Luckily, there are proven hacks that can help you oil your laptop's engine and restore it to its top speed. Whether you're running on Windows 11, 10, or 8, here are some tips that can help:
1: Use Ready Boost:
Windows features a ReadyBoost option that allows you to back up your RAM with a flash drive. This feature can be helpful if you're running on a smaller memory like 4GB RAM and can make up for extra memory space for faster processing power.
2: Disable Startup Programs:
If your laptop takes too long to boot up, there's a good chance that too many programs are running during the startup. This could be system programs, antivirus software, or unnecessary software that runs in the background, giving your CPU a lot of work to do and slowing down the loading speed.
To locate and force-stop these unnecessary programs, go to the Task Bar, right-click, and choose Task Manager. A window will pop up listing every program running in the background. Carefully scan through the list for programs with high startup impact that are not system software. Right-click on the program and select disable.
If you're unsure of the purpose of the software, you can right-click on the application to check the properties or file location. Alternatively, you can hit the Google search bar for answers to avoid disabling important system programs. Freeing up your computer's RAM during startup will give it much-needed room to process files quickly.
Additionally, closing all programs before putting your laptop to sleep is a healthy way of speeding up your system booting process.
3: Uninstall Unused Apps:
At some point, you may have installed a long list of applications that you barely use. Some of them may be pre-installed programs, while others are used once in a while and then disposed of. These programs take up a huge chunk of storage space and take a hit on your CPU performance, which could slow down your computer.
Uninstalling or deleting these programs will free up more system resources for optimal performance. To uninstall unused programs, hit the Start
4: Check for Malware and Viruses.
Another essential step in fixing a slow-running laptop is to check for malware and viruses. These malicious programs can infect files and programs, spread through every software, and cause your computer to slow down. You can tell if your system is under attack if you experience a slow performance, frequent system crashes, slow internet speed, strange loss of disk space, and annoying pop-up ads.
To prevent and eliminate malware attacks, use anti-virus software that can help you uproot the malware and get your laptop up to speed. There are many free and paid anti-virus software available that can keep your system protected, set up regular anti-virus scans for malware, viruses, and system breaches.
5: Free up disk space:
When it comes to fixing a slow-running laptop, the first step that comes to mind is freeing up disk space. Large files like videos, audio, and games can limit the space used by your processor and affect the performance of your laptop. When your storage space is almost full, i.e., 90%-99%, your computer may not be able to perform tasks efficiently, and it will lag through every window.
To avoid this, you should delete unnecessary files like movies that you no longer need or move them to an external storage device like a flash drive or cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox. Additionally, using tools like CCleaner can help you crawl through your system drive to delete hidden files, junk files, cache data, and uninstall applications that you barely use.
You can also use Microsoft's disk cleanup program to free up space on your system. To do this, type Disk Cleanup in your Windows search bar, select the driver you want to clean up, tick all the boxes of files you wish to delete, and click the Start button. Keeping your storage space within 75% to 80% full is advisable to leave enough space for your system RAM to operate efficiently.
6: Check and update your laptop operating system.
It is crucial to update your operating system and drivers regularly to keep your laptop running smoothly. Windows or Mac OS will regularly send you software updates that can help beef up system performance and stifle system bugs. To update your OS, go to Settings, select Update and Security, and check for Windows Update and download if available. To update your drivers, enter Device Manager in the Windows search box, select Device Manager, navigate to the device you want to update, search for updated driver software and update.
