Not everyone can go out and purchase a new computer just because our old one is beginning to slow down when we try to do anything.
Besides this, not everything has to do with the age of a computer, as they can slow down with use because of the things we install and the lack of maintenance we carry out.
However, no matter if your computer running slowly, or you think parts are failing. There are a few things you can do to get your pc back to a revitalized self and last another couple of years.
This guide will be broken into sections to see what you can do to fix a computer running slow without spending anything, and what upgrades you can make that are highly affordable. (Read What To Do With A Old Laptop)
How Do You Speed Up a Computer That Has Slowed Down?
When you want to know how to make computer run faster, all it needs is a little understanding of what to do. Here are a few things you can do that don’t cost anything yet go a long way to keeping your PC clear of rubbish.
Uninstall Unused Programs
New PC’s may have lots of programs pre-installed. Older PC’s will accumulate these over time, and you forget what is installed and what isn’t.
You can find many run services in the background and do nothing but slow down your computer. (Read Kodi Hong Kong Movies)
To remove these, click “Start” then go to “Control Panel” then click “Programs and Features” and scroll through the list, uninstalling the ones you never use. You can also use Revo Uninstaller as this checks your system registry for leftover entries.
Delete Temp Files
Whenever you use your browser, the history remains on your PC for access the next time you use the internet. Likewise, any apps you install may place temporary files on your computer which stay there and eat up disk space.
- To clear these, “My Computer”, select your main drive
- Click the “Windows” folder and open the “Temp” folder
- Right-click in the file explorer window and select details
- Select all files older than the current date and delete
- Head to the desktop and empty your recycle bin
Cancel Unwanted Startups
Each time you boot your PC, some programs run in the background. While some are useful, there are things you don’t need, and it is better to disable these.
- Click Start and type “Run”.
- In the box that appears type “msconfig”
- A box opens and from the top select the “Startup” tab
- Uncheck any programs you know you don’t use, but make sure to leave any operating system files or those you are unsure about
*You can also access this from the task manager by pressing ctrl+alt+delete*
Run a Disk Cleanup
Once you do this, it is best to clear up the dregs of leftover files. A disk cleanup can help.
- To do this, click “Start” and go to All Programs – Accessories – System Tools and Disk Cleanup.
- Select a drive to clean and click Okay
- In the next box, select ‘Clean up System Files’
- Check all the boxes of areas to get rid of files and click Okay
Defrag Your Hard Drive
Go to “My Computer”, and right-click on the hard disk and select “Properties”. Under the “Tools” tab, there should be an option to “Defragment Now”.
You can also type Disk Defragment into the search box for quicker access in Windows rather than heading to the control panel.
The disk defragmenter will put all the files back in order and fill all the gaps the many programs you deleted made. This is one of the best ways how to fix a computer running slow for free on Windows 7 to Windows 10.
Note: Make sure not to run a disk defragmenter on an SSD, because these work differently
What Can I Replace to Make My Computer Faster?
There a few things you can change that make all the difference to the operation of a PC.
If your computer runs slowly, one of the most effective things you can do is add more RAM to your computer. If you used to run Windows 7 and upgrade to Windows 10, you might find your computer slower.
However, if you add or replace the RAM altogether, you can make the computer much faster in operation as programs don’t have to be written to the hard disk all the time.
If you are a gamer and your computer has built in graphics, the addition of a discrete graphics card can help with anything visual from watching a video to using Photoshop.
How Can I Make My Old Computer Faster?
Besides the things you cleared up, there is one thing you can do to transform your computing experience.
You can add an SSD to your system, and use your old hard drive for storage. SSD’s have no moving parts, and it will feel as if your computer is brand new. The only issue with this is you may need to re-install your operating system, or take the advantage and upgrade to Windows 10 at the same time.
With the addition of an SSD, if you used to experience computer startup slow with a hard drive, you will find your computer starts up in seconds rather than minutes.
How Do I Speed Up My Old Computer Windows 10?
If you add an SSD, you should never need to run disk defragmenter again, and doing so can wear the drive. It is another thing you can disable in Windows.
Besides all the above, there are a few more things you can do to help speed up an aging computer and make it feel like new.
Update Everything
If you are still on Win 7, update to Windows 10 even if your PC is old. With an SSD and more RAM, it is a better experience. At the same time, make sure you have all the updates for your programs and the system drivers.
Go to Start and click Settings or the settings icon. Navigate to Updates & Security, then Windows Updates.
Adjust Power Options
Windows 10 comes with various power options. Balanced is the default, which offers a blend of energy savings and performance.
- It does allow you to change this to lower on the Power Saver mode, or you can put it up to High Performance.
- To access these, or create your own head to the control panel. Select hardware and sound then advanced power options and finally create a power plan.
- Enter a plan name, and change your settings before selecting next.
Turn Off Windows Features
In all versions of Windows, you can enable or disable certain features.
Head to Programs and Features and deselect or select and features you wish to turn on or turn off.
Here you can turn off the games, windows media player and other things that you may use an alternative.
Disable Animations
All the window animations may look nice, yet they have a dramatic effect on performance.
It is recommended to turn all these off to get the best speeds your computer can deliver.
- Go to Control Panel – System and Security – System – Advanced system settings. In the Performance section, hit Settings, and you will see a range of options
- To adjust, select for ‘best performance’
Disable Cortana
Cortana is the Windows assistant, and while helpful can slow your computer.
- Click the search box or Cortana icon
- Open settings panel using the gear icon
- In the settings screen, toggle off all the switches that are on
One thing you will find is there are a few things here that will be disabled that contain telemetry and send information back to Microsoft.
To maintain your security while being able to speed up your old computer, you can make use of a VPN service. (Read Best VPN for Australia)
With these VPN’s, any data leaving your computer, either through your browser or from your system such as torrenting, it will be encrypted.
The premium VPN’s will use military-grade encryption, and no one will be able to check what you are doing while you are connected to the internet. As for data sent from your computer, your VPN will change your IP address and thus replace it with another from the VPN server.
These don’t take up much space on your disk and don’t have much effect on your system resources.
While they will slow your connection a little, this is a small price to pay for the utmost in privacy and protection.
Once you have one installed, you can go into your task manager, and check how many system resources your computer now uses, to what it used to before you began this guide.
