Breathe New Life Into an Old Laptop
Computers tend to last for around three to five years, but if you're happy doing some basic repairs, you can make your laptop last longer and save money! Some of these repairs don't even require you to open your laptop up: you can do them just with software.
Many of these laptop repairs are a type of preventative maintenance. Even if your laptop isn't showing any signs of slowing down, it's wise to take steps to prevent it from slowing down in the near future, rather than waiting for something to go wrong.
In this guide, we'll take a look at multiple ways that you can fix common laptop issues and speed up your aging laptop.
Are you ready to give your laptop a new lease of life? Then read on!
1. Clear Out Unnecessary Software and Files
Most laptops come with a fairly restrictive amount of RAM. Unless you buy a high-end gaming laptop, your computer will probably only have a few gigabytes of memory. This means that any unnecessary software that you have running in the background will slow your computer down.
Many manufacturers add all kinds of resource-hogging software that you don't need to their machines. Common examples include support software, "games centers," and built-in trials for antivirus software or Microsoft Office.
Then there are the programs that you've installed over the years and then forgotten about.
Many of these programs will keep running in the background at all times, so you need to get rid of them. It's pretty easy to do this in Windows. Follow these steps:
Go to Control Panel
Click on "programs"
Go to "programs and features"
Then scroll to the program you want to remove and right-click on it, then hit "uninstall"
Removing Temporary Files
Programs can also make temporary files that, over time, take up more and more of your hard drive and slow your computer down. If you want to remove these on Windows, you can use the built-in Disk Cleanup utility.
Be wary of "computer tuning" programs that promise vastly faster computers. Many of these programs contain malware that can slow your computer down even more.
2. Add an SSD
If you feel comfortable switching out your laptop's hard drive and reinstalling your operating system, you should consider installing an SSD. These drives are much faster than traditional hard drives and can make a massive difference to your laptop's speed.
Traditional hard drives are made up of a platter and a magnetic needle that can read and write information to the disk. The platter needs to spin for the needle to access your files, which is why hard drives can be quite noisy. By contrast, an SSD is made up of flash memory, like a larger version of a USB drive, and has no moving parts, which means it's a lot faster.
If you want to install an SSD, you'll need to make sure that your motherboard is compatible with it and then backup your files. Once you've backed up your files, the installation process is pretty easy: you'll need to unscrew your laptop's casing and disconnect your old drive before connecting your new one, then it's just a matter of reinstalling your OS.
3. Add More RAM
Earlier, we mentioned how most laptops don't come with very much RAM. This is, thankfully, something that you can change. Installing RAM is very easy, it just clips into your motherboard, but there are a few things that you should be aware of.
Firstly, RAM is not always the solution to computer speed problems. Your CPU or your graphics card (if you have one) may be responsible for bottlenecking your computer instead.
Secondly, RAM runs at different speeds, and while you can mix and match sticks of RAM that run at different speeds, all of your RAM will then run at the slower speed. As RAM's speed is a massive factor that affects how fast your computer runs, you may want to consider removing your old RAM completely rather than simply adding more of it.
4. Clean Out Your Laptop's Fans
Over time, your laptop's fans will suck up more and more dust, which can cause some serious issues. If the fans are clogged with dust, they won't be able to cool your computer effectively, which can lead to overheating issues. What's more, when your CPU gets hot, your motherboard will reduce its speed to cool it down, so too much dust can also lead to a slower laptop!
Cleaning out your fans is easy. You'll need to remove the bottom panel of your laptop to access them, then you should clean them with a cloth before using a can of compressed air to get rid of any lingering dust.
5. Limit the Programs That Start on Startup
If your laptop takes an age to turn on, you could have too many programs trying to start at once. Each program that's running takes up resources, so the fewer programs that start up with your laptop, the faster your laptop will turn on.
To change the programs that start on startup on Windows, you need to open up Task Manager with Ctrl+Alt+Delete, then go to Apps, then Startup. Here, you can decide which programs that you want to load on startup.
We'd recommend exercising caution here, as turning off the wrong programs can cause some issues. If you're not sure what a program does, you're better off Googling it now than regret it later.
These Laptop Repairs Can Make Your Experience Far Better
These laptop repairs may be simple, but all of them can help to speed up your laptop. If your laptop is slow, running hot, or isn't working properly, you may want to give these repairs a go.
If you've tried some of these and they haven't worked, or you're not confident in your repair abilities, we're here to help you. Our team of experts can repair your computer for you.
For more information about our services, take a look around our site. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us by emailing info@ifixomaha.com.
