10 Tips to Speed up your Computer | computer repair Calgary 2022

 

A slow computer is one of the most frustrating things you could face in your daily life these days. Your computer, be it a laptop or a desktop, has become one of the more essential tools for a productive day. Beginning from your office work to making notes and to-do checklists for household chores, a computer now serves all purposes to keep your life Calgary computer repair.

Now, imagine the engine of a car struggling to pull it ahead no matter how hard you step on the gas. Your computer slowing down feels the exact same way too. At Nextgen Computer Repair Calgary, we have an excellent team put together that offers top-of-the-line desktop repair, laptop repair, MacBook repair and technical support 24x7 for all your IT-related issues.

You don’t have to worry anymore if you feel like your computer is dragging its leg to move. Any Operating System like Windows 7, 8, 10 or even iOS can slow down after a period of being used regularly. There are many reasons why your computer could be slowing down. However, there are also several easy fixes that you can perform yourself to give your computer a boost to run a little faster than before.

In this article, we have a list of reasons why your computer might be slowing down and some quick tips to speed it up. If you have already tried them all and still have a frustratingly slow device on your hands, it means it’s time to call in the experts to deal with it. NexGen's technical experts are on call to help you with your computer issues all day long. As long as you are in Calgary, Edmonton and Airdried areas, we will be there to pick up the computer from your doorstep as soon as you register your issue with us over a call.

Before that, let us take a look at 10 Computer Repair Tips for you to Speed Up your Slow Computer:

10 Tips to Speed up your Computer

1. Uninstall Unused Programs

Running out of hard disk space is one of the most common reasons for slowing down your computer. Too many applications on your HDD or SSD can make it run slower than before. The easiest solution to this is to clear your hard disk of the programs that are unused and taking up too much of your space.

We all download new applications for fun, to check out how they work and sometimes even just out of plain curiosity. However, we don’t always end up using them all. In fact, most programs remain dormant after the initial week of downloading them. These apps end up taking up space on your computer storage and can slow it down. 

Your computer would have come with pre-installed programs that you never used. These programs are usually called bloatware and are next in line to be uninstalled. The first step in speeding up your computer is to check your hard disk capacity and delete any unused programs that are using up your storage.

To remove unused and unwanted programs from your computer, go to Start – Control Panel – Programs and Features. Choose Uninstall Programs from here and then uninstall the programs you deem a waste of space.

2. Empty Temporary Files & Recycle Bin

Emptying out the trash will give your computer another breath of fresh air. All the trash files that get downloaded onto your computer when you access the Internet get stored in a file named Temp on your hard disk. It is important to empty out this folder once in a while to avoid these files from piling up and taking up too much space on your hard disk. 

You can go to My Computer – Main Drive (Usually C:) – Windows – Temp. Open the folder and delete all the files. 

Now, all the programs and files you deleted still end up in Recycle bin, again on your hard disk. So go to your Recycle bin and empty it out as well. You are now rid of all your trash files.

3. Check Device Performance and Health

If you have owned your computer for a few years now, it might happen that your hard disk or battery may be losing its health. You may face issues such as your computer taking ages to get booted up or very slow in moving once turned on. Go to Windows Security – Device Performance & Health. You can get a report of your computer’s health here detailing issues in Storage Capacity, Battery life, Apps and Software and Windows Time Service.

 In case of very poor hard disk health, you can just replace your hard disk with a new one with greater storage space. This eliminates buying a new computer while also making your computer function quickly. It is a cheaper option compared to the price of a brand new computer.

The same can be applied to your battery as well. Say your computer battery health is failing; you can just replace the battery with a new one. However, replacing your battery or hard disk only works if your computer is in a decent condition otherwise. 

4. Shut down Background Apps

When multiple programs are running in the background, it not only drains your battery quickly but also causes your computer to run slowly. Ultimately it causes a significant reduction in your computer’s performance. This is because some programs keep running even after you shut down your computer and just start running immediately when you turn on the power.

To figure out what applications are running unnecessarily in the background, open your Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete. You can get a clear idea of which apps are utilizing most of your CPU, Memory and Hard disk storage and close those.

5. Increase your RAM

Those who actively use multiple apps and need them running simultaneously will not find the earlier tip useful or practical. For those of you, we recommend increasing your RAM. Adding on more RAM will not only create more space but also speed up your computer in almost all instances. 

Laptops that are specifically used for Gaming and Business purposes usually allow for RAM upgrades. These are not very common but for users who have one of these, you can make use of the option of adding RAM.

