What to do if your computer slows down and freezes. Why did the computer become slow over time? Cleaning your computer from viruses


Has your computer started running very slowly? Have you not yet had time to open programs after booting your computer, how is it already slowing down? Do you want to know what programs are slowing down your computer? We know the solution to this problem.

Even if you don't open programs yourself, that doesn't mean there aren't some running in the background. Most often, background programs greatly slow down your computer.

So, to find out which programs are slowing down your computer, you should follow these steps:

  1. Start with launch task manager.
  • Right-click on the taskbar (that long bar at the bottom of the screen where icons for open programs are usually found). Select " Task Manager».
  • You can also open the task manager by pressing the keys — — at the same time, and selecting " Task Manager».
  1. You will see the Windows Task Manager, which by default opens the " Processes».
  2. Go to the " Performance" Here you can see how much your CPU and memory are used.

Wow, my processor is very busy. I wonder why? Let's find out.


Wait, but the total numbers do not exceed 30%, but the computer is loaded at about 80-90%. How can this be?


Looking at the resource monitor, we see that the processor is still busy. We also know that svchost.exe consumes the most resources. Let's check it out.


And then the computer began to slow down again. It seems, CscService loaded. CscService is the process that does the Offline Files work.

It happens that the PC begins to work very unstable. Almost every user has encountered this kind of trouble. Even technically savvy people cannot always understand what to do if it freezes. Beginners often cannot do without the help of professionals. However, anyone can diagnose and correct some causes of malfunction. The article provides a detailed guide that will help solve most common problems.

Main reasons

To determine what measures you need to take to improve your PC performance, you must first find the root cause of the problems. What can cause your computer to slow down and freeze?

  • Small amount of RAM.
  • There is not enough free space on the system partition.
  • Lots of unnecessary registry entries.
  • Unnecessary programs in startup.
  • Hardware overheating.
  • Viruses.

Not enough RAM

Year after year, software requirements are only growing. A computer can become obsolete in a few years. If your PC has less than two gigabytes of RAM, you should add one or more additional sticks. Today, even browsers require about 1 GB, but usually the system runs several processes and several dozen OS services at once, which also require a lot of hardware resources.

To find out exactly how much RAM is used by the system, you need to right-click on the “My Computer” icon and select “Properties.” All the main characteristics of the hardware will be listed here.

Viruses

There is enough free space on the system partition, what should you do if the computer slows down and freezes? There is a high probability that viruses are to blame for the unstable operation of your PC.

To fix the problem, you should use an anti-virus scanner. Professionals recommend using Dr. tools. Web Cureit and Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. Both utilities can be distributed free of charge, they can be said to be from official websites.

If you decide to use Cureit, after launching the program, click on the line “Select objects to scan” and check each available checkbox. Also click on the words “Click to select files” and check the box next to “My Computer”. After this, you can start scanning by clicking on the “Start scan” button.

Overheat

What to do if your computer slows down and freezes in games and other “heavy” applications? Most likely the cooling system is to blame. To check this fact, you should use programs that allow you to monitor the temperature of the main PC components. AIDA 64 is considered the best tool for such studies.

What to do if your computer slows down and Windows XP freezes, how can you check if the PC components are overheating? Install the AIDA 64 utility and run it. Find the chart icon on the top line. After clicking on it, a window called “Stress Test” will open. It will display temperature graphs of those system devices that have built-in sensors. On the left, check the boxes next to all items except “Stress Local Disk” and click on the Start button. Observe how the diagrams change under load. When critical values ​​are reached, the test should be completed by clicking on the “Stop” line.

The normal temperature varies from device to device. To find out which is considered acceptable for devices installed in the system, you should visit the manufacturer’s website.

FurMark

AIDA 64 allows you to check the temperatures of many components, but you cannot check the video system with it. The computer slows down and freezes, what should you do if you suspect the graphics adapter is overheating? FurMark is considered the best utility for testing video cards.

After starting the program, a settings window will appear on the screen. In it, check the box next to "Fullscreen" and select the maximum resolution supported by the monitor. After completing these steps, click on the "Stress Test" button.

A three-dimensional image will appear on the screen, but you should not look at it. The main attention should be paid to the graph that appears below. It clearly shows how the temperature of the graphics adapter changes. If it reaches a critical point, press the "Esc" button to complete the test.

