When you first got your new laptop, it probably ran like a dream. It might have been the fastest laptop you had ever used, up to that point, and it allowed you to do everything you wanted to do.
But now that your laptop has started accumulating dust after years of loyal service, it’s starting to slow down. It’s not as responsive as it used to be, you can’t multitask as effectively as you once did, and there are certain apps and games you simply can’t run.
Is there any way to make your slow laptop faster? Or is the only legitimate solution to buy a new laptop?
Why a Laptop Slows Down Naturally Over Time
First, it’s important to know that there are both unnatural and natural reasons for laptops slowing down. Unnatural causes include things like excessive accumulation of software programs, acquisition of malware, and mistreatment by users.
However, there are also some natural factors that can make a laptop run slower.
· Obsolescence in an advancing world. Technology advances quickly. The hardware in your laptop is stuck in the past while operating systems and software programs keep getting more advanced. These files get bigger and bigger, with greater performance demands in every iteration, while your laptop finds it harder and harder to keep up.
· Accumulation of running programs. Most users have a tendency to install new programs on a regular basis, but they don’t always take the time to uninstall or disable programs that they no longer use. After several years, this can overburden your laptop with a number of programs that it just can’t handle.
· Wear and tear. The hardware in your laptop can also suffer wear and tear, especially if not maintained properly. For example, if the cooling system in your laptop accumulates dust, it will become significantly less effective, leading to overheating and poorer CPU performance.
How to Make a Slow Laptop Faster
There are some ways you might be able to make a slow laptop faster, though they aren’t guaranteed to do this.
· Restart your laptop. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is a now-clichéd line typically used for comedic effect, but it elucidates an important point: restarting an electronic device can solve a startling number of problems. If you haven’t done it in a while, consider shutting down your laptop fully and restarting it. Then, make a commitment to fully shut down and restart your laptop periodically. It can often make your laptop faster.
· Scan for malware. Consider scanning your laptop for malware. If your computer is infected with a virus or another form of malware, it could suffer a significant slowdown. Removing the malware entirely should eliminate the problem.
· Disable or uninstall unnecessary programs. Do a thorough evaluation of the programs installed on your machine and get rid of anything that isn’t fully necessary. This is especially important for programs that start running automatically upon starting up your computer, as these often run in the background, hogging resources without your notice. If you don’t need the program, uninstall it. If you need it, consider disabling it temporarily to see if it improves your performance in other areas.
· Free up hard drive space. If your hard drive is filled to the brim, it can cause disk problems for your machine that cause the laptop to slow down. You can free up hard drive space by deleting things you no longer need or adding additional hard drive space peripherally. Either option can help.
· Upgrade the RAM. In some situations, upgrading your laptop’s RAM can improve your laptop’s speed. RAM stands for random access memory, which gives your laptop a place to store temporary information necessary for various programs. This enables faster and more efficient multitasking and is indispensable for certain types of apps.
· Perform a disk cleanup. Performing a simple disk cleanup can also resolve certain speed issues. On a windows laptop, all you need to do is search for “disk cleanup” and follow the instructions that pop up. This should clean out any temporary files you no longer use or need.
· Disable unnecessary luxury effects. These days, many operating systems come with extra features that aren’t really useful or necessary but provide aesthetic or experiential value. For example, translucency and animations are sometimes packaged into your OS by default. These options make your computer use more resources, so consider disabling them if you don’t want or need them.
· Reinstall an old OS (with caution!). Operating system versions grow bigger and more complex with time, putting a greater burden on your laptop. If you want your laptop to run like it did before, you can consider reinstalling an old version of the OS. However, you should do this with extreme caution, as older versions of operating systems and software could weaken your cybersecurity.
When to Get a New Laptop
If you’ve tried several of the strategies on this list, and your laptop is still running too slowly for your preference, the best option is to simply buy a new laptop. Once you have hardware with better specs, you’ll be amazed at how much better it performs.
