14 Fixes For Your Computer Is Running Slow

Are you also asking the question, ‘Why Is My Computer So Slow?’ There can be countless reasons. This comprehensive guide will help you diagnose the problem and come up with the answers.

You will learn about various ways to speed up the memory and processing power of your computer. Each point comes with a reason for why the computer is running slow and a solution for it. Without further ado, let’s begin:

14 Fixes For Your Computer Is Slow

1. Restart Your Computer
2. Check For Active Programs
3. Hard Disk Drive Solutions
4. Windows Update
5. Viruses And Malware Problems
6. Check For Power Settings
7. Web Browser Problems
8. Check For Visual Settings
9. Update Your Drivers
10. Delete The Cached Files
11. Reset or Reinstall The Windows
12. Third-Party Optimization Tools Solution
13. Registry Cleaner Solution
14. Upgrade Your Computer

1. Restart Your Computer

Your computer needs rest after working for too long. If it has been hours since you started your computer, it’s time to restart it. Rebooting the Computer can help clear unnecessary files and stop the tasks.

It helps your Computer get refreshed thoroughly. You can also decide to shut it down for 15-20 minutes to give it a rest. This will cool down the heated components for the best performance.

If you’re facing any lag, hanging, or lack of response, restarting your computer is the best option.

2. Check For Active Programs

The entire system runs on the programs. There are plenty of apps, software, or programs. Some of these are essential tasks running in the background. Others might be some programs you downloaded to use for some work.

Application Hogging RAM

The first step for you to take is to check the third-party apps that you’ve on your system. It can be some tools, antivirus programs, video converters, and so on.

There may be some program that is consuming too much RAM. How can you check it?

Open your Task Manager. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL and select Task Manager from the Task Menu. If not, you can also press CTRL + Shift + ESC to open the task manager.

Now check for all the programs that are consuming excessive resources in your system. You can go ahead and right-click them and end the task.

Make sure to do it for all the unnecessary programs that you’re not using. If you end up with Windows essential programs, you will receive a warning.

Startup Programs

Clean boot is one of the options available for you. You can go ahead and disable all the non-essential programs and drivers. This will boost your Computer’s performance.

But, you can also check for the other startup programs running in the background. You can see them in your Taskbar. To disable these, you will have to access each program’s settings s. Then change the settings. If that doesn’t work, go ahead and uninstall a program.

You can also disable some non-essential programs and tasks via Task Manager.

3. Hard Disk Drive Solutions

You can face a lot of problems with the Hard Disk Drive. The very first problem can be the lack of connectivity. Your Hard drive uses a cable to port to connect with the system. Make sure to clean it and reattach the port. Check for the power settings to maximize power input to the Hard Drive.

Drive Space

The best you can do is reduce the storage space. Your hard drive, especially the partition with the Operating System, needs space. The space lets your system store more cache files and works optimally.

Clean out the storage space by deleting unnecessary files. You can also go ahead and uninstall some programs and applications that you don’t use anymore.

Run a disk defragment to see if that fixes the issues with your system. IT will certainly free up space for you.

You can also use Cloud Storage and extra storage devices to backup data and clean disk space.

Disk Cleanup

A disk cleanup tool is one of the best assets you have in Microsoft Windows 10. All you need to do is right-click on the Disk partition and select Disk Clean up. This will help with your Hard Drive running slow.

Then follow through with the setup window and let it clean the files. While you’re at it, use the Error Checking and Disk Defragment. These tools help smooth things out for you.

Change To SSD

This point is related to Upgrading your Computer more than anything else. If you can’t seem to fix the Hard Drive problem, it’s time to change it. Yes, you can get another HDD.

But, SSD (A Solid State Drive) would be better. These help in boosting the processing power of your Computer. You will have an easier time booting the system and launching any application. File transfer will be faster, as well.

4. Windows Update

Sometimes, the problem isn’t with the computer itself but the operating system. If there has been a new update rolling out, check for it and make sure to update. But, if you started noticing the problems after the update, rollback. You can roll back your windows easily by deleting the updates or checking the update logs.

5. Viruses And Malware Problems

If your computer is running slow, it is most likely a virus or malware problem. There can be countless reasons for this to happen. The best solution you have is to download an antivirus program and run it. Your Windows 10 Operating System comes with the built-in Windows Defender. You can use it to run a scan and see if you find any problem.