Cleaning

Due to overheating, the computer slows down and freezes, what should I do to restore stable operation? First of all, you should clean all the radiators of the cooling system using a brush and a vacuum cleaner.

Turn off your PC and remove the side cover. Be careful not to bring the nozzle closer to the boards at a distance of less than 7-10 cm. That is why you should use a brush. It can be used to brush off caked dust that cannot be removed with a vacuum cleaner.

After cleaning, all software tests must be repeated. If the temperature values ​​have not returned to normal, you should think about replacing thermal paste or coolers.

Autoload

What to do if your computer slows down and freezes when you turn it on? To solve the problem, you should try removing most applications from startup. To do this, restart your PC. Before loading the OS, press the F8 button to bring up the menu. In it, select "Safe Mode".

After displaying the desktop screen, press the “Win ​​+ R” combination on the keyboard. The Run window will open. Write "msconfig" in the input line and click on the "OK" button. Go to the "Startup" tab and uncheck all the applications that you do not need all the time. If you find it difficult to choose, leave the checkboxes only opposite those programs that have “Microsoft” listed in the “Manufacturer” column.

Once completed, click on the "OK" button to save the changes.

Fragmentation

What should you do if your computer freezes and slows down while opening applications and files? It may be worth performing a defragmentation procedure. The fact is that the hard drive is divided into sectors. In this case, one recorded file can occupy several thousand sectors on the hard drive. Not always all parts of a separate document are located next to each other. Consequently, it decreases

To organize the information located on the HDD, you should regularly defragment it. To launch the utility built into Windows, open Explorer. Right-click on any partition and select Properties. Go to the "Tools" tab, then click on the "Defragmentation" button.

In the window that opens, select the disk and click on “Defragmentation”. It is advisable to carry out this procedure for all volumes in turn.

RAM hardware problems

For no apparent reason, the computer began to slow down and freeze, what to do if none of the above tips helped? Often, unstable PC operation is associated with damaged RAM. You can check the RAM strips using the utility built into the OS. Open Control Panel. Its icon is located on the right side of the Start menu. Click on "Administration". In the window that opens, find the "Memory Checker" item and run it like any other program.

The user will be asked whether to run the test after the next startup or restart the computer now. There is not much difference between them. The first option will allow you to save all documents if necessary.

After restarting the PC, the testing process will begin. Its operating time may vary on different systems. If messages highlighted in red appear on the screen during the test, it means that the RAM is to blame for the failure.

What to do if your computer freezes and slows down due to bad RAM?

First of all, to solve the problem, you should clean the contacts from dust and oxide. Remove the system unit cover. Remove the RAM sticks by pushing back the levers that hold the device and pulling it towards you. Take cotton swabs, dip them in alcohol or cologne and wipe the contacts. Once dry, put the RAM back in place and test it again.

What should I do if my computer freezes and slows down even after this procedure? Often, several sticks of RAM are installed in a system unit. Run the scan utility for each of them separately. This way it will be possible to identify which device is destabilizing the PC. Damaged equipment should be replaced or simply not installed.

Conclusion

The answer to the question “What to do if your computer freezes and slows down?” fully revealed. It must be said that first of all, you need to take measures aimed at optimizing the software part, and then move on to checking. In addition, unstable PC operation is rarely associated with only one factor. Usually, serious problems begin only when several causes come into force at the same time. Therefore, it is worth approaching the issue of computer repair in a comprehensive manner.

Remember how pleasant it was to use the computer you just bought or assembled. Smooth and fast opening of Explorer windows, not a single freeze when launching even the most resource-demanding programs, comfortable viewing of movies without artifacts or stuttering. However, over time, the speed disappears somewhere, the computer begins to take a long and tedious time to start up, the browser takes several minutes to open, and it’s already scary to talk about watching online videos.

A computer is very similar to a pet: in order for it to be healthy both hardware and software, it needs regular care. This article will look at comprehensive care for your working machine, including cleaning disks of debris, structuring the file system, removing irrelevant programs and much more - everything that is necessary to maintain stable operation of your device.

There are a fairly large number of problems that can lead to serious brakes on your computer. To achieve maximum effect, it is not enough to “clean up” only in one area; you need to analyze many factors and make corrections in all problem areas.

