Why is my laptop slow?

Common issues in slow laptop

A slow laptop can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you’re trying to complete important tasks or enjoy multimedia content. Over time, laptops can start to slow down due to various factors such as software bloat, background processes, outdated hardware, or even malware infections. However, with a little troubleshooting and some strategic fixes, you can often restore your laptop’s speed and performance without needing a new device.

Before proceeding to any repair methodology the first thing I do is to diagnose the cause of the problem, and there’s a ton of reasons why laptops become slow all of a sudden, but nevertheless this could be related to a software or hardware issue. below are the list of possible issues and the recommended solution.

1. Background program

Most users are not aware of how many applications are running once they turn on their computer . Worse, some of them are not relevant to the task that you are doing and just slow down your laptop by using resources like CPU, disk storage, RAM and network bandwidth.

2. Start up program

Start up program are also the same as the background application the only difference is this programs will automatically run
after you turn on your laptop that affect its performance like slow booting time, Increase Resources Usage and delayed Application launch.

3. RAM (Random Access Memory) Related Issue

RAM capacity is one of the factors that determines your laptop’s performance and as the applications improve over years, it also requires higher memory usage that your laptop’s default features can’t cope with, especially if you have the older version. The browser alone consumes a lot of your memory capacity. This is the reason why sometimes when you have multiple tabs running with other applications simultaneously, your laptop experiences lag or is not responding in real-time.

4. Malware and anti-virus

There are few ways how viruses and malware slow down your computer and they do it differently:

I. Resource Hijacking:

Some types of malware are designed to share your computer’s resources, such as CPU, RAM, and disk space, for illegal activities like mining cryptocurrency, sending spam, or participating in botnets. This can cause your system to become unresponsive.

II. Background Processes:

Malware often runs multiple hidden processes in the background, which can significantly slow down your system. These processes might include keyloggers, spyware, or adware that continuously monitors your activity or displays unwanted ads.

III. Corruption and Overloading:

Certain malware can corrupt files or overburden your system with excessive network requests or disk writes, leading to system instability and slowdowns.

IV. Interference with System Functions:

Malware can interfere with essential system functions or settings, such as disabling security features, modifying system files, or blocking updates, which can degrade system performance.

V. Increased Boot and Load Times:

Viruses and malware often insert themselves into the list of programs that start when the computer boots up, increasing boot time and making the system slower to become usable. Also, it delayed application launches by interfering with their normal operation or by using up the resources that these applications need to run efficiently.

5. Deffective or dying HDD/SDD

Defective HDD or SDD means that your storage already has bad sectors or is physically damaged. This happens due to several factors like malware, full storage capacity, or/and it is simply old and due for replacement. Hard disk drives are prone to damage overtime because they have rotating platters used to store and retrieve data, the vibration and rotation it create wear the HDD over time even if it is well taken care of.

6. Almost full storage.

When a laptop’s hard disk drive (HDD) storage is nearly full, it can have several negative effects on the system’s performance and overall usability, including slower read and write speeds, system crashes or freezes, automatic Windows update failures, reduced storage life span, and many more

After we analyze the causes of your slow laptop performance, it is now time to take action and proceed on how we can fix this problem. just fallow the steps i have created on how I do it.

To God be all the glory!

Let me know how can i help.