What steps can you take to identify the cause of your computer's sluggishness?

Such great answers on here. Task manager is a great place to see problems. Many times you may find the actual cause is the antivirus software being the cause. Sometimes it is running a scan of the drive or ram and sometimes an update can cause it to flag a process or file required for the applications or OS to work. Track when the slowness happens and what is running at the time. Also, hardware could be at fault, like failing RAM, or a storage device. Run diagnostics on the hardware. I always run diagnostics on each computer I work on and run updates or BIOS updates. This can resolve issues the client hasn't brought to attention. Your job depends on your clients and their trust and happiness, take care of them well.

Sfc (System file checker) /scannow scans windows for corruption and repairs it. Afterwards, you can run Dism(Disk image and servicing manager) /online /cleanup-image / restorehealth as well. Dism also checks for corruption and can fix sfc if that is not working. After running, reboot and run both again.

Task manager is a great start as it gives you a quick summary view of the machine and helps you identify resource choke points where a software is holding onto resources such as the CPU, Ram or writing to your hard drive. Task manager can also help Identify hung applications and you can force close them to release the resources. I would also look into the system to verify it is up to date regarding Operating systems as there can be critical updates or improvements pending or software updates to patch hidden vulnerabilities or software bugs.

To identify the cause of your computer's sluggishness, open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc on Windows) or Activity Monitor (Applications > Utilities on Mac) and look for processes using high CPU, memory, or disk resources. Disable unnecessary startup programs that can slow down boot time using msconfig or the Startup tab in Task Manager on Windows, and System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items on Mac. Check for malware or viruses using a reputable antivirus program. Ensure your operating system and drivers are up to date. Finally, check for available disk space and consider upgrading your RAM or storage if they are insufficient.

A good example of this is I once had a customer who's PC was horribly slow, saw that the disk was pretty much taxed at 100% usage, turned out that McAfee was causing the issue and bugged out due to a failed update. Can be as easy as reinstalling the program in some cases. In another case of a drive at 100% usage could be a failing hard drive. Task manager should always be the first place you look!

In my experience in the field of information technology, software updates represent a major dichotomy, as certain updates can occasionally lead to problems. Outdated software is usually the least of concerns when it comes to PC performance. Other factors, such as an excess of applications, insufficient RAM, or hardware issues, contribute more significantly to poor PC performance. However, it is recommended that all software and device drivers on the PC are kept up to date. The most important updates, such as security updates, should be applied as quickly as possible. Other updates should be performed only when strictly necessary.

updating software is an essential part of maintaining your computer or device to ensure it runs smoothly, remains secure, and has access to the latest features and improvements. Here’s a general guide on how to update software on various platforms:

I don't think software should be touched after task manager. This should be the last thing on this list as updating software is like Pandora's box; doing it can lead to more problems and thus more frustrations and down time for the client

When I'm dealing with a complaint about a sluggish or "laggy" PC. I typically go right to Windows updates. When Windows updates have not been run for an extended period of time this can affect hardware connections, MS Office applications, as well as numerous other problems. Running the updates regularly will keep your PC healthy. It's a good first step to troubleshoot issues. It's also a great idea to run any manufacturer specific updates. Dell build this into their systems as well as other companies.

In my experience, this is always the first step I take with any sluggishness or even something going wrong. Most times than not updating Windows and the manufacturers updater as Lenevo Vantage, Dell Command Center, etc. has fixed some of the issues that clients face. After a couple of restarts and updates everything works as intended.

Malware, short for malicious software, can slow down your computer. Use a reputable antivirus program to scan for infections. Malware ranges from harmless adware to severe threats like ransomware. Regular scans and keeping your software updated can help protect your system.

Absolutely. One of the first steps should be to check for malware or any type of virus on the PC, as these are often the source of slowness. Keeping the PC free from such threats is essential, and it is also good practice to maintain antivirus or antimalware software with active protection to prevent further infections. Before installing antivirus software, ensure that the PC has sufficient resources to run it; otherwise, the PC might experience slowness just from having the program installed or running.

