Computer running slow? Let’s speed up PC

Despite having good RAM, SSD and GPU struggling with a slow computer is not a pleasant thing. Let’s look at some of the common causes and ways to fix the slow-running computer. This article will not discuss the basic things such as you should have a computer with good RAM, fast hard disk or SSD and more importantly good GPU if you often use google chrome and Adobe products as it uses GPU-accelerated rendering, I consider you know this already. You probably have also already tried removing unwanted software, restarting the computer and disabling notifications to speed up your PC, hence we will not cover these basics here.

We will start with basic fixes and move towards more complex ones and no worries I will not recommend any software.

Note: This post is focused for windows platform.

1. Check the startup programs

Quite often software such as IDM, torrent, Adobe products, and Google drive start at the startup and consume unnecessary processing and storage. Let’s fix this issue by disabling the unnecessary software as shown in the screenshot below. To go to task manager, simply click

CTRL+ALT+Delete then click on Task Manager after that click on the startup tab. Then simply right-click on the software of the list to disable/enable.

Bonus tip: You may also see the background process on the Processes tab and can disable the software which is not in use.

2. Use Disk Cleanup to clean temporary files

There are temporary files that programs make for their frequent use but most often don’t delete and that makes up a mess at the storage unit. So let’s clean that mess made by the programs.

To Open Disk Cleanup go to Start>All Programs > Accessories/Administrative tools. Then click on Disk Cleanup or you may simply search Disk Cleanup on the search bar of windows.

Now the process is simple, select the disk where windows is installed then select the files to delete and then click on ok. You may select all even the recycle bin if you don’t want to restore anything later.

Bonus tip: You may click on the cleanup system field, don’t be afraid as it asks for administrator permission.

3. Stop Indexing Service or Windows Search

If you are the kind of person who doesn’t have to search files on the PC quite often and just use a few programs and browsers then this is for you. Windows indexes your files on SSD/Harddisk in the background such that when required users can search files fast but creates a background process. You can simply disable it by following the steps given:

Press Windows+R then type services.msc and press enter.

After search for Windows Search or Indexing Service and double click on that.

Now simply select disabled on startup type and press on Stop and apply as shown in figure.

4. Using SFC in CMD

Corrupted system files sometimes plays a role in reduction in performance speed of your PC.

SFC (System File Checker) simply scans for any corrupted or missing component in the system and replaces it with good one. To use this command search for CMD and right click on CMD and run it as administrator. Then type the command sfc/scannow and press Enter. This might significantly speed up your PC if the cause of slow pc is due to corrupted or missing components in the system.

5. Make sure the cooling system of the PC is working good

Is the cooling fan of your pc/laptop working? Is it dusty? Take into consideration these facts, heat also plays a role in slowing down your PC. Hence to make it faster, make sure you have a new thermal paste, a good working cooling system and your PC is dust free. If you have used your PC for more than 2 years than simply go to the PC repairing store and consider asking to replace the thermal paste to speed up your PC and to increase the hardware life.

6. Are you a victim of crypto-jacking or malware?

It might be a little new term for beginners but you may click on terms to know more about this. Quite often your PC might be affected by some sort of malware and your resources could be used by the attacker for crypto-jacking, DDoS attack or something like that. Let’s not make it more technical and directly talk about the fix. So, the fix is to use a good antivirus and don’t used the cracked softwares. Windows defender is also a good option, just make sure it is updated.

7. Use Tiny10 (Lightweight Windows 10)

If nothing is working, consider using Tiny10 OS. It is simply stripped down version of windows 10. Tiny10 is a great solution for users who have a low-end PC with little disk space and RAM but wants smooth operation. Moreover you can consider using Chrome OS if you are searching for some official stuffs.