If your computer is too slow, it may be tempting to throw it out and get a new one. Sometimes, that is the best thing to do, but you can often optimize your computer’s speed, even if it is a few years old.
1. Make Sure You Don’t Have a Virus or Malware Infection
- If your virus protection software is expired, or worse yet, you don’t have one, this could be the culprit. In fact, you may have an infection even if you have protection. Oh, and if you’re thinking, I have a Mac and it can’t get viruses, you’re wrong.
- Suspect an infection if your computer is both slow and acting strangely. If a routine scan won’t get rid of it, you may need professional help.
2. Eliminate Unnecessary Programs or Services from Loading on Startup
- Computers tend to get bloated as you use them, and some are bloated with unnecessary software when you buy them. Using system utilities, make sure that only the necessary programs are loading every time you boot up. If it takes a long time between when you see the desktop and when you actually can use your apps, it may be loading unnecessary bloatware.
3. Consider converting from a hard drive to a solid state drive (SSD).
- SSDs are not new and come with virtually every new computer. However, if your system is several years old, it may still use a hard drive. A hard drive uses mechanical discs that spin to read magnetic information for your computer to function, so it is only as fast as the parts can move. SSDs, on the other hand, have no moving parts and operate much more quickly. There are various kinds of SSDs, and which one you need depends on your particular setup.
4. Increase the Amount of RAM
- If you use multiple apps at once or surf lots of tabs in your browser, not having enough RAM can slow you down. Some cheap PCs come with a very limited amount of RAM. You can see how much you have by going to SYSTEM from the Windows menu. Ideally, you need at least 16 GB of RAM on a modern Windows computer. If you see a message that says you have, for example, 8 GB, but only 5.71 GB is usable, then your computer uses up RAM for video processing. This makes it even more important for you to get an extra RAM chip or two.
These are only some of the steps you can take to optimize your computer’s speed. If you want an expert opinion, contact us at help@computedoctorpros.com or call (336) 979-8948.