Method 1: hardware upgrade

Many users focus only on the software part, forgetting that even recently purchased PCs become outdated every day. The development and release of new software in the modern world requires appropriate resources for normal functioning. Computers that are more than 5 years old already need a so-called upgrade - replacing components with more modern ones, as well as diagnosing and restoring existing ones.

  1. When was the last time you cleaned your laptop or system unit? It is recommended to clean dust and dirt 3-4 times every two years (depending on where the computer is used). Dust tends to accumulate, creating the so-called felt - a dense lump of debris that clogs into coolers and vents. Poor cooling of the components that need it is the first enemy of the stability of the hardware and software of the device. You can clean it yourself by finding and studying the instructions for disassembling your laptop or unit. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to contact a service center with positive reviews. They will completely disassemble the computer and remove debris and dust, improving air and heat exchange.

    Be sure to ask to lubricate the cooler - this will eliminate the unpleasant noise and add a long service life by physically reducing the friction of the parts.

  2. Overheating of the hardware can also occur due to outdated or damaged thermal paste. It serves as a heat sink for a running processor, helping coolers remove excess temperature. You can ask to change the paste at the same service center, or you can do it yourself - this process is described in detail in the article below.

    Changing the paste is indicated if the processor temperature is too high during idle time. This inevitably leads to slowdown of the computer and wear of components. It is especially important to monitor the presence of thermal paste on laptops, where the power and resources of the cooling system are significantly less than in system units.

  3. Consider replacing outdated components. First of all, pay attention to the RAM - if the motherboard supports expansion, be sure to add 1-2 GB to start (for modern office computers, the optimal amount of RAM will be 4-6 GB, for gaming 8-12 and above). On personal computers, you can also easily replace the processor, install a new cooling system, and replace old wires with new, better ones. If the motherboard does not support the installation of new components, it can also be replaced.
  4. If you want maximum system responsiveness, install it on an SSD. The speed of writing and reading will increase enormously compared to even modern hard drives. Yes, they are more expensive, but the lightning-fast loading of the computer and the consistently high speed of operation are worth it. Installing a solid-state drive is supported by both system units and laptops; there are plenty of options for installation.

Expanding the amount of RAM, replacing the processor and upgrading the cooling system is the most effective way to speed up your computer literally significantly.

Method 2: Removing irrelevant programs

But what about those users who cannot update their PC components or have modern hardware, but the operating system still does not work as it should? This means that you should also take care of the software component of the device. The first step is to free your computer from rarely used and long-forgotten programs.

It is not enough to simply remove the software; an important part of this action will be the elimination of remaining traces, which the standard operating system tool cannot cope with at all. Therefore, it is advisable to use third-party software that expands the functionality of the program and component removal module built into the system. The best choice for a home user would be to use the free version of Revo Uninstaller. Our articles will help you fully understand the purpose and capabilities of the program, configure it and carry out high-quality removal of the software with all traces.

Method 3: Cleaning the Registry

After uninstalling programs, a large number of empty or incorrect keys could still remain in the system registry. Their processing slows down the system, so these keys need to be deleted. The main thing is not to remove unnecessary things. For users who want to fix the most serious problems in the registry, there is no need to use heavy professional harvesters. To do this, we will use a free and lightweight program installed on almost every user - CCleaner.

But this is not the only program with this feature. Below are links to materials that the user needs to study to properly clean the registry of debris without harming the system.

Method 4: Editing Startup

Startup is a section of the system that contains information about programs that start automatically when the computer is turned on. The more programs there are in startup, the slower the computer turns on and the more loaded it is from the start. The fastest way to speed up work in this direction is to remove unnecessary programs from startup.

For cleaning, it is advisable to use one of the most advanced tools in this area - the program Autoruns. It is completely free, has an interface that is understandable even to a novice user, despite the fact that it is written entirely in English. It provides access to absolutely all programs and components that launch automatically, which, with careful study, will allow you to adjust autorun as ergonomically as possible to suit your needs. In addition, there is a standard method, without the use of third-party programs, it is also described in the article below.

Method 5: Removing junk from the system disk

Freeing up space on the most important partition occurs by deleting outdated and redundant temporary files that accumulate during operation. This includes any irrelevant data - browser cache and cookies, temporary installer files, system log files, etc., which takes up a huge amount of space and requires physical resources for useless processing and storage.

