Check The Power Saving Settings
Its always a good idea to double-check that you have the correct power-saving settings and plan chosen.
Start by selecting the right power savings plan:
If you want any of these plans to be restored in Windows 10 or 11, enter the appropriate command into the Command Prompt or Powershell ):
Balanced
Ultimate Performance
powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61
Defragment Your Hard Disk Drive
If you have a hard disk drive , as opposed to a solid state drive , it saves data in small groups in various places on the disk. Over time and use, different pieces of related data can end up spread all over the disk. It then takes longer for the system to find each piece of data and bring it back together for use when you open a program or app. Defragmenting your HDD can speed up this process, bringing related bits of data back together and thereby decreasing the time it takes for the system to find the data it needs.
To defrag your hard disk, click on the Start menu or Windows button, select Control Panel, then System and Security. Under Administrative Tools, click on Defragment your Hard Drive. You can choose for the process to run on a regular schedule, or you can click Analyze Disk and determine if the process needs to be run immediately.
Note: SSDs do not need to be defragmented since their technology is entirely different than HDDs.
More Digital Baggage Means Less Performance
Windows by itself does a poor job of alerting users to digital baggage and its related issues. It does not tell users which rarely-used programs to get rid of. It is usually long after problems arise that people start asking themselves Why is my PC so slow? or yell out My Windows has just crashed again!
So lets start with the first misconception about PC slowdowns: Many people think that by putting something on your PC hard disk, itll magically slow down anything you do.
Well, not really.
Installing a program on your computer, in many cases, means that it occupies some space on your hard disk. On its own this rarely has much impact given todays huge hard disks. For example, iTunes takes up 188 Megabytes on my hard disk . Even a heavyweight like PhotoShop takes up just 1.8 GByte on my drive. Given I have a 512 GB drive, thats less than a half-percent of my space. So not really an issue. Plus, these programs just sit there on your hard disk and wait for you to launch and use them.
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Defragment Your Hard Drive
Over time, files on your hard drive become fragmented. As your computer now has to check in multiple places for the pieces, it can run more slowly. The term defragment sounds a little dramatic, but it basically means putting those files back together so your system can run more efficiently.
In fact, its something that Windows 10, 8, and 7 do automatically on a set schedule. The default schedule is once per week, but you can go in and manually run it if you suspect theres an issue.
First, its important to note that you only need to do this if your computer uses a traditional mechanical Hard Disk Drive . A Solid State Drive works differently from an HDD, and there is no need for defragmentation. If you have both, only defragment the HDD.
Go to My Computer and right-click the hard drive . Then go to Properties> Tools and under Optimize and defragment drive, click Optimize.
Youll then get an Optimize Drives screen popup.
Note that in the above screenshot, all of the drives are SSD. These do not need to be defragmented. As in the image, Analyze will be grayed out for SSD drives, but will be available for hard drives.
Select an HDD drive and click Analyze to see how fragmented it is. A good rule of thumb would be to keep it below five percent. If its above, you can click Optimize to defragment the disk.
If you have an SSD, youll notice Optimize is actually an available option. Clicking it will run the TRIM command, which wipes data that is no longer considered in use.
Get Rid Of Unwanted Programs
Speed increases don’t end with startup times. You’ll want to make sure that your computer is running fast when you’re using it, too.
Free up storage space and memory by uninstalling programs that you dont use. These may include trial versions of software that came with the computer when you bought it, out-of-date antivirus programs, old software or games that you no longer play.
- Click Start> Control Panel> Uninstall a program.
- From the list of programs that appears, click the program you want to uninstall, then click Uninstall.
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Reason : Windows Running On An Hdd
Windows running on HDD is always slower than those running on SSD. The reason is that the magnetic head of HDD has to move here and there to read and write data, while Windows on SSD can locate files very quickly due to the application of flash memory.
So, if your computer always runs slow, the issue could be blamed on the Windows running on a slow HDD. Now check if your hard drive is an SSD or HDD.
Tip:
Why Does My Pc Get Slower Over Time
Its a problem as old as the desktop era: The longer you use a computer, the slower it becomes. But why is this? And what can you do about it?
