Because of the internet world, we have become immediate satisfaction monsters that most of us have no patience for slow processing and extended loading times. Slowdowns are unavoidable, especially with laptops and computers, and we want our pricey technology to keep up with our speedy environments, but this isn’t always the case.
There are a variety of factors that make you say, why is my laptop so slow. These factors can be reasons for a slow laptop. Some of these factors may have anything to do with how you handle your operating system.
The very first stage is figuring out the real cause of a slow computer, whether it’s due to outdated software or damaged hardware.
Whenever you give yourself stress by thinking about what’s making your laptop slower, we’ll highlight the many typical causes of laptop slowdowns and offer possible solutions that could bring your laptop back up to speed.
Why Is My Laptop So Slow?
An operating system is responsible for providing everything to a laptop or computer, including memory, drive space , and processing power , among all other multiple programs.
There are multiple factors that could be affecting your computer’s performance.
- Having insufficient RAM
- Insufficient hard drive space (HDD or SSD)
- Old or damaged hard drive
- An excess of background programs
- Too many startup applications
- Falling behind on the latest updates for Windows or drivers
- Virus or malware
1. Need To Restart
How recently have you restarted your computer? Computers that are running slow may need to be restarted. This is primarily due to the fact that too many programs operate in the background when you use your computer.
When an excessive number of these background processes are not stopped, they consume a significant amount of your laptop’s resources, causing your computer system to gradually slow down.
2. Your Hard Drive Is Failing
A common problem is a hard drive that is close to failing. Hard drives are composed of moving elements that spin thousands of times every day, and as a result, they do wear down.
After two to three years of constant use, the likelihood of a hard disk failing increases significantly.
Solid-state drives (SSDs), on the other hand, do not suffer from the same kind of depreciation, and they have a lifespan that ranges from 8 to 10 years.
Solid state drives are also 10 times faster than conventional hard drives, reducing boot time from three to five minutes to fifteen to twenty seconds. Check if your hard drive is having some errors because that may be slowing things down.
3. Running Out of Hard Disk Drive Space
Having a lot of data kept on your laptop is fantastic for you but terrible news for the laptop’s back end. When a laptop is brand-new, it contains a small quantity of data. As a result, the Random Access Memory (RAM) and the other operating components will have little trouble to run multiple programs.
However, when you store more and more data on your hard disk drive , the same processing capability is put to the test. Your laptop’s performance greatly depends upon how much free disk space it has.
4. Too Many Background Programs
Among the most common causes of a slowdown in computer performance is having an excessive number of programs running in the background. These can slow down a computer as the system might be putting more effort into running these programs.
5. Overheating
Overheating is another normal factor for a laptop to function slowly. Laptop overheating is a very common problem with users. It is possible for your computer components to malfunction if they become overheated. This can result in system freezes, crashes, and overall slowness.
6. Malware or Virus
When computer viruses infect a system, it generally makes themselves known by encrypting files, requesting ransom, or displaying other potentially harmful pop-ups. However, some infections do run in the background and take sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, financial data, and health records.
These viruses can enter laptops through malicious software. They slow things down and hinder in normal operations of a laptop.
7. Windows is Updating
Unfortunately, this is the most significant reason for a new laptop operating more slowly than expected. Your laptop has additional storage and a nearly new processor, so it shouldn’t be slowing, right?
However, once the start button is pressed, Windows runs and requires a thirty-minute wait. Does this sound familiar?
What can be done about it? Well, it’s quite unpleasant to watch the black screen with a circling icon that keeps appearing and disappearing repeatedly. Nevertheless, you can’t do anything about this during a Windows installation.
Though these updates are important for your laptop, they usually affect a laptop performance and make it slower.
How To Solve These Problems?
The following are the tips that you can follow to help speed up their computers and make them run faster.
Reboot
If your laptop has not recently been rebooted, reboot it before proceeding with any of the actions below. Rebooting the laptop is a simple first step that can solve many issues.
Close System Tray/Startup Programs
If your laptop is starting up slowly, it’s likely that you have too many apps starting up together with Windows. Typically, items on the system tray activate at startup and remain active as you use the laptop.
So, you should close them and limit the number of startup programs from settings. You can also do it from the task manager. Select task manager and open the startup tab. You can disable programs here.
Scan for Malware and Viruses
There is also a risk that dangerous malware is slowing down your laptop and running in the background. Once you have selected the most suitable antimalware or antivirus program, install, and launch it. Scan for viruses and eliminate them if the application detects any.
These software can also help you delete temporary files from your laptop. Some of them also perform disk cleanup.
Upgrade hardware (SSD and RAM)
There is an efficient method to speed up your laptop. A hard disk can become corrupted at any time/day, as is a common fact. It is better for the laptop’s overall performance if you replace the hard drive with a Solid State drive.
Check for Drivers & Windows Updates
In order to fix the current difficulties and improve the performance of the apps and programs, updates are required. You should always use the most recent versions of applications and drivers on your laptop. You can update drivers on your laptop by accessing the Device Manager.
Installing the latest updates for Windows is also necessary. Your laptop will become slow and unresponsive if you haven’t installed any updates in a significant amount of time. Make sure you have a strong internet connection while performing these updates.
Delete Unnecessary Programs
It is quite possible that over the course of time, you have downloaded a large number of programs on your laptop. These applications are likely to be operating in the background, making your laptop slow. Some other programs may take up more disk space.
Try to delete programs that are no longer in use and also delete system files they have created. You will see how much memory will be freed in this way. This will also lessen the load on the laptop’s hard drive.
Reduce Workload On Your Browsers
Every browser window and tab consumes memory and processing power, eventually causing your system to become slow due to too little memory left behind. If you discover that a particular browser slows down your system, try another browser or monitor how many tabs are open at any given time.
The Final Thoughts
The suggestions listed above can be used to speed up a laptop and can answer perfectly why is my laptop so slow. Even the simplest tasks can become a huge problem if your laptop is too slow. Opportunely, we’ve outlined several steps you can take to boost your PC’s speed and performance in this article.
Let us know if you find these tips helpful in making your laptop faster.
Leave a Reply