Thorough cleaning of unnecessary files is described in the article below. Check this setting regularly to keep the data on your computer up to date.

Method 6: Checking disks for bad sectors

The most frequently used part of a computer is the hard drive. From year to year it wears out more and more, damaged areas form in it, which greatly affect performance and slow down the overall speed of the system. Our articles will help you learn about bad sectors on a disk and how to get rid of them.

Typical question from a user...

Hello.

One game on my computer is slow (Diablo III). I tried a bunch of things, but nothing helps...

The computer exceeds the minimum game specifications stated by the manufacturer several times. I reduced the graphics and performance settings in the game to a minimum - I got ~10 FPS...

Tell me why the game can slow down even on a relatively powerful PC?

Good afternoon everyone!

There is probably not a single PC user who does not play computer games! And most of them encountered brakes, lags, delays, and other incidents. So the question presented in the article is a very popular one (perhaps only the name of the game is changing).

In this article, I will look at the main reasons why games slow down and give tips on how to eliminate and fix them. By the way, I don’t claim to be the ultimate truth 😉.

And so, now closer to the topic...

IMPORTANT!

First of all, pay attention to the system requirements of the specific game that is slowing you down. If its minimum requirements (and there are also recommended ones) your computer/laptop is not satisfactory - then the reason for the brakes is obvious (that’s why I won’t dwell on system requirements in this article). True, in this case, something can be done to speed up the game (more on that below).

Eliminate lags and slowdowns in games

I will structure the article in the form of questions, to each of which I will give an answer. By going through them and checking your PC, optimizing it, you will in any case get some (at least small) performance gain.

❶ What programs are loaded on the processor, hard drive, RAM and network?

The very first thing I want to start with is checking what your processor, hard drive, and RAM are loaded with. The fact is that even on a powerful computer, brakes can appear if, in addition to the game itself, another dozen or two different programs are running on it (not to mention various conflicts).

The easiest way to find out about their loading is to use task manager . To open it, press the buttons Ctrl+Shift+Esc(or Ctrl+Alt+Del). By the way, it is highly advisable to first open the task manager, then launch the game, and when it starts to slow down, minimize it and see where the main load is going.

Note: to minimize the game, press the Alt+Tab button combination, or the Win button.

In the task manager, first pay attention to what is most loaded: CPU, memory, disk or network. In my case - the CPU was loaded (approx. : the processor, by the way, is usually loaded more often than memory or disk) .

Please note in the screenshot below - the CPU is not loaded with the Civilization IV game, but with Explorer (with five tabs open and several operations open). No wonder the computer started to slow down when starting the game...

After the work in Explorer was completed (and it was restarted), the game began to function normally, not a single lag or freeze. Here is the recipe for recovery 👍...

In addition, pay attention to HDD : often torrents (so popular lately) can put a heavy load on it.

Note: Many programs that you have already closed may remain in memory and load your PC. That is why, in cases where problems occur in games, it is advisable to always check in the task manager to see if there is any extraneous process that is heavily loading the PC.

Therefore, to summarize, I will say the following: first of all, check to see if there are any third-party programs running that are taking up the lion’s share of PC resources instead of the desired game. Having made sure that the load is created directly by the game itself, you can move on...

To help!

How to increase CPU performance through power settings (core parking, how to enable all CPU cores ✔) -

❷ Do you know about problematic graphics in some games: fire, water, shadows, etc.?

Very often the reason for the brakes lies in the game itself, for example, often the developers did not optimize the graphics, say, for a certain line of video cards. As a result, for most users everything works as it should, but for some users the game is simply unrecognizable: everything lags, slows down, the picture twitches and is distorted.

It’s quite difficult to name for each game where and what problems it has (they can tell you much more about this on some forum dedicated to a specific game).

As for Diablo III (and some other games) - in the first releases the game had a problem with NVIDIA video cards due to the parameter enabled in the driver settings AMBIENT OCLUSION (Background lighting shading). When I turned it off in the graphics settings, the game started to fly!

Pay attention to these elements like: fire, water, shadows, fog, dust, etc. If there is an option in the game to disable them (or reduce their detail) - try it! In some cases, games begin to behave completely differently.

