The good news is computers are lasting longer. Seven, eight years or more. But as they get older, things start to lag, or slow down. If your PC is dragging you down, try these tips before buying a new one.
First, see which programs are running by looking at the “task manager.” Either ctl-alt-del, or search for task manager in settings. Each process is using memory and CPU. Look at Google Chrome. 22 processes eating up about 24% of the CPU and 1.6 gigabytes of memory.
Chrome is a memory hog. Close tabs in your browser that you’re not using, or restart Chrome all together.
Go to settings, choose apps then startup and turn off any apps you don’t need when you first turn on the computer. Your PC should start much faster.
Many people just put their PC into sleep mode when they’re not using it for a few hours or overnight. Turn off the machine a few times each week. It’ll keep things running smoothly and install any Windows updates when you start it up again.
If it’s an older computer, consider upgrading to an SSD or solid-state drive. These cost around $100 now and will make your computer feel brand new. Everything’s faster. It’s a good idea to let a computer shop do it for you. Ask them if your machine needs more memory too.
These tips are primarily for PC’s but they’ll speed up a lagging Mac computer as well. Do not take a phone call from someone claiming they can fix or speed up your computer. Those are scams.
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