If your computer random starts running slowly, best to run a malware check. Most of the time if your system is new and starts running slowly it is an application that may need updating or malware. To prevent malware run daily scans on your workstation and avoid risky sites.

One thing I've found crucial for maintaining a fast PC is regularly scanning for malware. Even cautious users can pick up malicious hitchhikers while browsing or downloading files. These pests range from annoying adware to vicious ransomware that holds your data hostage! Once, a colleague's computer suddenly slowed to a crawl. A malware scan revealed a nasty trojan wreaking havoc. After quarantining it, their machine raced along like new. So if you want peak performance, make malware scanning a habit. A good antivirus is like a superhero sidekick, ready to save the day! I highly recommend using Malwarebytes, or CleanMyMac X.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give when looking to scan for Malware, obtain an offline malware/anti-virus scanner on a known clean PC not attached to the network the potentially infected PC is on. Do not trust a search engine for finding the best malware removal tool as many are lifted up the rankings due to sponsored ads or SEO bombing. Many community threads maintain up to date listings of the quality and security of those listed. If possible use scanners that utilize different scanning engines and databases than the software you have loaded on your PC It is also wise to maintain perimeter security with an AV & Firewall engine from a different vendor than the software on your PC

Maintaining disk health is crucial for the longevity and performance of your storage devices, whether they're traditional hard drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs). Here’s a comprehensive guide to monitoring and maintaining disk health.

This is a good one! The physical and even logical condition of the Hard Drive is very often invisible to most users. Understanding what kind of drive is in your computer, and observing it's utilization in task manager can help you determine what you best step is. HDDs can build up clutter over a while and regular defragmentation and clean up can improve the experience. On any drive in general an occasional SFC Scan will help you monitor the integrity of the hard drive.

Extremely important. In the vast majority of cases, the hard drive is the primary issue affecting computer performance. If it is an HDD, the problem may be fragmentation, slow sectors (delays), or even damaged sectors. Tools such as defrag or chkdsk in Windows provide good feedback on these aspects. In my experience, I have achieved excellent results with the third-party tool 'HDD Regenerator,' which in some cases allowed me to recover data from problematic sectors. SSDs, due to their architecture, do not need to be defragmented. Manufacturer tools can be used to monitor the state of SSDs via S.M.A.R.T. and to maintain active monitoring.

For disk health checking, I would highly suggest doing an admin level disk cleanup if on windows Followed by a surface level scan of the drive which can take a VERY long time if you have a large conventional platter based drive ie "chkdsk /r C:" from an admin level command prompt / terminal / powershell Once the above finishes, do a disk optimization. This will move data out of sectors/cells flagged bad and move them to healthy areas of the drive and will move data to faster parts of the drive as needed for spinning disk drives

If it's a spinning hard drive, often the disk is failing. A SMART check would be one of my first steps. I often use the utility in the SpeedFan app. Defrag is less of a thing now, as it is scheduled by default.

Startup programs are the programs that loads when you turn on your computer. However, the more programs that loads at startup can contribute to slowing down your computer. To mitigate your computer from slowing at startup, from the task manager under the startup menu, you can disable or enable the programs that you want to load at startup, which will help your computer booting speed.

Aprender a gerenciar a inicializa??o é uma prática muito útil ao dia a dia. Digite a tecla Windows + R, no meu que aparecer digite msconfig. Na janela que será carregada, escolha os itens para inicializa??o seletiva. Remova tudo pois, o que for essencial, a sua organiza??o irá for?ar o carregamento. Isso já irá melhorar o tempo de inicializa??o e remover eventuais softwares perigosos que estejam por ali, só esperando para serem carregados.

Most startup items will not be the cause of a sluggish system. It may cause some delay in the initial boot of the device, but not if those applications are later closed. There are a few exceptions to this, for example the Adobe suite has been designed to worm its way into every facet of your computer, using ludicrous amounts of systems resources to do literately nothing. The mere act of installing the adobe suite can be enough to drag older or less powerful systems to a halt.

