If your desktop or laptop is running too slowly, don’t rush to get rid of it once and for all.
Even a reasonably old computer can still be helpful, so it’s time to pull it out of the closet and bring it to the senses. Exploring a limitless Internet network, working with office documents and simple games – all this he will be able to. The main thing is that the operating system itself works quickly and confidently enough. It may need to be reinstalled from scratch; You’ll have to give up capacious background tools and complex software. The space on the disk is also important to clear. As a last resort, a tangible increase will result in replacing the internal storage facility—about everything in order.
Limit the number of apps and tabs that are open at the same time
Yes, a computer is a multifunctional device that is designed to perform several tasks at the same time. You can listen to music with similar text; plow the internet, copying large amounts of data from one drive to another; keep an impressive number of tabs in the browser open. However, it’s essential to understand that as the number of tasks that run simultaneously increases, it becomes more difficult for the computer, especially the old and not particularly productive. If it starts to hang, get rid of some running tasks: so you free up RAM and reduce the load on the processor.
A considerable number of tabs on Google Chrome – the more of them, the higher the load on the old computer
Don’t leave tabs in your browser open just in case – keep them in tabs for the future. Editing a video or other difficult task for a computer can be put on a night when it is not busy. Programs that do not use do not fold and immediately close.
Reduce the number of background processes and support tools
In addition to the essential apps you directly use on your computer, there are also plenty of support tools in the background. It’s about antiviruses, firewalls, and other security-focused software; Automatic language change and app to monitor window positioning on the screen tools to control the load on the computer: processor load, free space in RAM, and space on the drive. At first, it seems that all this is too small of software to influence the system’s speed, but it is not.
In Windows, background system processes are also often displayed near the watch on the main panel.
Paradoxically, applications that are designed to speed up your computer are often only harder to load. This is just the case with utilities that, like, RAM clean, and useless processes are suspended, and space in the vault is cleaned.
Clean up the utilities in the automatic loading of the system
To make the operating system faster, it’s best to unload the automatic download section. In Windows, it’s on the Start menu > Settings > Apps > “Auto-Boot”; macOS will find it in the System Settings menu > “Users and Groups” > “Startup.” Here is additional software that runs along with the operating system. Often, developers of third-party applications try to add to this their incomparable creations, but usually, most of them here will be simply redundant. Pay special attention to processes that you don’t know.
For example, on this screen, there is Screen Recorder – I did not install this application, but it got into the system and some other utilities.
Often in automatic download, get additional applications from Internet services installed together with popular software. In this way, media giants often promote their software, which may not be of practical benefit to you.
Give up heavy utilities and highly complex software.
To assess the load on your computer, use a unique built-in tool to monitor the system’s state. Windows is designed to do this, which can be quickly opened with a simple shortcut to the Ctrl and Shift Esc- a simple shortcut, which is also available in a separate item in the system menu run through the Ctrl and Alt-Del combination; it’s enough to open “System Monitoring” from the Program folder to Finder or via Launchpad. Applications work on a similar principle, so algorithms work with them do not differ.
The more the load on the computer in the Task Manager, the worse it is for the old computer.
Look at the software that loads the CPU the most, which takes up too much RAM. It is better to give up such software: if they solve a significant problem, you can look for more straightforward alternative solutions.
Update drivers for all additional equipment
This issue is most real of computers running the Windows operating system, but the Mac may suffer from working with outdated drivers. We are talking about special software that explains to the operating system how to interact with specific hardware. If it doesn’t function properly, working with the computer will be noticeably slower than it could be. To open it in Windows, you need to press the right button on the Start menu and select “Device Manager.” Problematic drivers here are usually marked with an exclamation point.
Note devices that are marked with an exclamation point that their drivers may not work correctly.
On the Mac, everything is much simpler: the number of variations of iron is much smaller, so drivers for internal equipment are already built into the system. However, external gadgets include printers, scanners, and MFIs – more than once, he suffered from wild lags when printing when using an old canon printer. It was enough to install a new version of its driver.
Don’t use a variety of system decorations.
Additional panels, Windows desktop widgets or macOS side menus, and other additional visuals are not for an old low-power computer by today’s standards. All this must be mercilessly removed and not to regret what has been done. In fairness, the network abounds similar software, the developers of which are not particularly puzzled by the optimization. For example, not so long ago deleted a utility that displayed the cover of the album of the current composition from Spotify in the desktop corner. She was loading my laptop’s processor 20% or more without a conscience.
Trim the number of visual effects in the system interface
Any visuals in the operating system itself will also be excessive on the old computer. Windows needs to be inactive for “Make start menu, taskbar, and notification center transparent” in the “Personalization” menu > “Colors,” as well as “Show Animation in Windows” and “Apply Transparency in Windows” from Settings > “Special Features” > Monitor. On the Mac, you need to go to the System Settings menu > Universal Access > Monitor and put the “Reduce Movement” and “Reduce Transparency” switches into an active position. The speed will increase significantly.
The higher the number of visual effects, the worse it is for your computer to act.
Check your laptop’s battery and connect it to the network.
Speed problems are common on laptops when running from the battery. With age, the batteries undergo the chemical aging procedure and stop giving the necessary power: a slowdown. If your computer has a massive difference in performance from the socket and the built-in battery, the latter should be checked for wear. For Windows laptops, batteryInfoView is free and coconutBattery for mac. In both cases, compare the percentages of battery conditions.
coconutBattery shows that the battery of my MacBook Air is in average condition
Apple says the lithium batteries in its MacBook are significantly degrading after 1,000 full-recharge cycles. If you charge your laptop from zero and up to 100% only once every couple of days, the battery will be in average condition for more than five years. After that, it will have to be replaced with a new one.
Clean up your seat in your computer’s built-in storage
As practice shows, you need at least 10-20% of the free space on the system drive for any operating system to work correctly. It’s used for time files, updates, and more. If it is not enough, the speed can be significantly reduced. You can try PowerMyMac on Mac and CCleaner on Windows.
Reinstall the operating system you need
Reset Windows to factory settings through the Settings menu > “Update and Security” > “Recovery” – click on the “Start” button near the label “Return your computer to its original state.” On the Mac, you need to clamp the Command-R combination during the restart and choose to “Re install macOS” in the utility menu. In this case, you can fix the operating system’s problems and recover the data lost after inept manipulations. The speed of the computer, in this case, should increase significantly.
Reset Windows to factory settings is easy enough, and the effect of this can be the most positive.
Install an older version of the operating system
You can also try installing an older version of Windows or macOS. Usually, the newer the release of the operating system, the more demanding it is to the computer’s resources. Therefore, to speed up the work, you can try to take such a radical step.
Try a different operating system for your computer.
If all else fails, you can try installing one of the alternative operating systems on your computer. For example, Google’s Chrome OS copes with all the basic tasks but much less demanding to the iron. It can be put not only instead of Windows but also on the Mac.
Replace HDD with SSD and set the system on a fast drive
In the end, you will speed up the old computer significantly by using a solid-state drive (SSD) instead of a hard drive (HDD). The main thing is to install the operating system and all the necessary software on it after the storage is replaced. The old disk can be left to store content.
