A sluggish laptop can lead to a lot of frustration, especially when you need to get work done in a limited timeframe. Over time, laptops slow down due to numerous reasons, including outdated software, an overload of background programs, or a lack of adequate storage space. The good news, however, is that there are efficient and straightforward methods to help boost your laptop’s performance and speed.
Reasons that could lead to a Slow Laptop
Before jumping to the solutions, let us first delve into the possible reasons for your laptop running slow.
- Too Many Programs at Startup – Background programs and applications that are not required can hinder your device from running optimally.
- Low Available Storage Space – An overabundant hard drive can hinder optimal performance as well.
- Software and Drivers Are Out of Date- Older software are likely to not have speed optimization as a feature.
- Malicious Software Or Viruses – Infected systems usually do not perform well due to undeclared processes working in the background.
- Overheating Problems – High levels of heat can greatly reduce performance levels.
- Fragmented Hard Drive – When data is dispersed throughout a hard drive, accessing a file is considerably slower.
Methods that are tested and proven to increase the speed of your laptop:
Here are some of the best ways to make sure your laptop is working seamlessly and faster.
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Remove Unnecessary Startup Programs
Certain programs automatically launch alongside your laptop’s operating systems, which can slow down your boot time. Follow these steps to remove unnecessary startup programs:
- To open the Task Manager, click Ctrl + Shift + Esc
- From here, open the Startup tab.
- Right-click the programs you consider unnecessary and click Disable.
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Delete Unused Programs
Several applications you installed at one time may no longer be useful to you. Such applications take up precious space, ultimately affecting speed and performance.
- Head over to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program
- Here, select and remove programs you no longer need.
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Organize Your Hard drive
Having too many files stored on your storage device can also contribute to your laptop performing poorly. You can try these:
- Use Disk Cleanup (search ‘Disk Cleanup’ in your Start menu) to delete temporary files.
- Move large files to external hard drives or upload them to cloud storage.
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Switching To A SSD (Solid State Drive)
If your laptop is still running on an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), upgrading to an SSD can significantly improve speed. Better yet, these drives have quicker read/write speeds, leading to faster boot times while further enhancing performance.
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Add More RAM
Every CPU has a limit on the number of tasks it can handle at once. Increasing laptop RAM allows multitasking to be carried out more efficiently. If you experience slow laptop performance while multitasking, increasing the RAM will significantly boost the performance you receive.
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Upgrade Laptop’s Operating System and Drivers
Keeping the OS and drivers updated provides additional speed and stability besides the already-installed performance enhancements.
- To check for Windows updates, go to ‘Settings’ and click on ‘Update & Security’.
- To update drivers, use Windows Update or go to the producers page.
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Check Laptop for Malware and Viruses
Scanning regularly for viruses and using anti-malware will help ensure your laptop doesn’t slow down due to system resource consumption. Use reliable antivirus software to scan for malware on your laptop.
Install a reputable anti-virus software and run this program with a full system scan and remove detected threats.
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Set Power Options Toward Performance
Choosing one of the power options provided often makes your laptop slower. If you are in battery-saver mode, switching your laptop to high-performance mode could enhance the speed.
- To set the Power Options, go to Control Panel and click on Power Options.
- From there, you can set the laptop to High Performance Mode.
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Disable Effects For Performance Improvement
For an even greater performance increase, Windows visual effects should ideally be optimized. Doing this to older laptops will speed them up hugely. This can be done easily by following the simple steps below.
- For this option, right-click “This PC” and press “Properties”. Select “Advanced System Settings”.
- Select Adjust for best performance under the Performance section.
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Avoid Overheating Your Laptop
Overheating will negatively impact the speed and longevity of your laptop. To keep your laptop at the proper temperature:
- Clear fans of any dust buildup to allow for better airflow.
- Use a cooling pad to ensure your laptop stays within the optimal temperature range.
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Regularly Restart Your Laptop
A lot of users opt to put their laptops into sleep mode rather than powering down and rebooting. Restarting your laptop will get rid of any running background processes and help refresh system performance.
12 Reinstall Or Reset Windows (Final Option)
If your laptop is not performing well after all these steps are completed, shutting down and resetting Windows, or doing a clean install of Windows, might be the answer.
- Navigate to Settings, then select Update & Security, and lastly, click on Recovery.
- Choose Reset this PC and follow the on-screen instructions.
Final thoughts
There’s no need to consider purchasing a new laptop just because it’s running slower, it’s a matter of implementing these detailed instructions to improve speed and performance while spending a small amount of money. BIOS Technology has professional services to help optimize laptops. Reach out (+1 840-699-6568) to us for faster and more reliable solutions to performance issues needing solutions. We assure timely and efficient services when it comes to providing your laptop with useful solutions.
