Unfortunately, as computers get older they invariably get slower. If your laptop or PC feels like it's crawling along, we've got a series of handy hints and tips on how to bring it back up to speed.

How to speed up a laptop or PC

Jump to:

• 1. Windows ReadyBoost
• 2. Disk Defragmentation
• 3. Disabling Startup Programs
• 4. Using Alternative Programs
• 5. Turning off graphics
• 6. Upgrading your RAM
• 7. Switching to SSD  

  1. How to speed up a laptop or PC: Windows ReadyBoost

  If you're using Windows Vista or later, you can speed up your computer with an inbuilt function called ReadyBoost, which allows you to use an external flash drive to give your computer a little extra memory.

  Essentially, it acts as a turbocharger for your system's RAM. It will use a section of the flash drive's memory for caching, increasing the random read access speed of the hard drive.

  However, there's still debate as to the effectiveness of this method, and it's generally only considered useful if your RAM is severely limited.

  Step 1:

  Plug in a flash memory device - we'd recommend a medium-sized USB (at least 2GB).

  Step 2:

  The Autoplay dialogue box will pop up asking what you want to do with the drive, and one of the options will be 'Speed up my system using Windows ReadyBoost'.

  Step 3:

  Clicking on this will open another window where you can select the amount of space on the device to allocate for boosting.

  Step 4:

  Microsoft recommends using at least as much USB space as you have RAM, but we'd suggest using the whole thing and reserving the drive exclusively for speeding up your computer.

  Step 5:

  Once you've selected your desired amount and confirmed the settings, the box will close and your computer will automatically detect and use the drive whenever it's plugged in. 
  

  2. How to speed up a laptop or PC: Disk Defragmentation

  One of the most common problems of older computers is disk fragmentation. With repeated use, the information on your hard drive can become scattered, meaning it has to work harder to find it.By performing a disk defrag, you can sort all your information into a more neatly organised fashion. This can do significantly improve your computer’s overall speed.

  Step 1:

  You can find the Disk Defragmenter by going into the Control Panel, navigating to ‘System and Security’ and looking under administrative tools.

  Step 2:

  You can analyse your disk to see how fragmented it is currently, or just run the process straight away.

  NB:

  Since SSDs work in a different way to optical drives, this method won't do them any good. If you've got a solid state drive, you're better off skipping this one.

  3. How to speed up a laptop or PC: disabling Start-up Programs

  Another good tip is to disable start-up programs. These are programs that boot every time you turn on your computer, and run in the background until you need them.

  Often, these can be disabled and simply opened when you want to use them, meaning they won’t slow down your PC with constant operation.

  Step 1:

  To stop these programs from starting automatically, open the start menu and type ‘msconfig’. This will open the system configuration menu.

  Step 2:

  Switch to the ‘startup’ tab and scroll down the list; you’re looking for anything that you don’t immediately need.

  Any antivirus services, programs from Microsoft or your PC manufacturer or background programs you regularly use should be left on.

  Things like Adobe Reader or any automatic update checkers can safely be unchecked, however.

  Step 3:

  Once you’re happy that you’ve unchecked everything you don’t want, simply click Apply and OK, then reboot your computer to finalise the changes.