If you’re unsure about it, you can download Avast or Malwarebytes. An antivirus program will reinforce the security. But, they are only good if you are going for the premium packages.

6. Check For Power Settings

Both computers and Laptops have a power plan they work on. This is an automated process to boost energy efficiency. While it is a great option, it can reduce computer speed. Often, it prevents the computer from using full memory and processing power. As a result, you end up with a slow computer.

Go to the Control Panel and Hardware settings. Find the power plans there and create a new plan. Try to opt for the maximum power settings available. It can help fix the problem.

If you have a laptop, make sure to check for the battery percentage. Recharge it if it is too low.

7. Web Browser Problems

An internet connection has become indispensable for almost every computer. You are most likely using a browser but it can be the reason for the computer running slow. How?

For starters, if you have too many browser tabs, it will consume more memory (RAM). Google Chrome is notorious for consuming more memory than needed. People are moving to Internet Explorer Edge (Microsoft Edge) for this reason.

Add-ons And Extensions

You might also want to check for the extensions and add-ons in your browser that run in the background. These programs can cause a lot of problems. Check by disabling or uninstalling various add-ons and extensions. Reinstall the ones that are not causing any problem.

8. Check For Visual Settings

If you have low RAM or an older processor, the visual effects of your computer can impact the performance of your computer. 

Go to your Control Panel and search for the visual settings. These can be in display settings and visual settings. Uncheck anything unnecessary like shadows, cursor effects, graphics, and much more. After all, almost everything consumes the system’s memory and processor power. 

9. Update Your Drivers

Sometimes the problem is related to hardware. If you are using hardware for a while, you can check to update Drivers. Updating Graphic Drivers, Internet Drivers, and others are essential to maintain the best performance. You can overall improve the CPU performance if you get better drivers.

For this, you can go to the Device Manager and expand each driver. Then click on Update Driver and scan for the latest version. Like this, you can get better performance. 

10. Delete The Cached Files

Cached files can be one of the common reasons for slow computer systems. There are many different types of caches and temporary files in the system. You can delete temporary files by going to RUN and typing ‘%temp%.’ 

This will open a new window for you. Select and delete temporary files. This will also help you free space and resources to focus on somewhere else. 

11. Reset Or Reinstall Your Windows

If you’ve tried everything so far, maybe the reason for a slow computer is your operating system. Start by considering the specification requirements and if you meet the minimum specifications. The general rule of thumb is to have at least 1.5 times better specs. 

There may be many programs running that are going unnoticed. As these programs are running in the background or incognito, it can take a toll on data, memory, and processor. 

Maybe the problem is with the startup or system data. That’s why you can try and reinstall Windows.

If it is Windows 10, try resetting. All you have to do is search for ‘reset’ in the Search bar, and it will guide you through the entire process. 

12. Third-party Optimization Tool Solutions

Generally, it is not a good idea because many third-party tools can come with viruses and malware. But, you can give it a try as they can tweak up the performance. Try to use CCleaner and Monitor Tool to see if they help with the computer’s performance. 

But, don’t rely too much on these programs because they can be the reason for the computer running slow. 

13. Registry Cleaner

It’s not wise to meddle with the registry of your computer. You might think that these are minimalist files, and aren’t solid-state, but they play a vital role. Still, some corrupted or incomplete (empty) registries can cause the computer to Slow down. So, cleaning the registry can help speed up your computer. 

14. Upgrade Your Computer

If none of the solutions have worked so far, the final step is to upgrade your computer. Why? Because of technological advancements, there is a need for more performance. Every computer needs extra memory or a processor. If you don’t do it, you will end up having the computer slow down. 

Some of the changes are to get a better hard drive for more free space. You can also replace the solid-state drive with optimum drive space. 

Add More Memory (RAM)

Random Access Memory plays a crucial role in the speed and performance of your system. From background tasks to running a program, even a browser needs it. You should definitely have at least 8 GB of RAM in today’s world. It would be better to have 16 GB, but that’s enough. 

Change The Processor

More than RAM, the processor is vital. If you see that your computer’s speed slows down while running a program, it could be a processor program. The combination of processor and RAM helps in CPU power and resources. 

You can also invest in a new computer entirely instead of upgrading the old one. It will help if your old computer is running slow. 

Frequently Asked Questions