click “Start” then go to All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. This will allow you to delete temporary files, files in the Recycle Bin, Setup Log Files and other unnecessary downloaded program files as well as clean up system files to help your PC run more efficiently. - Install more memory
Many PC users don’t have enough memory to run various applications. Windows 10 will run slowly with only 4 GB of memory so its imperative that you upgrade your PC to at least 8 GB of memory to get optimum performance. If you are frequently running multiple programs at once such as photo or video editing software,and you computer is running slowly, installing more memory is a simple and inexpensive computer fix that will improve your computer speed dramatically. - Install a faster hard drive
If your hard drive reaches max capacity, it is going to affect the speed of your PC. Solid state drives (SSD) are very inexpensive – a high performance 256 GB model is less than $100. SSD’s are incredibly fast and without any moving parts, SSDs operate more quietly and efficiently. Transitioning from a traditional hard drive to an SSD will make a world of difference for a slow computer.
Have a slow computer and still need help? Contact Telechron Consulting to get that sluggish computer working fast today!