My computer is running slow, what steps can I do to fix it?
1. Causes of slow, jerky laptops
There are two causes of slow laptops that are related to hardware and software.
If the problem is hardware related, then your laptop’s chip and RAM will be responsible for fixing it. Adjusting and allocating so that the hardware is suitable for each Windows operating system also helps to fix the error of the laptop being slow by hardware.
And if the problem of the laptop running slow is due to software, you need to take steps to fix that problem on the laptop. A simple way to distinguish a slow laptop due to software or hardware is to check the parameters and condition of the machine. If the machine was working fine before, but recently it has been slow, it is likely due to too many applications, software, and junk files.
2. How to fix this problem
2.1 Delete files in the trash
When you surf the web, use software or extract a RAR/ZIP file or uninstall software. Temporary files will automatically be created to make the process faster, but then they continue to exist in the Windows temporary folder, in the long run they will take up a lot of hard drive space, making for the operating system’s space to be reduced.
Many people think that if you want to delete files, just delete the data will be removed, but that action is just moving those unnecessary files into the “Trash” of the machine only.
To be able to completely delete junk files, right-click on the “Trash” icon – “Recycle bin” and select Empty Recycle bin. This action will delete all files in the recycle bin and you will not be able to get the deleted files back.
Note that after deleting, you will not be able to recover the files anymore, so make sure you no longer need them. To be on the safer side, you can also manually delete files one by one.
2.2 Scan regularly for viruses
Since most computer users often surf the web, online chat and email, computers are easily infected with spyware and malware from other websites. each other that you visit. By removing spyware and malware, your computer’s speed will be significantly increased.
No matter what laptop you use, your needs, how often you use it, everyone should have at least 1 antivirus software on their computer. They not only help in recovering a slow laptop through antivirus but also protect the entire device from other damage.
However, many people have the habit of just letting the software run automatically all year round and forget to update them. Always update to the latest version periodically for the best performance of the application. If your old anti-virus software doesn’t work, you should also consider downloading new software.
2.3 Turn off software running in the background
If there are too many software running in the background with Windows in a laptop, of course the machine will be slow. Modern computers have many effective battery-saving features, but they can only do so if applications are not opened too much. Unnecessary applications not only drain the battery, but also slow down the entire system and make the whole system sluggish when dealing with such a large number of tasks all the time.
Therefore, turn off unnecessary programs to reduce the amount of resources used in the machine.
- Step 1: Use the “Windows R” key combination to open the Run dialog box and type msconfig
- Step 2: Then you go to the Services section. Find and uncheck apps you don’t need or never use.
2.4 RAM upgrade helps laptop run faster
After the hard drive, RAM is also an important “backbone” that affects the speed and smoothness of the computer.
RAM, also known as Random Access Memory, is where all the files of the programs running on the computer are stored. Accessing files from RAM is much faster than accessing files from the hard drive. To help the machine run faster, the simplest way is to invest in upgrading RAM. Upgrading RAM is a bit more complicated. If you find that the RAM memory is consistently above 90%, you should consider upgrading your laptop.
To check your laptop’s RAM, open Task manager and look at the CPU status. However, whether or not to upgrade and how much to upgrade depends on the RAM slot of each device. To be able to upgrade RAM, you should ask for advice and help from a mechanic or a professional.
2. 5. Turn off applications that start with Windows
Your computer will have to use a certain amount of energy to open the default applications that start with Windows. This process can make the device start up slower while many apps we don’t necessarily need to use.
To adjust these software, we follow the following steps (applicable to Windows 10 and above)
- Step 1: Go to Windows (Start) => Go to Settings or press Windows I key combination Step 2: Go to Apps
- Step 3: Go to Startup => Click Turn Off (OFF) the applications that you do not want to start with Windows anymore