The 5 most common errors that slow down your Windows PC
How many times have you found yourself in front of a slow and difficult-to-use computer? Such a situation is not pleasant at all because it has a very big impact on your productivity. Of course, over time (and with use) all computers can become slow, that’s normal! In many cases, however, the slowdown of the machine depends on your behavior. In this guide, we have collected which ones are the most common errors that can slow down your Windows PC and we will show you how to correct these bad habits.
Beware of apps running in the background
You have installed several programs on your computer and use one multiplicity of tools to perform various activities, but most likely over time, you have installed numerous apps on the system that you have forgotten or stopped using. Many of these apps, even when they are not in use, leave processes running in the background that are capable of slowing down your PC.
Remember that running too many apps on the computer can slow down the machine. the biggest problem is caused by programs set to run automatically in the background when your PC starts up: they consume a lot of RAM, even if you don’t use them. To avoid this problem, we recommend that you be very careful every time you install new apps on your computer. In particular, if you see the wording during installation “Run automatically [app] when the computer starts “, uncheck it!
Want to take a look at the running app in the background on the system? You can do this by accessing the taskbar located in the lower right corner of the screen. Here you will be able to see a specific icon for many of the programs that are running in the background: you may need to click on the arrow to view the complete list. In most cases, just right-click an icon and choose “Go out” to close an app. If they are apps you don’t use, maybe you should uninstall them.
Remove startup programs in Windows
To do some “cleaning” on your computer e speed it up, we also advise you to prevent the execution of some programs at the startup. To do this, open Task Manager on Windows 10 (use the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and then click on More details. So go to the menu Start: here you can see all the programs that start every time you log in to Windows. Disable any programs you don’t want to start when you turn on your PC. We at Outofbit have looked at startup programs that – very commonly – slow down the Windows system: take a look at our guide on how to see which apps consume all memory on Windows 10.
Reboot your system regularly
A regular system reboot is really essential to keep Windows in perfect health. True, you may be tempted to do not to turn off but your computer, so you can quickly resume your activities once you return to your PC. Unfortunately, this really is one bad idea which – if repeated over time – can lead to Windows slowdown.
But why is it important to reboot the system regularly? Well, remember that every time you restart your computer, the system clears RAM therefore, if one of the programs you are running consumes a large amount of memory without freeing it (once you have finished using it), restarting the system will temporarily solve this problem.
And that’s not all: every time you restart your computer, Windows also installs system patches which can solve some performance problems of the machine. Obviously, Windows 10 will regularly try to “force” you to reboot so that you can install all the updates necessary for the well-being of the system. It is clear that if you do not restart your computer for long periods of time, the system will never be able to implement the necessary fixes and updates that improve the performance of the machine.
We are not advising you to reboot every day: instead try to restart your PC a few times a week and to put it “in hibernation” other times, so that you can quickly resume the activities you were doing before turning it off.
Be careful when installing a new program
This is a very “hot” topic: if your pc is slow, try to pay particular attention to web pages you click on when you surf the internet!
Unfortunately, many websites are a “minefield” of malicious content: fake download buttons, viruses, and more can create serious problems for your computer. Even legitimate downloads aren’t always safe, and that’s not all: many free programs try to force the installation of third-party “junk” software through pre-selected checkboxes. It is obvious that if you click on “Next” without thinking, you could end up installing useless programs on the system that slow down the system,
In the worst cases, this careless behavior can even lead to the installation of malware on your system. All this, of course, affects the performance of your PC by slowing it down in an unacceptable way!
Here’s why you should always check carefully everything you are installing on the system. Take some time to carefully read all the warnings that appear during the installation of new programs: only in this way can you keep the “junk” away from your PC.
Perform regular system maintenance
Windows 10 does its job very well by taking care of itself with some automatic maintenance activities. Of course, the system is not foolproof, which is why you will need to perform some basic maintenance from time to time. All of this can make a difference and give you a much faster system.
In the following paragraphs, we will explain the most important maintenance tasks that you absolutely must perform on Windows regularly.
Clean up temporary files
When Windows is running, it creates files that are only needed for a short period of time. This is normal for the computer to work, but if you let these files accumulate, they will be able to go to slow down the system. This is especially true if you have a small SSD that fills up quickly.
To fix this, go to Settings> System> Storage and turn on Storage Sense, a feature of Windows 10 which helps you free up space automatically. For more options, please search Cleaning disk in the Start menu.
Run system scans regularly
While your antivirus is likely set to scan your system on a strict schedule, we always recommend that you occasionally scan the system using an anti-malware app dedicated. Malwarebytes is a great choice to do this: the free version of this app scans only on demand.
Also, Windows gives you the possibility to perform some scans such example, chkdsk, and SFC. The check disk command (or chkdsk) scans your hard drive and looks for bad sectors that can cause your computer to slow down. This command is not useful if you have an SSD but, if your computer comes with an old HDD and you notice slowdowns in your system, it’s worth a try. Control system files (or SFC) is a command similar to the previous one: it scans the Windows system files and tries to repair the damaged ones.
Running these commands once a month can help you identify problems before they get worse.
Install Windows and app updates
To solve the slowdown problems on your Windows PC, it is really essential to check, from time to time, the available updates. To do this, simply go to Settings> Update & security> Windows Update: this way you make sure that updates are not blocked. Also, you should make sure that the software you use regularly is up to date – using the latest version can introduce improvements to the speed of the software itself.
Be careful not to confuse computer speed with internet speed
How many times have you thought (wrongly!) That your computer is slow when, in reality, the problem is your internet connection? If you are experiencing speed problems only when browsing websites or when streaming music or watching a video, then the problem is most likely localized to your internet connection. The connection can be slow even on a computer in perfect shape! Read our guide on how to improve your internet connection.
Conclusions: now you know what slows down your pc
In this guide, we’ve looked at what common behaviors they can slow down your PC. If you have made one of these mistakes, then it is time to change something in the management of your computer! Put all our tips into practice and you will see that you will succeed speed up the system.
