Why your Computer is so Slow (Causes and Fixes)

Imagine you’re working on an important task and your computer keeps hanging or takes ages to load. Since you’re not sure where the problem is, you have to keep waiting for it to respond and?end up wasting a lot of your productive time.?

Sluggish computer performance is so annoying, yet it happens to many computer users every so often. But if you understand why your PC has slowed down, you can troubleshoot it yourself and restore its optimal speed promptly.

In this article, we delve into the six principal causes of slow computer speeds and how to address them.

1.?You Haven’t Restarted Your Computer in a While

Do you remember the last time you restarted your computer, or rather, shut it down after use? Most people habitually put their computers to sleep because they don’t want to lose the progress of their work. They may also be avoiding the hassle of waiting for their computers to boot up the next time they want to use them.

As long as you don’t turn off your computer regularly, more and more programs and processes will keep launching and running in the background. While at that, they’ll be competing for your system’s resources and subsequently affect your PC’s speed.

After completing the day’s work, close all files and programs and shut down your computer. Also, normalize restarting it after installing/updating a software and whenever its performance reduces.

2.?Inadequate Storage Space

Your computer will start acting up the moment your disk capacity fills up to about 85 percent. The primary culprits for that are the files that you save on your PC. Apart from those, the other things that can swell your storage space include:

• OS updates
• Temporary files
• Internet downloads
• Virus attacks
• Hibernation settings

The moment you notice your storage space is running out, begin by deleting files that aren’t important. If that isn’t an option, you can move them to an external hard disk or the cloud. Also, search for the Temp folder and delete any temporary files therein.

For hibernation settings, they’re usually enabled by default and you can disable them to free up some space in your storage. If it’s a virus, launch your antivirus and scan your entire PC to get rid of it.

3.?Insufficient RAM?

The Random Access Memory (RAM) is the hardware component that enables you to perform several tasks seamlessly at once. That includes loading and running applications, typing a document, playing music, playing video games, browsing the internet, editing photos or videos, and whatnot. RAM also helps you to quickly switch from one activity to another.

If your RAM has reached its limit, your computer will start being unresponsive. And to increase its speed, you’ll need to reduce the number of things you do at any given moment. Better yet, you can choose to upgrade the memory.??

4.?A Virus has Hit Your Computer

If you’re a frequent internet user, you’re likely to download a virus when you click links (especially those sent to your email), when browsing certain websites or when downloading new programs. You may also transfer a virus from somebody else’s computer to yours using external storage devices, such as a flash disk.

Once they get to your computer, viruses can slow it down, reduce its startup speed, freeze, or worse, crash it.

The primary solution to viruses is making sure you’ve installed a reliable antivirus, or if you already have one, updated it. Further, you need to avoid clicking suspicious links and downloading programs from unknown sources.

5.?Several Programs Run During Startup

Have you ever noticed some programs starting by themselves whenever you turn on your computer? This is more common with recently downloaded programs.

During the installation of programs, there’s usually an option to allow them to run when you boot up your PC. If you unknowingly permitted them at that stage, you’ll have several of them trying to get ready when you turn on your computer and will continue to run in the background even after startup. As a result, they’ll increase your boot-up time and affect your computer speed thereafter.

To solve that, open the Task Manager on your PC then select Startup on the top menu. You’ll see all programs that run during boot-up. Right-click on those you don’t want to run and choose Disable.?

6.?Numerous Open Tabs or Programs

Due to the multifaceted nature of computers, we often find ourselves opening too many tabs and programs. Yes, you’ll be glad to be doing several things concurrently, but it’ll be at the expense of your PC’s efficiency.

It’s imperative to close the programs or tabs that you’re not using. If possible, remain with only one web browser. Should there be tabs with information you don’t want to lose, you can bookmark then close them. That way, you’ll be able to access them any time you want in the future.

The Takeaway

After you’ve understood what causes your computer to slow down, you can resolve it within a short time and get back to what you were doing. If it’s still unresponsive, the problem could be with your hardware. It could too outdated to effectively run contemporary software or just be faulty. As such, you can take it to a technician for an extensive diagnosis or consider buying a new one.?