how can I speed up a computer
This has probably been asked a thousand times. I have a computer that is starting to get slow. Takes a long time to bring up an internet browser or print dialog box. Excel and word open slow and also save takes long. It's 3 years old and has 12 GB RAM. HP LAPTOP. Not sure what the processor is. Any programs out there that can clean it up and make it quicker? Any other things I can do to get it faster?
NVIT
Put an SSD drive. It makes a world of difference.
ASKER
I kind of needed a quick fix that would help at this time. Maybe I will consider that later.
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What has been said already is good advice. One more quick fix is to disable the Intel SpeedStep feature in your BIOS, if it's enabled. This is a power-saving feature, but it can sometimes have a big, negative impact on performance.
ASKER
how can I tell if it is enabled?
I respect the advice but I have had speed step running since XP more than a decade ago with no negative consequences. I think it is now built on in and I have not seen a recent BIOS setting for it
@John - It seems to vary between laptops. My wife's laptop was a 3-year old Dell and when SpeedStep was enabled, everything dragged and had lockups from time to time. When I disabled SpeedStep, everything was silky smooth. Toggled it back and forth a few more times to make sure the tests weren't coincidental. I had SpeedStep on another Dell laptop about 8 years ago that didn't seem to have the same problem, so I'm not really certain what makes it cause problems with some laptops and not others, but it's worth checking.
I also noticed this page from Dell:
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln291543/slow-performance-on-the-precision-m4800-with-intel-speedstep-enabled?lang=en
... which notes that slow performance could be related to a boot configuration setting found in msconfig, where the # of processors selected isn't the maximum number of processors. I don't really know too much about the guts of SpeedStep, so I don't know if this article applies outside of that particular workstation or not.
@mkramer - You have to go into the BIOS during bootup and look for an option for SpeedStep. Like John said, there's a chance it might not even be there. If it's not there, you could always try the boot configuration steps mentioned above (Start > Run > msconfig > Boot tab > Advanced Options > Check the number of processors and select the max # of processors).
I also noticed this page from Dell:
https://www.dell.com/support/article/us/en/04/sln291543/slow-performance-on-the-precision-m4800-with-intel-speedstep-enabled?lang=en
... which notes that slow performance could be related to a boot configuration setting found in msconfig, where the # of processors selected isn't the maximum number of processors. I don't really know too much about the guts of SpeedStep, so I don't know if this article applies outside of that particular workstation or not.
@mkramer - You have to go into the BIOS during bootup and look for an option for SpeedStep. Like John said, there's a chance it might not even be there. If it's not there, you could always try the boot configuration steps mentioned above (Start > Run > msconfig > Boot tab > Advanced Options > Check the number of processors and select the max # of processors).
Also, since you don't seem to have an SSD, I'd strongly recommend the disk defragmentation if it was disabled or something. A heavily-defragmented disk (especially if your page file somehow got defragmented) can slow your system to a crawl.
As NVIT said, changing to an SSD drive makes a massive amount of difference.
There's a curious reason why this occurs.
While it's true SSD read speed is generally faster then mechanical disks, the real performance increase occurs because of heat reduction.
As heat builds up, many times there will be a kernel task which injects yields into all running programs (so suspend/resume) trying to reduce heat so the CPU doesn't die. Problem is, mechanical disks + CD/DVD drives generate massive heat which makes these kernel tasks run more than real processes.
So replace your drive with an SSD drive.
Also, disconnect the power cable from any CD/DVD drive.
Also, make sure to clean the dust out of your computer, if there's any dust accumulation which will restrict air flow.
Experiment: If you'd like to know if heat is a factor, pickup a laptop cooler which can move a massive amount of air. Place your laptop on top of the cooler + turn the fans to max. If machine speed magically increases, then you know heat is one component of the performance problem.
There's a curious reason why this occurs.
While it's true SSD read speed is generally faster then mechanical disks, the real performance increase occurs because of heat reduction.
