Dealing with a slow laptop has become a perennial problem for us. A sluggish machine can make even the most basic tasks toilsome.
There are several reasons a machine decelerates over time. Some of them touch on the usage of the computer, others relate to software issues, while others stem from the machine’s components.
Nafiza Chowdhury, a biomedical engineering student at BUET, shared her experience with her laptop.
“My Surface Pro 2 has served me beautifully over the last two-plus years. I’d say it’s one of the good purchase decisions I’ve ever made! But while it’s still working, it is starting to slow down a lot these days. Sometimes it takes more than enough time just to boot up! This is nagging me a lot nowadays.”
Regardless of how careful you are about keeping your machine clean and tiptop, they inevitably slow down after a certain time
As usage increases and more and more items are downloaded and installed, a significant amount of pressure is put on the internal capability and other hardware capabilities of a laptop.
Md Shahriar, a 22-year-old business student at SUST, uttered his frustration at his machine.
“When I first bought my current laptop a year and a half ago I thought to myself alright, this time no more video games on it, no more video editing. I’ll keep it clean and make sure it’s fast to do work. Since then I haven’t done anything outside of my day to day work but lately, it’s baffling me with its tardiness. Sometimes I press the power button and then do my all household chores and after coming back, it still shows me the outline of the menu which is going to open!”
There can be any number of issues affecting its performance. But there are also some common causes for a laptop running slow.
Too many startup programs
Programmes are automatically launched when you turn on your device. The majority of these programmes do not need an immediate start-up, hence the extended run time.
Gaps in time between reboots
Shutting down or rebooting a laptop will drain the memory cache, which will result in a quicker, more responsive laptop. If you've not done a full shutdown in about a week, you should probably restart your laptop.
Processor is overheating
When the processor is running, it will be hot. The fan of a laptop works to cool down the processor. If your computer or laptop is overheating, try to make sure that the fan in the unit is working properly, and that the computer case is clean of dust and debris.
Not enough memory
Depending on how long you have had your laptop and how you are using it, you may need to increase your memory (RAM).
The hard drive is almost full
Files that are required for programmes to run are stored on the drive so that the storage space on your hard drive fills up; it will cause your laptop to run at a slower speed.
Hardware failure
The laptop is likely running slowly because one of the parts that keep the device running is having a problem. It can be the hard drive, RAM, CPU or some other component. There are cases where you may be able to replace or upgrade that specific part.
Malware or viruses
It’s highly recommended to have your computer checked out by a professional in case of a malware issue.
These common causes can be easily adjusted. A Computer engineer, Diba Chowdhury, working on a well known IT farm suggested some solutions to speed up a slowed-down laptop. “The truth is that laptops don’t slow down with age. It is a myth. They slow down with weight…the weight of newer software, that is. So uninstalling unused apps and regularly cleaning the junks can significantly improve the performance. Some software updates do tend to slow some old systems down considering they are designed for newer architecture based laptops with better specs. So, do not update your software until you really have to or check user feedback for any update before updating your system. One more big thing is the Antivirus that we use. Antiviruses eat a lot of background resources off a system so it’s always better to take time and choose an efficient Antivirus as well as lightweight on the system resources.”
The reasons for a slow laptop are endless, as your situation can be very different from all the others. Even laptops have a life expectancy, it just depends on how well you handle it if you want it to last longer. We've got to face the fact that as time goes on, our laptops are going to get stagnant. This is a natural cycle. The Internet and applications are constantly changing due to new technologies. Such new technologies need to have more capacity and space to keep up the pace. It may not even be your own sometimes doing that your once snappy laptop is now crawling, but it is just a significant indication of the times.
Nayeem Chowdhury is a final year student pursuing his major in Finance from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