The more weight you add to your car, the longer it takes to go from 0 to 60 mph. This is also true in the digital world the more programs you install on a PC, the more digital weight it has to carry, and the slower it becomes. Its not Windows its not you wearing out your PC by using it. Its all those programs, trial versions, games, toolbars, widgets, and what notes you download and install over time.
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User Case: Pc Suddenly Slows Down
Until last week, my PC was still operating normally. But today I suddenly went to open it, and when it started, it was too slow and too lazy to perform any operations. I can’t play games and watch videos smoothly, and I can’t even open the settings. Is this a virus or something else? My specifications are still up-to-date, and I dont know if I still have enough storage space. Do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you
Should You Defrag Your Hard Drive
Traditionally, when a PC saved a large file to the hard drive, it would break it into smaller pieces and store them across several locations. As these files accumulated, the hard drive would take longer to access them. This gave rise to ‘defragging’ software, which would, effectively, put the files back together in a more logical order, giving your PC a speed boost.
However, with the advent of Windows 10 , it simply isn’t necessary to run defragging software on your computer. Windows handles data much more intelligently these days. Mac users shouldn’t need to defrag at all.
If you’re still running Windows 7 , you may get a small speed boost by defragging your hard drive.
If you have a solid-state drive this process won’t be necessary, as Windows will automatically do it for you from time to time in the background. It’s widely recommended that you don’t defrag an SSD yourself.
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Update Your Wifi Adapters Driver
To make sure that your WiFi adapter is operating at its best, follow these steps:
This will go a long way to help your WiFi device to operate more stable and at peak performance.
Fragmented Files Are Slowing Down Your Laptop
Whenever you create, delete, or edit a file on your computer, some of that data becomes fragmented. That means pieces of files are stored in various parts of your hard drive. Over time, this can cause your laptop to slow down because your drive has to jump around to find each piece of data.
In order to consolidate and organize the data on your drives, you can defragment your computer. And while Windows 10 automatically defragments files once a week, you can also do this manually any time you want to. However, you dont need to defragment your drive if your laptop has an SSD.
The fix: To defrag a drive, click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen. Then type Defrag in the search bar and click Open. In the pop-up window, click Analyze and then Optimize.
It is important to wait for the drive to reach 0% fragmented before you start using programs or opening files again.
However, you should only defrag your drive if it is labeled as a hard disk drive under Media type. If you see that your drive is labeled as a solid-state drive, defragging it can actually wear down your drive and slow your computer down.
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Reason : Not Enough Ram
With enough memory, you can access data at a very fast speed. In other words, not enough RAM can lead to a slow computer. Well, how much RAM is enough so that you can have a fast computer?
Here we would like to discuss this question from the perspective of Windows 10. The minimum RAM requirement is 4GB. With a RAM of 4GB, a Windows 10 computer can run smoothly when many programs run at the same time.
However, if you like to play a game with large size on this computer or frequently perform other tasks that swallow lots of memory, the 4GB RAM will be overburdened, and in this case, a RAM of larger size like 8GB is more needed.
How to check the RAM size? You just need to
Reason : Misaligned Partitions On Ssd
SSDs boast much better performance than HDDs, but this should be on the basis that partitions are aligned correctly. In other words, when the partitions on the SSD are misaligned, your computer will run slow.
If you operate partitions on SSD frequently or partitions on the SSD come from other disks via copying, they may become misaligned.
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Why Does Adding Memory Help Your Computer Run Faster
The more RAM capacity you have, the more tasks your computer can handle quickly at once. Adding more memory is a straightforward way to fix recurring slowdowns when using or switching between apps.
Upgrading your memory may sound intimidating, but it’s easy. With a screwdriver, your owner’s manual and a good how-to-install RAM guide, youll have new memory in your computer within just a few minutes. No computer tech or prior knowledge required.
Your Browser Has Too Many Add
Browser extensions can usefully enhance your web experience but they might also be a culprit in slowing down your computer by eating up processing power. Nor are all extensions created equal – some add-ons may proclaim themselves popup blockers or search protectors, but they may be browser adware that can slow your computer down by downloading ads and popping up ads every time you open your browser.