As heat builds up, many times there will be a kernel task which injects yields into all running programs (so suspend/resume) trying to reduce heat so the CPU doesn't die. Problem is, mechanical disks + CD/DVD drives generate massive heat which makes these kernel tasks run more than real processes.
So replace your drive with an SSD drive.
Also, disconnect the power cable from any CD/DVD drive.
Also, make sure to clean the dust out of your computer, if there's any dust accumulation which will restrict air flow.
Experiment: If you'd like to know if heat is a factor, pickup a laptop cooler which can move a massive amount of air. Place your laptop on top of the cooler + turn the fans to max. If machine speed magically increases, then you know heat is one component of the performance problem.
A good quality hard drive should run at about 40 degrees C by design and if that is the case, overheating should not occur. I leave computers with hard drives running 24 hours a day . Get Real Temp to check internal component temperatures
Over time windows gets crapped up. Registry gets messed up and bloated with installs/removals/updates/
The suggestion of switching to an SSD is a good one. I did that with my previous laptop a while back. plugged it in, ran the imaging software that came with it and in about 20 minutes I was back up and running as if nothing had changed! Welll... expect for the speed (booting, loading programs and VMs, ....).
Look over the performance monitor to figure out what is the saturated element of your PC (CPU, RAM, Disk) and from there you can take an educated decision on which component to address first.
Review what is being launched at startup using msconfig, disable anything you don't need.
The suggestion of switching to an SSD is a good one. I did that with my previous laptop a while back. plugged it in, ran the imaging software that came with it and in about 20 minutes I was back up and running as if nothing had changed! Welll... expect for the speed (booting, loading programs and VMs, ....).
Look over the performance monitor to figure out what is the saturated element of your PC (CPU, RAM, Disk) and from there you can take an educated decision on which component to address first.
Review what is being launched at startup using msconfig, disable anything you don't need.
Over time windows gets crapped up. Registry gets messed up and bloated with installs/removals/updates/
Generally speaking, on Windows 7 and above, Windows does a good job of keep the registry reasonably clean. So much so, that registry cleaners are discouraged by most of us.
Generally speaking, on Windows 7 and above, Windows does a good job of keep the registry reasonably clean. So much so, that registry cleaners are discouraged by most of us.
I agree - registry cleaners usually cause more problems than they solve. It's like bringing in an overzealous bug exterminator who kills most, if not all, the bugs in your house but occasionally will accidentally kill your pets, too. All those "cleaners" are usually junk, and sometimes infected with malware.
I never mentioned Registry Cleaners. I don't use them either.
The fact of the matter is, after a couple of years of use, a fresh install quite often offers a performance benefit.
I install the OS, install the hundreds of updates, then run defrag. Then Install Office and its updates, and defrag. Then install my other apps, update, defrag. At this point, it is a great time to then create an image, restore point, whatever backups medium you prefer so you don't have to start from scratch the next time.
The fact of the matter is, after a couple of years of use, a fresh install quite often offers a performance benefit.
I install the OS, install the hundreds of updates, then run defrag. Then Install Office and its updates, and defrag. Then install my other apps, update, defrag. At this point, it is a great time to then create an image, restore point, whatever backups medium you prefer so you don't have to start from scratch the next time.
The problem could also be related to delayed sectors developing on the hard drive causing the system to run at a crawl space. If you have used your laptop on a full time basis, it may be time to replace the drive, as suggested by others. The SDD drive is the best way to go as suggested. Delayed sectors are sectors on the drive that the heads have trouble reading. Delayed sectors are usually labelled as bad when they can not be read or written to but before they are labelled as bad the drive will continue to attempt to read and write to these sectors if data can still be read an written to even though it is slow. You can run a hard drive diagnostics on the drive if you know the hard drive manufacturer. Each drive manufacturer has their own diagnostics tests for their drives. If you drive has a lot of delayed sectors it may be time to replace it before it fails totally and you lose all your data. HDD do not last for ever as they have moving parts.
