Everyone who has used a computer for an extended amount of time has likely notice that it tends to slow down over time, especially computers running the Windows operating system. There are many causes that can make a computer slow down. Let us look at a few of the main culprits, and what you can do about them.
Software Build-up
The longer you use a computer, the more software that gets installed on it. After a while, this software can begin to build up and slow down the computer. This is especially true of programs that run automatically when the computer is first booted, such as antivirus programs or instant messaging clients. Each of these programs may only use a small percentage of the available RAM and CPU processing power, but add many of them together and it can add up to a lot. They may also eat up hard drive space which will ultimately slow down the PC also. Uninstall as many unnecessary programs as possible in the Control Panel using the Add/Remove Programs utility.
Lack of Memory
A computer or laptop with too little RAM is prone to slow down, especially when too many programs are running at once. When RAM gets full, the computer must use the page file on a hard drive to store open programs. Since transferring data to and from the hard drive is much slower than RAM, this will cause the computer to slow down. Consider adding the maximum amount of RAM your laptop can support for a speed boost. You can check with your laptop manufacturer or a spare parts supplier to see if your machine has room to add more RAM to help improve its overall performance. Also consider disabling or uninstalling programs that run in the background, this can help regardless of any upgrades you do to your machine.
Lack of Free Space
In some cases, lack of free hard disk space can cause a computer to become slower. Try freeing up space by uninstalling unnecessary programs and deleting unnecessary files. Most hard drives operate best with 20% of their storage space free. This allows room for the drive to temporarily swap files when moving and for other necessary tasks. If you cannot delete enough files to free up space, consider upgrading to a larger hard drive. They are available from most online part suppliers at very affordable prices.
Hardware failure
Some pieces of hardware that may be failing or beginning to fail may slow down your machine also. Laptop cooling fans are a common issue, for example the Toshiba laptop fan on the Satellite A15 has a pretty thorough history of failure due to outside contaminates getting into the fan and causing it to spin too slowly or not at all. This type of problem will often cause unresponsiveness from the machine, Windows errors, shutdowns, and often times the dreaded blue screen. The fan is pretty easily replaced by a qualified repair center and is not very labor intensive.
It may seem that computer slowdowns are a necessary fact of life, but following these few tips can help you get your computer running much faster. With the few upgrades and troubleshooting methods mentioned above, you may even find your laptop performs faster than it did out of the box.