There’s nothing like opening up the box of a brand new computer. It comes out shiny and sleek. It feels smaller than whatever you were using in the past, and when you turn it on, it feels almost instant. It’s truly amazing how brand new technology can put the old tech to shame. And yet, after a few months, you start to see cracks in the armor. It’s no longer running as quickly as it did fresh out the box. It takes a few moments longer to load a website, or it takes a couple of added seconds to finish booting up when starting it. You may not realize it’s doing this until one day, it is painfully slow, and you’re not even sure why.
If you’ve ever asked yourself, “why is my computer running so slow,” you’re not alone. It is an issue that happens to everyone, but it doesn’t mean you need to accept it or go out for a new computer. No, if your computer is running slow, here are a few reasons why, plus what you can do about fixing it.
Antivirus Software
Yes, of course, you want to have antivirus software installed on your system. This is true for any computer, including Macs (despite the rumor that you don’t need antivirus on a Mac, you do). So why does the antivirus software slow down your computer? It’s because when it launches an antivirus scan, it needs to search over every single file on the hard drive, and this takes time. It is especially problematic if you don’t have a solid-state drive (SSD) and the hard drive needs to spin. This will dramatically heat the computer, which will kick on the fan. All of this slows down performance, heats the computer, and burns through the battery (when using a laptop).
So what can you do to avoid this kind of issue? Naturally, you don’t want just to turn off the antivirus. So, instead, you will want to adjust when the self-scan functions. Set it for a time where you are away from the computer. You can do it at night if you leave your computer on. If you don’t, set it for your lunch hour or when you can step away for an hour or so. This way, you won’t have to deal with the hard drive scan.
Sluggish Browser
Every website you visit leaves some kind of a cookie on your system. There are several reasons why these cookies might be placed on your system. Some are simply to help with load time on the website (which is why the website you frequent loads faster than brand new websites). Other cookies will monitor your movement online and craft advertisements or other experiences based on the other websites you visit. Besides, certain images may be downloaded to your computer and other bits of code designed to improve website performance. The problem with all of this is the files will begin to slow your system down.
You might be surprised as to how much data these files take up. If you haven’t cleared out your Internet cache, the files can take up several gigs worth of space. Blasting the files to oblivion will help speed up your computer and open up valuable space on the hard drive.
And don’t worry about losing important information during the cleaning. You can tell your Internet browser to save passwords or other necessary data you don’t want to lose.
Restart Your Computer
Don’t just close the lid of your laptop. You need to actually power it off from time to time. Some program files cannot be fully canceled out until the computer shuts down. Over time several files wait for the power down. So, perform the restart and you’ll not only speed up the computer but free up storage space.
Unnecessary Programs Running
Probably the biggest slowdown you’ve noticed is at startup. It takes longer for your operating system to be fully operational. This is because as you install more applications onto the system, more programs try to begin right at startup. It may start with your email service provider, but, over time, it will add secondary programs, not to mention a handful of apps you don’t even know are running in the background. You need to clean this up. Thankfully, it isn’t that hard to do.
All you need to do is open the Task Manager on your computer. The Task Manager will show you every application that is running and the kind of horsepower each program is using. Now, you can tell each of these to stop running manually, or you can go into the settings of the programs you don’t need and tell them not to begin at startup. This will improve your performance and speed up the time it takes to have the computer operational.
Protection For You And Your Business
Suppose you run a personal computer for yourself, and then these tips should be more than enough. After running through the suggestions for why is my computer running so slow, your computer will begin functioning much as it did right out of the box. However, if you run a small business and rely on computers not only for your own needs but also for the needs of workstations and point of sales throughout the company, you need to elevate how you care for your computer.
This isn’t just cleaning off unnecessary gunk from the hard drive. It’s also about protecting the essential files that rely on that drive and any cloud-based services you rely on. To help you with this, the team at Charlotte IT Solutions is here for you. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run, the size, or how long it has been in operation; Charlotte IT Solutions will assist you in everything you need. To begin speeding up your network, connected computers, and protecting all the data within, pick up the phone or send an email to Charlotte IT Solutions. It will be the first step in elevating your company’s IT performance.