One other thing some people who complain their systems run slow, some never shut down their laptops or computers because of this. This in itself can cause issues of slowness as many apps may be cached to the memory in case you need to use them again. It is always a good idea to shut down your computer, shut it right down and not put in sleep mode or hibernation, but actually shut down windows this will clear the memory cache and you will not have to use the hard drive for memory when you run out of memory space. You do have a large amount of ram so it should be rare that you need to use hard drive space for ram space. Unless you use high memory apps like AutoCad and you rareley shutdown your computer
One other thing some people who complain their systems run slow, some never shut down their laptops or computers because of this. This in itself can cause issues of slowness as many apps may be cached to the memory in case you need to use them again. It is always a good idea to shut down your computer, shut it right down and not put in sleep mode or hibernation, but actually shut down windows this will clear the memory cache and you will not have to use the hard drive for memory when you run out of memory space. You do have a large amount of ram so it should be rare that you need to use hard drive space for ram space. Unless you use high memory apps like AutoCad and you rareley shutdown your computer
since it is an HP, you probably get updates from them right?
look in the system bar ( right hand under) for a blue interrogation sign with red number
if you have that, apply all updates
**note that there are many causes for a slow pc : virus, malware, corrupt OS dying disk (bad sectors) overheating etc...
if you want more info on one of these, jaust ask
look in the system bar ( right hand under) for a blue interrogation sign with red number
if you have that, apply all updates
**note that there are many causes for a slow pc : virus, malware, corrupt OS dying disk (bad sectors) overheating etc...
if you want more info on one of these, jaust ask
If you put your ear to the laptop as close as you can to where the hard disk is you can hear it working. If you hear it making repeated scraping noises instead of the usual chattering then the disk is on the way out and should be replaced as a matter of urgency, so back up your data while the disk is still working. However, be aware that the absence of scraping noises doesn't necessarily mean that the disk is serviceable - it's their presence that confirms impending failure.
Otherwise, delete the contents of the C:\Windows\Temp folder, and those of the C:\Users\your_username\Appdata\Local\Temp folder. It's not uncommon for many thousands of files to be present in these folders (especially if they've never been cleaned up), and this certainly hamstrings performance.
Another thought - is the hard disk almost full? This won't help either.
Finally, have a look at the swapfile configuration. If it's set to system managed, see how much space is being allocated/used. If it seems rather small, try manually setting its size. As you have quite a bit of RAM try setting it to the same size, in your case this would be 12288 MB.
Otherwise, delete the contents of the C:\Windows\Temp folder, and those of the C:\Users\your_username\Appdata\Local\Temp folder. It's not uncommon for many thousands of files to be present in these folders (especially if they've never been cleaned up), and this certainly hamstrings performance.
Another thought - is the hard disk almost full? This won't help either.
Finally, have a look at the swapfile configuration. If it's set to system managed, see how much space is being allocated/used. If it seems rather small, try manually setting its size. As you have quite a bit of RAM try setting it to the same size, in your case this would be 12288 MB.
You can go round and round trying tricks/optimizations/tweak
Author said "I kind of needed a quick fix that would help at this time."
Given that, the main steps above not including SSD will work. I have n X230 laptop with 7200-rpm hard drive properly maintained as per above and running Windows 10 Insider V1903. Once started (6 or 7 minutes total), the machine is fast and smooth even with a hard drive
Given that, the main steps above not including SSD will work. I have n X230 laptop with 7200-rpm hard drive properly maintained as per above and running Windows 10 Insider V1903. Once started (6 or 7 minutes total), the machine is fast and smooth even with a hard drive
What AntiVirus / AntiMalware applications are installed and running on the affected computer?
Some slow your entire system down more than others, especially if you have more than one running in the background.
Some slow your entire system down more than others, especially if you have more than one running in the background.
i would appreciate if he informs us about what helped, and how things are now
I agree with BillDL, I have found more recent version of say MalwareBytes to dramatically slow down PCs.