Everybody always complains about their computers not being fast enough, or some kind of performance issue. The fact is that your computer needs as much maintenance as any relationship, and if ignored for too long, you will not get the full benefit of your partnership!
It can be daunting to know what to do, so herewith the checklist of everything to do to keep your Windows machine as happy as can be expected!
Before we begin, make sure your laptop is plugged in and not running from battery only. Once you start this process, do not close your laptop or disconnect it from the internet until it is completely done.
- Ensure your operating system is up to date (and stays that way).
- Go to “Settings” and select “Windows Update”. Ensure that “Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” is set to on
- Click on “Advanced settings” and ensure that “Receive updates for other Microsoft products” are set to on
- Now go back to “Windows Update” and click on “Check for Updates” (or click on download and install all option if that shows).
- Wait for all updates to download and install. You will most likely have to reboot your computer once all is completed – click on “restart now” once ALL updates are completely downloaded AND installed.
- Ensure that your Microsoft Office is up to date.
- Many people are under the impression that Microsoft Office updates are automatically. This is not the case. Office also is quite integrated with your OS (Windows 10/11), and it is thus important to also make sure that office is updated.
- To update your office, open any MS office application, and click on “File” and then “Account”
- Ensure that the correct Microsoft account is listed under “User Information”.
- Under the “Product Information” section, make sure that this is your latest version of MS Office you have – if you have a valid Office 365 subscription, it should sy “Microsoft 365” (and not an older version if you had, e.g. Office 2019. If your latest product is not shown here, click on “Switch License” and follow the prompts.
- Click on “Update Options” and select “Update Now”. You will either see “You are up to date” OR it will download the latest updates. You can follow the prompts for updating office.
- Update your browsers.
- For Chrome, click on the 3 dots on the far right of the screen, and go down to “Help” and then click on “About Google Chrome”. It will automatically check for updates and perform the update if applicable. Once done, you will have to “Relaunch” the browser to complete the update.
- On Edge, click on the 3 dots on the far right of the screen and select “Help and feedback”, then click on “About Microsoft Edge”. It will check for updates, and request to relaunch the browser once done.
- For other browsers – goolge the update process.
- Update Microsoft store apps.
Open your Microsoft Store. Locate the button on the left that says “Downloads”, and click “Check for updates”. Wait until all apps have been updated before closing the MS Store again.
- Update your anti-virus.
In the day and age we live in, not having proper anti-virus software is inviting trouble. Antivirus software and definitions are not updated automatically by all antivirus applications. Make sure your anti-virus software AND virus definitions are updated.
Working with this on daily basis, I can confirm that not all anti-virus software is equally effective.
Malware is a major cause of a slow computer. Download the trail period from www.malwarebytes.com , install and run a scan to see how effectively your current anti-virus is protecting your computer.
If you like it, use the voucher code to receive up to 55% discount on your first-year subscription:
https://share.malwarebytes.com/x/Yagl4o
- Remove unused (and duplicate) applications on your computer.
Having multiple versions of applications on your computer could cause it to run slowly – this applies to different anti-virus programs, or different versions of Microsoft office. Go through the programs installed on your computer and remove the ones you do not use.
- It may be time to upgrade your hardware.
Your computer may have been the best on the market when you bought it, but the world of technology changes daily! Here are some considerations for hardware upgrades, that may be more affordable than buying a new device:
Storage: If you are still using a Hard Disk (HDD) – it is absolutely worth the while to have it upgraded to a Solid State Drive (SSD). You won’t believe the difference in performance. Do ensure that your replacement SSD is larger than 512GB – since smaller drives are not very effective for long, with the amount of data that we work with on regular basis.
Memory (RAM): 5 Years ago, some laptops still came with 2 or 4GB of RAM. This will simply not suffice any longer. Upgrade to 16GB to keep your device relevant for the foreseeable future. In my opinion 8GB is not good enough – and for the minor price difference, it is always better to go for bigger.
If your computer processor is slower than an i5 (or Ryzen 5), it may be better to purchase a new computer than to upgrade your old one.
Remember – if this is just too daunting to do it yourself – we are available to assist at our nominal hourly rate!
