Dealing With a Slow Laptop? Look Out for These Problems

Laptops can take a beating, even when properly maintained. While all computers slow down eventually, it’s particularly painful when a laptop starts its decline. Thankfully, you can take several to combat this issue. Keep reading to learn about the most common causes of a slow laptop and discover what you can do to remedy these issues.

Laptops are prone to overheating. With the air vents located on the bottom of the device, any blockage or obstruction of those events can lead to overheating. Heat has always been an enemy of computers, so it’s possible that sudden slow laptop performance could be the result of overheating.

Several different options are available for checking the internal temperature of the CPU. Anything over 90 degrees Celsius should be a cause for alarm. To limit the amount of heat, keep the laptop on a hard surface when in use. This will allow air to flow out of the device properly.

If this step fails to remedy the problem, it’s possible the vents need to be cleared out. A can of compressed air will clean out any dust or particles that could be blocking air from flowing. If all else fails, adjusting the laptop’s internal fan speed settings (if given the option) could do the trick.

Software issues are often to blame for inexplicably slow laptops. Procrastinating users often prompt these problems. After all, it can be tempting to turn off the near-constant automatic updates that plague most Windows users.

As annoying as they may be, these updates are crucial. Manufacturers release patches and fixes on a regular basis to ensure the best possible operating system experience. Bypassing these updates could create some internal confusion between the operating system and software programs.

Driver updates are also critical for peak performance. Graphics drivers will ensure games run smoothly and streaming videos look their best. While mostly applied automatically, drivers for various peripherals will sometimes require a manual update from the user.

Some hardware manufacturers ship their laptops with copious amounts of bloatware. These useless programs clutter up hard drives, suck up RAM, and run in the background. Unfortunately, too many of these bloatware programs will severely bog down the performance of most laptops.

It’s useful to regularly browse the installed programs on a laptop to see what’s needed and what isn’t. Anything that sounds like it isn’t essential to performance — or wasn’t installed by the user — can probably be uninstalled.

Clearing a computer of unwanted programs is just one step. Making sure that other programs don’t automatically start on computer boot up is the other essential task. On Windows 10, navigate to Settings > Apps > Startup and make changes as needed.

It’s easy to forget how old some of our devices are. This is especially likely if our favorite products have been dependable through the years.

However, if performance has slowly dipped over time, the problem could be aging — the laptop is simply past its prime. Laptops have a shorter shelf life than their desktop siblings, as they are toted around and subject to accidents. If a laptop is nearing its 5th birthday, it’s probably time to start looking for a replacement.

When shopping for a new laptop, don’t settle for a retailer’s warranty that costs too much and covers too little. Instead, choose Upsie.

With a laptop extended warranty from Upsie, coverage is clearly defined from the beginning, allowing for peace of mind when purchasing new laptops. In addition, Upsie warranties make repairs convenient. In the event of a malfunction, options for fixing the device include visiting a local repair shop or prepaid shipping for mail-in service.

An Upsie extended warranty is the perfect way to protect your new laptop.