Why Does Your Computer Slow Down? (and How To Prevent That)

Occasionally, your computer can suddenly slow to a crawl, and you may find it inconvenient. Here’s why that happens and how to maintain the productivity of your devices.

The Reasons Why Computers Become Slow (and How to Fix that)

There are many reasons why your computer slows down, but here are the main ones (along with some solutions and prevention tips):

System Resources Are not Freed Up

If your computer starts to slow down significantly, it probably cannot tackle that many tasks. If too many programs are open simultaneously, it can use up too much processing power and RAM, causing your computer to run more slowly.

To improve this situation, you should close apps that you’re not using at the moment. Make sure you save all unsaved progress before shutting the app down. You can also reboot your computer, which clears the RAM and closes all apps.

If your computer is still slow after a reboot, consider disabling unnecessary startup programs. When you start using your computer, these apps will open in the background, too! However, you should not disable or forcefully terminate system programs because it can cause damage.

Your Hard Drives are Fragmented

Another reason why your computers don’t work quite smoothly is that your files are literally shattered in your hard drive. That is file fragmentation. Your computer tries to use physical space more efficiently. Therefore, the available space that deleted files take up can be overwritten with new files. However, if the file cannot fit in one piece, it leaves shards across other locations on the hard drive. This is exactly what happens in this process, and it can cause the hard drive to take more time to retrieve the entire file.

Therefore, constantly leaving some space on your hard drive is beneficial as it reduces the extent of this phenomenon as files get deleted and introduced. This should speed up the process of opening a file. Moreover, you can defragment your hard drive if it’s harmless to do so and the data reading is too slow.

Your Software is Outdated or Incompatible

Sometimes, outdated software can slow down your computer. They might contain bugs that don’t let the app work as expected. Other than generating inconvenience and unknown errors in the process, these mistakes can hinder the performance of the program and the computer. If those bugs are present, the program manufacturer will discover them and release a fix through a software update.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of software patches is the security benefits brought by them. In fact, keeping apps up-to-date will fix security holes that can let malware or hackers sneakily steal your data!

Therefore, it is important that you check for updates regularly for apps that you install. Don’t forget the operating system, too!

If updating it doesn’t help, it’s probably time to reinstall your app or find a replacement. The software might be incompatible with your computer or is corrupt. If the software at fault is the operating system, restoring the system can help.

There is Malware in Your Computer

Moreover, there could be malicious software hiding in your computer. These programs can take up a lot of system resources and slow the computer down. If your computer suddenly slows down for no apparent reason, make sure you look for signs of malware infection (such as unknown programs or dysfunctional passwords) while conducting a full scan of your device with your antivirus software.

If you think malware is in place, it usually means that you have to wipe the entire hard drive and install a new copy of the operating system to make sure the malware goes away for good. That’s where a backup come into play. However, when restoring your backup, you have to be extremely cautious because malware might be hiding in those files and reinfect your computer once the files are there. Another healthy computer, especially an old one or a computer that is solely used for testing, may help.

You Have Hardware Issues or You Need a Hardware Upgrade

The last thing to check when your computer slows down is your hardware. Faulty hardware, such as failing RAM or a failing hard drive, might not stop working in a sudden. Instead, their performance might deteriorate until it fails and becomes unusable. These are actually good because it provides some time to back up your data and replace your hardware before it stops working.

On the other hand, you might not have enough system resources on your computer to deal with even simple tasks. This includes a low CPU processing capability or a low RAM capacity. In that case, you should opt for upgrading your hardware or opening fewer programs at once.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed why your computer can slow down, and the thing responsible can be software or hardware. If these tips aren’t enough, please visit the sites in the references below to learn more.

References and Credits

1. Michael Barr. (2019, June 13). Why your PC is so slow… and how you can speed it up. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.ccleaner.com/knowledge/why-your-pc-is-so-slow-and-how-you-can-speed-it-up
2. Jason Cipriani. (2021, May 11). Stop suffering from a slow PC. 8 surefire ways to speed it up yourself. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.cnet.com/how-to/stop-suffering-from-a-slow-pc-6-surefire-steps-to-speed-it-up-yourself/
3. Computer Hope. (2020, December 31). My computer is running slow, what steps can I do to fix it. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000179.htm
4. Darina Stavniychuk. (2016, December 1). 8 Easy Ways to Speed Up a Slow Computer and Make it Run Like New. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://macpaw.com/how-to/speed-up-slow-pc
5. Microsoft Support. (n.d.). Tips to improve PC performance in Windows 10 – Microsoft Support. Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/tips-to-improve-pc-performance-in-windows-10-b3b3ef5b-5953-fb6a-2528-4bbed82fba96
6. Basics Explained, H3Vtux. (2020, April 4). What is Disk Fragmentation? Disk Fragmentation and Defragmentation Explained. Retrieved May 11, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKsVM89ZhRk
7. David Nield (2017, May 18). How to remove malware from your computer. Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://www.popsci.com/remove-malware-from-computer/
8. Fred Smith. (2018, June 12). The Importance of General Software Updates and Patches. Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://wp.umaryland.edu/the-importance-of-general-software-updates-and-patches/
9. Roger A. Grimes. (2017, January 24). How to prevent ransomware infection and recover if you’re hit. Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://www.csoonline.com/article/3160766/the-evolution-of-and-solution-to-ransomware.html