Everyone sooner or later says the following sentence: " I need a new computer, mine is old and slow! ". This statement is, in reality, incorrect because that is the same computer that a few years earlier, when it was bought new, was going fast.
Because then the old computer has become slow "> search and identify the largest files on the hard disk to delete them or move them to an external disk.
2) Windows updates
Microsoft updates Windows with Security Patches every week.
Each installation brings new files to your computer, leaving old ones.
This is because Microsoft leaves the possibility to uninstall each patch.
These uninstall points can become very large over time and should be removed.
To do this, see the guide on how to save disk space on Windows.
3) The Restore Points
Windows automatically creates restore points every time it installs updates.
This way, if something goes wrong, you can always go back and get your computer back to working order.
Windows system restore is an irreplaceable function but fills the disk quite a lot in computers, up to 12% which on a 1TB hard disk can also occupy 120GB.
There are some programs to manage recovery points, delete them or create new ones.
4) Fragmentation.
Always because of the hard disk, which remains the weak link of every computer, a problem is the fragmentation of files.
On what fragmentation means we have written an entire article.
In two words, fragmentation means that a file is composed of data arranged in various areas of the disk and not contiguous.
To load that file, the head of the hard disk has to jump back and forth and it takes longer.
Microsoft has recognized the problem and has enabled automatic disk defragmentation on all Windows Vista and Windows 7 and 8 systems.
On Windows XP, only manual defragmentation can be done.
Defragmentation should never be done on SSD solid state drives.
Finally, in another article, the best programs for disk defragmentation.
5) Internet cache
Windows stores every image that is displayed on the internet on the hard disk so it does not need to download them again if they are viewed a second time.
The cache of web browsers is, in reality, limited and does not give space problems but it is good, from time to time, to empty it completely.
Ccleaner is the ideal program to clear the browser cache.
6) Programs that start automatically in the background when the computer starts
If when you turn on your PC you load unnecessary programs yourself that, moreover, remain hidden, it is obvious that the Windows startup will be longer.
Furthermore, each program will consume memory in a stable form, leaving less to the user.
It is therefore important to remove unnecessary programs from the automatic start of Windows.
7) Services
Even more subtle and hidden are the programs that install themselves as services.
Literally, there are hundreds of services running on the computer.
many of these services are Windows, but others can be stopped.
Even if this point can be skipped, a program for the automatic optimization of Windows services can be used.
8) Heavy and unnecessary programs
Whenever you install a free program, another sponsored software such as a toolbar or something else may also be installed.
It is advisable to use, on the old PC, a program such as Slimcomputer to find and remove unnecessary programs and toolbars that slow down the computer
Among these programs that slow down the computer there can be, without a doubt, also the antivirus because some antivirus programs are very heavy.
It is therefore worth replacing the current one with the lighter one that always remains the updated version of Microsoft Security Essentials or MSE.
9) Virus
There are many types of viruses around.
Some do obvious damage and cause visible and glaring problems, others instead remain hidden in the background and only slow down the computer or prevent its proper functioning, however not to an extent that suspects an infection.
A scan with the MalwareBytes Antimalware program on the old computer can be very long, but it removes any doubt of the presence of any type of infection.
10) Fast internet connection
On older computers with Windows XP there may be a problem with receiving or downloading data too fast.
In practice, the internet connection shoots data, in a second, faster than the computer can process it.
XP was then an operating system optimized for a slow modem connection and not for receiving 100 Mbit data.
Therefore optimizing the internet connection can help for a general improvement in performance.
Then read the guides:
- Make the old laptop bought a few years ago come back quickly
- 5 parts to change on the old PC to update it and give it new life
On very old PCs, which cannot be updated with new pieces, it is instead worth installing a light Linux system such as Peppermint or EasyPeasy capable of reviving a computer of any age.
In conclusion, a computer is not slow because it is old but because it is used and the requests for resources by programs and operating systems increase.
Keeping in mind the causes and solutions of a slow computer, the important thing to have a good computer is to do regular maintenance