Back in the day we'd need to either download a third-party utility or open File Explorer and navigate all the way through to the Startup folder. Now all you need to do it open Task Manager and go to the Startup tab. Disable any software that has deemed itself royally important enough to start up with your system and put them in their place.

Sometimes, this is also the case. Much of the software we install eventually becomes unused over time but remains installed and often loaded in memory. This causes performance issues, as unnecessary resources are being utilized by the PC. It is important to periodically review the list of installed software and perform a thorough cleanup. Check which software starts with the PC and question its necessity. If it is not needed, it should be immediately disabled or uninstalled.

I see this alot, many older systems that people still use today are stuck in the age of spinning mechanical drives, even computers from pre 2020. It's a huge upgrade to move to a SSD hard drive not just in boot times but opening and loading software, also for windows 10/11 systems at least 8GB of memory will ensure the best usable performance.

Upgrades are good, but don't waste too much money. More ram is good but too much is a waste, the same goes for the speed of the ram. Verify if your motherboard/processor combo supports multichannel ram and buy kits instead of individual sticks to avoid speed conflicts Talking speeds, refer to your Motherboard & CPU manuals to determine the appropriate speed ram and Qualified Vendor's List for RAM to avoid incompatibilities w/ RAM or speed ratings. For boot storage devices, if your motherboard supports M.2 PCIe devices, that is the fastest medium to use, but if it only supports M.2 SATA, or SATA onboard you're stuck at 600MB max unless you buy an addon card which has different issues -- Consult a local specialist for a detailed answer.

Desde mi punto de vista; cuando ya teníamos los recursos del procesador y la memoria RAM, hasta antes de pasar a la nueva generación, los disco SSD, vinieron agregar un 25% de eficiencia y rapidez a las PC, ya que representan un gran ventaja; ir por un cambio desde los HDD, mejoraría enormemente la vida util de una PC.

Desde luego, cuando el tema no es de Software, solo cabe pensar en que se requieren mas recursos o bien que alguno de nuestros componentes esta mal funcionando.... Para chequear discos duros o RAM hay herramientas gratuita que nos darán un diagnostico claro de estos componentes, así que es sencillo probar lo que tenemos, y si todo esta en orden, ya valorar una ampliación de recursos, especialmente involucrados en el rendimiento bruto, cambiar discos duros que sean mas rápidos (SSD, M.2.) y ampliar ancho de memoria RAM, estos dos puntos suelen dar un rotundo giro a la fluidez e inmediatez en nuestro Pc.

A tecnologia hoje avan?a muito rápido, e para acompanhar o avan?o é sempre bom está atualizando o hardware, assim evitando travamentos e gargalos , melhorando a experiência e evitando que vc possa perder algo importam)

In cases of sluggish system performance, one effective troubleshooting step is running the 'sfc /scannow' command in the Command Prompt. This command scans the integrity of system files and repairs any corrupted or missing ones, which can often be the cause of performance issues. By verifying and fixing system file integrity, users can often experience improved responsiveness and stability

One of the things that I find helpful and properly diagnosing sluggishness in PCs is looking at the amount of unused applications that are on the hard drive that can be actually deleted if they have not been used in a considerable amount of time. Having a dedicated antivirus software program that makes sure that you don’t have duplicate files on your system is another way to ensure your computer to, move an adequate speed. Lastly, making sure that you delete temporary Internet files, clearing cachets, and in some cases, making sure not only is your computer updated, but that you also consider and have an external hard drive to save files or photos/videos so that you can free up even more this space on your hard drive.

Also consider. "what exactly is being sluggish?" If it's the browser, clear the cache and temporary internet files. Try a different browser and see if it acts similarly. Is it only sluggish when running specific programs? Check to make sure the pc has the minimum requirements for it. Is it something like online streaming content? How fast is your internet? You may need to pause the video or audio file and let it cache a bit if you're internet speed is on the slower side.

It might be helpful to "upgrade" the ventilation of your computer with some compressed air. If you have pets or are in a dusty area, the fans and vents might be blocked. No one likes to work when they are overheated.