Windows 10 getting slower?

Windows products are notoriously memory and processor hungry, never more so than with windows 10. In an attempt to make it ‘idiot proof’ Microsoft have added features and programs that you don’t even need, just in case you might. They are also collecting data from your system constantly for advertising and improvements and all sorts of reasons, whilst you may not mind this it takes up valuable resources especially on an older machine. They take up space in your memory and CPU and increasingly over time cause issues with things appearing to get slower and slower. That said not all issues are caused by Microsoft. Check out below, the answer may be easier than you think.

  1. Programs that run at startup that you never use. Also programs that you have run that remain running in the background unless you close them in the system tray.
Go to your task manager and look at the Startup Tab. All these programs run at startup, are they all needed? Right click and disable them from running at startup. This doesn’t mean they will never work again, it means they will only run when you want them saving valuable memory and processor speed, especially on older machines.
Look at the system tray and right click and close any programs not currently being used. They serve no purpose if you aren’t using them so close those not required.

2. Snooze time folks but Windows updates need to be done to maintain optimum performance (If there is such a thing). Anyone with Windows 10 knows that updates are the main reason for the computer being slow as they tend to run in the background if auto updates is turned on. However it’s worth knowing not all updates will perform automatically and sometimes it needs you to tell it to do them as they are larger feature updates. Don’t put these off and if you think you might have missed one you can always check. Go to Start and click Settings or the settings icon. Then go to Updates & Security/Windows Updates.

Look for feature updates and let them install and complete.

3. Keep a check on your hard drive storage space and delete unwanted files, don’t forget to empty the recycle bin as all files you delete end up in there and are taking up space. If you are sure they are finished with then empty the bin. If you are using a Hard Drive and it gets 90% full this will drastically slow down the performance of the drive and in turn the performance of your machine. If you are using an SSD then it is recommended to fill these even less than a standard Hard Drive as it will cause performance issues.

4. Windows 10 power options. These tend to be on the recommended setting which balances performance against power consumption. This is more for when you are using a laptop and you switch to battery. If you have an older Desktop or your laptop is plugged in then moving the power option setting to high performance will give you more resources but will consume a little more power.

Go to Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Power Options/Create a power plan.

5. Uninstall unwanted applications and software. It seems an obvious thing to do but we are all guilty of not doing it and once again valuable Hard Drive space is taken up with data you never use.

Look for Control Panel/Programs/Programs and Features. You can now see what’s installed, any that you are unsure of you can search the web to find out what they are for and what they do before removing them, there will be an amount of things that you cannot remove from here as things just won’t work if you do, so a little care and searching is required to ensure you free yourself of things that you no longer want and no longer need and also most likely didn’t even know were installed.

6. Check your system for Malware and viruses. You should have a good antivirus and malware checker installed on your computer to protect you from these baddies. If you don’t have one then do invest as removing Malware and potential viruses will improve the performance and keep you safe from these type of threats. Most people don’t realise the potential of these type of threats and how easy they are to pick up through emails or rogue websites and once they’re on your system they will do what they are designed to do. You will notice a little slow down but the reality is your information is being sent back to the internet and gathered by unscrupulous individuals for what ever purpose they desire and you won’t even know, this could be banking information or invoice information the list of possibilities is endless. Security is an ever more serious issue, take heed and install a good protector. However do research on this as the ‘Well Known’ antivirus software are not always the best and they, in their own essence, take up way to much memory and processor speed. Get the balance right.

7. Upgrading your Hardware and Re-installing Windows 10. This could be adding a Solid State Drive(SSD) to hold Windows 10. This would involve installing windows 10 onto the drive and a little knowledge of the internal mechanisms of a computer as in where to plug it in and fix the drive into place. Secondly if your computer has the ability then you can add more memory, a welcome resource that will vastly improve the performance of your system, something we could assist you with. If you think your Hardware is worth saving then Upgrading the SSD and Memory and reloading windows would give an older machine a new lease of life and the cost would be marginal to that of a new machine. Getting help at this stage would help to determine if this was the correct path for your specific hardware.

Extra or bigger memory and adding a Solid State Drive with a reload of Windows 10 would improve an older setup vastly.