6. Malware Check

Run your antivirus software and do a full scan or a deep scan of all your files and folders. 7 times out of 10, it is often a random malware that got downloaded onto your system from some website you browsed. Other times, it could have been transferred from any external storage drives plugged into your computer. Either way, once it is on your PC, the malware will affect your files, slow down your system in every way and cause other issues as well. 

Antivirus software can detect and clean out any virus. If the software notifies you that it has detected a virus and is unable to clean it from the system, call NexGen's team of technical experts who will guide you through the problem. Even if remote support does not work out for your particular problem, Nextgen professionals will arrive at your location to collect your computer and take it to the main warehouse in Calgary where your computer will be serviced on the same day. 

7. Power Mode and Performance Options

We usually set the Power mode towards the lower level on the scale for a better battery and to save power. But if you want high performance from your computer, then this might not be the best choice for you. Change the Power mode to Best Performance. If you are a Windows 10 user, you can just click on the Batter icon on your taskbar and drag the bar towards Best performance.

Type Adjust Appearance in the Search Box of your computer’s Start Menu. It will open the dialog box of Perform Options where you have the following options:

• Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer
• Adjust for best appearance
• Adjust for best performance

Below is a table of options that have check boxes for animation, fading and other appearance-related options you can either tick or untick. Click on Apply and Okay after you make your choices. This tip works really well for increasing the performance of older computers in particular.

8. Pause OneDrive Syncing

If you have turned on the automatic syncing of your files to OneDrive, you can try turning it off and see if it improves your computer’s performance. To turn it off, Open OneDrive - Help & Settings - Pause syncing, and then choose the time limit for pausing the sync. You can always go back to the application and resume syncing later when you need to.

9. Defragment, Disk Clean up, Physical Clean up

Defragmenting your disk is an effective way to optimize the efficiency of the hard drive. Go to My Computer – Right Click on Hard drive – Properties – Tools – Defragment Now.

A disk clean-up is done through the following steps: Type Disk Clean up in the Search box on your taskbar. Choose the hard drive you need cleaned up and click on Ok.

A physical clean-up means exactly what you think it means. Clear your computer of dust and vacuum it regularly. Dust can get accumulated through the vent for the cooling fan and heat up the system. For a PC to run its best, it needs to cool down and not overheat. Keeping the system clear of dust and thereby open for it to cool down whenever it runs, you can prevent performance and battery problems. 

10. Restore your computer

Restoring your computer from a system restore point can undo any recent changes you have made to your system. Newly installed apps, driver or Windows update that is causing your computer to perform inadequately can be removed by restoring the computer to an earlier restore point. 

If you would like to restore your computer, make a backup copy of any important recently added programs or files that you want to keep after restoring. Follow these instructions to restore your PC from a restore point:

On your taskbar, type Advanced System Settings. You can also go to Control Panel – System – Advanced System Settings. 

Check if System Protection is turned on here or to turn it on, follow these steps: Click on the System Protection tab – select Configure – Turn on System Protection – Ok.

Once this is done, you can now choose System Restore. In the Recommended Restore option, you will find the most recent restore point that was saved by Windows automatically. If you prefer a different point to restore, you can choose that from Choose a different restore point and click on Next.

Finally, click on Finish to finish restoring your computer. After the restore has been completed, restart your computer and check the performance.

Nothing Works?

If none of these tips works for you and you are still facing a slow, struggling computer system, you can always buy a new one. Any device can work and have high performance only for so many years. So if you think, it is time to trade in your old computer for a new one or a decent used model, you can go ahead with that as well.

Used Computers at Nextgen

Nextgen buys your old computers and revamps them to be sold again as good as new. You can sell us your computers however old they are. If you are interested, you can also find a used computer at Nextgen that will suit you and your budget.

Timely Technical Support @ Nextgen

Do you own a barely used computer that is not performing to its full capacity? Are you not able to figure out the problem with your laptop or desktop? Call us to get the best Computer repair service in Calgary. We resolve all kinds of hardware and software issues with your laptops, desktops and MacBook's.

Our staff on call are fully trained and experienced to guide you on the phone with the basic steps to resolve your technical issues. If necessary, a member from the Nextgen team can be sent to collect your device at your location, at your convenience.

Nextgen offers free diagnostic services and a No Fix, No Pay policy which does not require you to pay a cent if your issue is not resolved by us. Our customers can also avail of a 90-day warranty on their services. 

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