As you use your computer over time, it's normal for its performance to decrease: technology advances, and programs become more demanding. But more simply, your components age, and your PC gets cluttered with unnecessary programs and data that only slow it down. In this guide, we will explore together how to improve your PC's performance with eight simple solutions.
Note: This guide may mention opening your PC. Always remember to disconnect it from any power source and discharge static electricity by touching, for example, a grounded outlet before any manipulation.
Boost Your PC: Clean the Components
After months or years of use, dust tends to accumulate in your computer and settle on your components. The result is overheating components that wear out faster due to restricted airflow that prevents proper heat dissipation. To help restore your PC's performance, you need to occasionally remove all this dust so that it doesn't damage the components too quickly.
To do this, make sure to disconnect your PC, whether it's a desktop or laptop, from any power source. In the case of a laptop, you'll also need to remove the battery as a precaution. Remember to discharge static electricity before touching the inside of your PC. Once the PC is open, you have several options, but the simplest is to use a can of compressed air with dusting gas to blow on each component and fan to dislodge the dust. You can then use a vacuum cleaner with a thin nozzle to remove the excess dust that has been dislodged.
Note: You can enhance the cleaning process by using an anti-static brush, toothpicks, and cotton swabs to remove dust more precisely from each component. It's up to you to decide how much time you want to spend cleaning your computer to improve its performance.
Clean the Software to Improve Your PC
First and foremost, it's important to defragment your storage disk.
This process optimizes the files on your disk so that it is faster. Windows now does this automatically at a given frequency, but feel free to do it manually. The system will tell you when the last defragmentation occurred. To do this, you can simply search in Windows for "Defragment and Optimize Drives" and follow the displayed instructions.
Next, you'll need to perform a scan for potential threats and malicious software that may have infiltrated your PC, causing slowdowns and malfunctions. If you have an antivirus, do a full scan. You can also go to Windows Defender using the search bar and run an analysis; if Windows detects anything, you will be notified. Finally, third-party software such as Malwarebytes is effective, even in its free version, to detect and destroy malicious elements on your computer and restore acceptable performance.
Limited Programs Launching at Computer Startup
It often happens that your computer is slow to start. Indeed, many programs and tools installed over time request to be launched as soon as your Windows session is open, burdening your PC's performance. Since all these applications are not necessarily essential, you can choose which ones will start along with Windows to lighten the load on your machine at startup.
Go to the Task Manager (via Windows search or Ctrl + Alt + Del). Click on "More details" and then the "Startup" tab. You will see the list of programs that will or will not launch when your computer starts. You can add filters and columns to the list by right-clicking on the column heading for more information on each one. If a program seems too resource-intensive and non-essential at the launch of your computer, excluding antivirus, peripherals, and others, disable it by right-clicking and selecting "Disable".
Note: If you are unsure about the origin of the program, right-click on it and then open its location on the PC to see which software it is associated with.
Update Your Computer's Drivers
Having outdated drivers or programs can affect your PC's performance. In general, Windows updates itself automatically, but this is not the case for drivers for the rest of your machine's components. You have two options to update them:
Update them manually. You need to go to the Device Manager, easily accessible by typing its name in the Windows search bar. Expand each element next to an arrow and update the components revealed by right-clicking and selecting "Update driver". As you can imagine, doing this for each element is not fast. The second option solves this problem.
Some free software allows you to automatically update your drivers. The most used is probably Driver Booster, which identifies drivers, checks for updates, and finally downloads and installs them to boost your computer's performance by improving each of its components. It is available in a free version, providing satisfactory update functionality.
Free Up Storage Space on Your PC's Disk
A filling storage disk is generally much slower than an empty one. This is because the disk can no longer allow the creation of temporary items due to lack of space, leaving the RAM to handle all current tasks. Clean your disk from time to time by deleting or moving items that clutter it or by moving them to an external disk: games, software, videos, etc., that you no longer need. You will achieve a performance gain to a greater or lesser extent for your PC.
Go to the Control Panel and search for "Apps and Features". From there, you will see the list of installed software with their sizes, and you can choose to uninstall them if necessary. If you decide to delete files such as photos or videos, remember to empty the recycle bin. In general, using CCleaner can facilitate this cleanup by deleting temporary files and other cumbersome elements to gain space. However, be aware that these files, as their name suggests, will gradually come back.
Install Lighter and Faster Software
It is common to see comprehensive solutions installed on computers such as the Microsoft Office suite, Adobe Photoshop, and others. However, depending on your usage, these seemingly simple programs are not always suitable for your PC and its performance. If even these programs cause problems, and you only use a portion of their features, consider installing lighter versions of these programs. For example, use GIMP instead of Photoshop and LibreOffice instead of Microsoft Office. These softwares have fewer options and tools but will perfectly fulfill the basic functions of their counterparts while being faster to launch and use.
Likewise, if you are an Internet Explorer user, consider switching to faster web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.
Improve PC Configuration to Boost Performance
If your PC has already been around for a few years, all these tips may not be enough. In this case, it's easier to invest a little to improve its performance with new components. Two elements can generally help boost your PC, namely RAM and a hard drive.
Installing RAM is a straightforward process: simply open your case with a screwdriver, remove the battery if necessary, and insert the modules into the designated slots that should be easily accessible. The key question before proceeding is whether there are available slots and, if so, what type of RAM is compatible! To check this, open the Task Manager, go to the "Performance" tab, and click on Memory to get all the relevant information, including the number of used and total slots. Usually, it's easiest to purchase identical modules to the ones already installed (but perhaps upgrading from 8GB to 16GB, for example).
When it comes to the hard drive, this is especially relevant if you have a HDD. Upgrading from an HDD to an SSD will provide a significant leap forward in terms of speed and overall computer performance, as this new technology surpasses the older one. However, make sure your computer is compatible with a M.2 slot for such an SSD before making the investment. Choose wisely between the 2.5-inch and M.2 formats.
Note: Remember that if you replace the hard drive, you'll need to reinstall all your folders, software, and Windows on the new drive.
Final Solution to Improve Computer Performance: Reinstall Windows
Reinstalling Windows might sound like a drastic measure. However, Microsoft has included an option in its operating system that allows you to reset settings to factory defaults without affecting your personal files or requiring installation disks and a cumbersome process. This option has been available since Windows 8 and on all subsequent versions.
To do this, perform a Windows search for "Reset this PC" and open the program. You'll find the option on the window that appears; click "Get started" and then simply follow the instructions to reset while keeping your personal documents. Reinstalling Windows brings your PC back to an almost-new state on the software side, free of any malfunctions, registry errors, code bugs, etc...
You now have all the tools to give your PC a performance boost. When a computer slows down and loses power, it's often due to a lack of maintenance; few users clean their machines even once a year! However, to keep a PC running smoothly over the long term, we strongly recommend performing these cleanups regularly. Feel free to do a performance test before/after to fully understand the value of each of these tips.