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Update Windows Drivers And Apps
Youve probably heard that keeping your software up to date is a good idea for security. This is true and it can help performance too. Windows will automatically send you a notification when an update is available. You just need to make sure you dont keep putting it off.
If you think you might have missed an update, you can always check. Go to Start and click Settings or the settings icon. Then go to Updates & Security > Windows Updates.
Aside from your Windows operating system, drivers and apps should be kept up to date too. Again, this is good for both security and performance. If you think you might have missed an update, a quick online search should tell you which version you should be using.
Do Laptops Get Slower Because They Are Old
Laptops get slower because they are old. Old laptops, like any other computer equipment, will slow down over time. This is because the processor is less powerful than newer models and the laptop has to work harder to process the same tasks.
Laptops get slower with time because of the accumulation of programs and files. This makes it difficult to open new programs or run old ones on a laptop.
Laptops get slower because of their age. They do not have the same hardware as a new laptop and so they will be slower.
The more a laptop is used, the more it gets clogged with data and software, which makes it slow down. The more programs you install, the slower it will be.
Laptops get slower because they are old. They do not have the same hardware as a new laptop and so they will be slower.
Over time, the performance of a laptop is reduced because of the accumulation of data and programs, which are stored in the hard drive. This is called disk fragmentation.
The first step to solving this problem is to clean up your laptop. If you have a lot of old data on your laptop, you can use an application like CCleaner to remove it. You can also use disk defragmentation software to repair your hard drive and make it more efficient.
The article does not mention how to fix the problem of slowing laptops, but it does provide many points for consideration and a few possible causes for the problem.
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Uninstall Programs You Dont Use
We often install huge programs without realizing how much space theyre taking up. If you think that might be the case, you can easily uninstall any programs you dont use. Even if its a program you do use now and again, if its particularly large, it might be worth simply reinstalling each time you need it.
To uninstall a program, head over to Control Panel> Programs> Programs and Features.
Go though the programs and decide which ones, if any, you dont need. If youre unsure about a particular program, you could simply use a search engine to find out more. Alternatively, you can also use a tool like the aptly named PC Decrapifier to help you distinguish the good from the bad.
Common Mistakes Slowing Down Your Windows Pc
Is your computer running slow? You might be the cause! Here are several mistakes that slow down your PC and how to avoid them.
At some point, everyone wonders what is slowing their computer down. Working on a slow computer is no fun at all, and lowers your productivity.
While all computers slow down over time, in many cases, your own behavior can cause your computer to run slow unnecessarily. Here are common mistakes that will slow your Windows PC down to a crawl, and how to fix these habits.
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Why Your Laptop Is Slow And How To Fix It
If your Windows laptop isnt as fast as it used to be, there are lots of ways you can get it working like new. By just closing a few apps, disabling Power Saver mode, or updating your operating system, you can speed up a newer laptop. However, if you have an older laptop, you might have to replace your hard drive or memory cards. Here are the most common reasons why your Windows laptop might be running slow, and how you can speed things up.
Your Hard Drive Is Failing
A hard drive nearing the end of its lifespan is a common issue. Hard drives are made of moving parts that spin thousands of times a day and they do wear down, says Schoeffler Generally, after two to three years of consistent use, theres a high chance that a hard drive is failing.
In contrast, solid-state drives dont experience the same type of degradation from physical hardware, and have a lifespan of eight to ten years. Solid state drives are also ten times faster than a standard hard drive, and youre looking at going from a boot time of three to five minutes to 15-20 seconds, Schoeffler says. However, SSDs are more expensive per gigabyte of storage which isnt a problem if youre after, say, a 2TB drive, but can get expensive if you need a drive to store large photo or video files.
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Background And Startup Programs
Having cleaned up any viruses and made sure your regular antivirus program is functioning and up to date, the next thing to look at is whether you have any unused programs installed or running in the background. You can do this to some extent from within Windows, but it’s easier if you download the free version of CCleaner and run it.