A slow computer is a problem that is often faced by computer or laptop users even though the condition of the computer or laptop is new. In the following post the author will share information about the causes of slow computers and how to deal with a slow computer that can be applied in general to both computers with OS Windows 7 or Windows 10.
10 Causes of slow computer and how to solve them.
In general, the way to deal with this slow computer is to adjust the installed software with the hardware specifications currently installed, remove unnecessary applications, ensure that the computer is virus-free, pay attention to environmental conditions (for example from dust and temperatures that are too hot) and by upgrading hardware. which is still possible.
Computer is slow due to lack of memory
Slow computer problems due to lack of installed RAM are generally well known to all computer users. To see the current condition of RAM in use, we can use the default Windows tool, Task Manager – Performance – Memory, as follows:
As an overview, for computers with Windows 7 use a minimum of 2GB of memory / RAM, while for computers currently using Windows 10, the minimum installed memory is 4GB so for faster performance, use RAM with a capacity of 8GB.
Computer is slow due to problems on the hard drive.
Hard drives function as data storage and applications, so the speed of the read-write process will determine the speed or performance of the computer in general.
Some of the causes of a slow computer caused by this hard drive include:
- Low space hard disk
- A fragmented hard drive
- Old hard drive, so the rotation speed / rpm decreases
- Hard disk has an error / bad sector
- Still using the old hard drive (disc)
How to deal with a slow computer because of the problems on the hard drive above are:
- upgrade hard disk capacity by adding or replacing hard drives
- do a defragmenter on the hard drive periodically
- keep the hard drive from dust, shock and overheating.
- check and repair damage to the hard drive with the checkdisk tool.
- replace the old hard drive to the type of SSD (Solid State Drive)
By using an SSD, there will be a significant increase in the performance of your computer or laptop, because the read-write speed of SSD is about 5x faster than an ordinary hard drive. Even now there is the latest SSD technology called NVME (Non-Volatile Memory Express) SSDs whose speeds are around 5x the usual SATA SSDs, which means around 25x the speed of hard drives.
The computer is slow because there are too many installed programs.
I often find computers, especially personal ones, that have various programs installed in them, even though these applications are rarely or never used at all. Even though they are not used, some of these applications can run in the background process so they will still eat up available computer resources.
Check what programs are installed on the computer by clicking Add / Remove Programs in the Control Panel and uninstalling those unused programs. We can also use applications such as Revo Uninstaller to uninstall applications completely.
The computer is slow because there are too many startup programs and services running.
This relates to point no 3 above, the more programs installed, the more programs and services that will be run at windows startup. To disable startup programs and services that run automatically, enter the “System Configuration Utility” by typing: msconfig on the run menu, then on the services and startup tab uncheck unnecessary applications.
To see what applications are running, we can use the Process Explorer tool. With this tool we can see and disable (kill) any applications that are not needed or are suspected of being a virus.
The computer is slow because of the temporary files that are swollen.
The fourth cause of a slow computer is swelling of temporary files. The locations of these temporary files are as follows: To clean it, delete the files in both locations or run the Disk CleanUp program by clicking start-run, typing: “cleanmgr” then selecting the drive to be cleaned. In addition, you can also try JetClean software to speed up your computer by cleaning unnecessary files and registry. The computer is slow because there are too many programs that function as “security programs”.
Security programs such as antivirus programs and firewalls are additional applications that must be on a computer, but don’t overdo it, for example by installing 2-3 antivirus programs at once. For windows security problems, the most important thing is to update, activate the windows firewall and use an antivirus that does not overload the computer such as Avast Antivirus and be careful when using a USB Flashdisk / Memory Card.
Computer is slow because of a virus, malware or spyware on the computer.
If our computer has already been attacked by a virus or malware, then you should run Windows Safe Mode, turn off the system restore facility and use a Virus Cleaner program such as Norman Malware Cleaner or Malwarebyte to clean the virus or malware and also update the operating system.
Computer is slow because some System Files are corrupt or even missing.
Usually occurs after the computer is infected with a virus and the infected files are already damaged or deleted by antivirus. The easiest solution is to repair or re-install the operating system in use. In Windows 10, we can do Windows Update to get updates as well as repair the file system or you can also use features such as Reset This PC to restore the system to its original condition.
Computer is slow due to hardware overheating problems.
Hardware overheating, whether it occurs on the hard disk, VGA card, processor or CPU, in general, can cause a decrease in computer performance, which ultimately hangs, slows or even restarts frequently. For that, make sure the air circulation on the inside of the CPU runs well as well as the fan (fan) must be clean of dust and can rotate smoothly.
Computer is slow because of connectivity problems on the network / network.
This can happen because of high network traffic, a hanging hub or switch or a virus trying to enter our computer system. To fix this, try removing and re-attaching the RJ45 connector to the LAN Card or LAN Rosette, restarting the Switch / hub and using the Port scanner program to see what data packets are entering and leaving our computer.
These are some of the causes of slow computers and how to fix them. Another solution that can be done is to reinstall the operating system. With this step, it is hoped that the computer system will come back fresh and work optimally again.