We’ve all had that day where we walk into work or back home from work and realize our computer’s really slow, and we want to just format it and get it back to normal. But Microsoft’s tech wizards frequently point out that it is probably not just the OS but an aggressive application process as well. You can get that “new computer” experience without having to back up all your individual files by tweaking a few knobs.
Manage Background Permissions
Many applications run automatically in the background of Windows. Modifying these privacy settings may be able to save battery life and prevent unwanted system overheating.
Disable Unnecessary Visual Effects
Shadows and animation work well, but it takes some graphics horsepower. Some of these transparency effects may cause your navigation to appear much faster on older or mid-range computers.
Update Your Drivers Regularly
Patches are often issued to increase stability, as is common with hardware manufacturers. Keeping chipset drivers up-to-date might ward off those unexplainable system hang-ups or blue screens, according to Intel research.
Check Your Power Plan
Laptops may not automatically be set for high performance. You may be able to get a little more speed by changing your power settings as a way to save a bit of energy.
Declutter The System Tray
The little icons next to the clock are icons of active software. Deleting unused ones might allow you to save some memory space that you can use for more important activities throughout the day.
Pause Nonessential Windows Updates
Security will be critical, but huge feature updates can slow things down. If you do that, you may have your PC up and running late at night while you’re working.
Monitor Chrome Memory Usage
Browsers have a bad reputation for consuming system resources. If you have twenty tabs open, built-in memory saver modes may be able to give your computer some relief.
Clean Up Temporary Files
Hidden caches can be very large after several months. You can get gigabytes of junk from Disk Cleanup that may be hindering your disks’ overall efficiency.
Review Active Browser Extensions
In some extensions, processes can continue to run after the browser is closed. If you use rarely-used ones, you may end up with a more stable and quick game.
Reset Network Settings
Many times, the internet won’t work intermittently, similar to a slow computer. If your browser lags, you can perform a network reset, which eliminates previous configurations that could be causing the lag.
Uninstall Preinstalled Bloatware
There is a lot of trial software on many PCs that you didn’t install yourself. May clean up your registry and prevent unwanted services from running around the clock.