❸ Have you used any utilities to speed up games?

No matter what anyone says about “magic buttons”, that they don’t exist, etc. - there are still utilities that can speed up your computer in a few steps, and as a result, reduce the number of errors and lags in games.

I won’t talk about them in detail here, as it will require quite a lot of space and time (especially since there is already such an article on the blog).

❹ Are your video drivers updated? Is there any conflict, are they optimal?

Video drivers have a very serious and significant impact on gaming performance.

For some video cards, choosing the optimal driver is not always easy: the newest driver may not be optimized, it may have errors, and it may not work correctly with some types of textures (but, as a rule, in new drivers, on the contrary, the number of errors tends to a minimum).

I'll give you one piece of advice: try downloading several versions of drivers for your video card. Then install one by one and check how the game works with one or another. Perhaps by installing another driver the error will disappear...

Updating drivers in Windows 10 - review of the 5 best programs (in Russian) -

How to update the driver for an AMD, nVidia and Intel HD video card: from A to Z -

In addition, I also recommend going to device Manager and check whether there is a driver conflict, whether drivers have been found and installed for all equipment (if there are any yellow exclamation marks. An example of what a problematic driver looks like in the device manager is).

To open device Manager : Press a combination of buttons Win+R and enter devmgmt.msc(example below).

Pay attention to the tabs "Video adapters" And "Unknown devices" - are there any devices with yellow exclamation marks (or simply unknown devices ).

If there are any, you need to find drivers for them and install them. Then restart your PC and check how gaming performance changes.

To help!

How to find and install a driver for an unknown device -

❺ Are your video drivers set for maximum performance?

I think it’s no secret that video driver settings greatly influence game performance. Sometimes, by changing some parameters, you can increase the game by 1.5 (or more) times!

How to speed up an AMD (Radeon) video card -

How to improve NVIDIA graphics card performance in games -

How to speed up an IntelHD video card, increase performance by at least 10-15% -

❻ Does the game have low graphics settings: resolution, details, shadows, etc.?

In addition to the video card settings, there are also settings for the game itself. By the way, their influence is no less than the video card settings (and maybe more!).

Absolutely every game (99.9%) has graphics settings. When you enter them, pay attention (first of all) to the following things:

  1. screen resolution: has a strong impact on the quality of the picture in the game, and on the loading of your video card. By lowering the resolution a little, you can significantly increase the performance of your PC in the game. By the way, I’ll add on my own behalf that in many games the decrease in resolution will be barely noticeable, while the performance will increase significantly! So, you always need to find a balance;
  2. quality of graphics, visualization, video: also has a strong impact on performance. If the game is lagging, try lowering the settings from high to medium (or even low);
  3. landscape detail, shadows, fog, etc.: remove, or completely disable, if this is provided by the game;
  4. vertical sync: Try enabling/disabling. Sometimes it gives a significant increase in FPS.

What to look for when setting up game graphics // using Civilization IV as an example

❼ Does the built-in video card switch to discrete when launching games?

This question concerns computers/laptops with two video cards: built-in and discrete. The fact is that when running games, the computer must use a discrete video card for maximum performance.

But this does not always happen; often the device does not switch the video card, and you play on the built-in one. Then, even if you have a powerful gaming laptop, you may well experience lags in relatively old games!

I already have an article on my blog dedicated to this problem. I recommend checking it out.

How to run a game on a discrete video card. How to check which video card the game is running on // using NVIDIA as an example -

Game mode in Windows 10: increasing your computer's performance in games -

❽ Have you checked the temperature of the components to see if they are overheating?

Crashes and slowdowns in games may be due to overheating. The fact is that games are quite demanding programs that significantly load both the processor, the video card, and sometimes the hard drive (with intensive data loading).

Particular attention should be paid to temperature in the following cases:

  • strong hum of fans/coolers;
  • when the PC is unstable: reboots, brakes, freezes;
  • warm body (noticeable in laptops/netbooks);
  • frequent critical errors, etc.

Usually, you have to think about temperature in warm summers, when the temperature in the room rises significantly and it actually becomes hot (not only for a person, but also for a computer 😊).

To find out and monitor the temperature of the main components (CPU, video card, hard drive), I recommend using one of the utilities:.

For example, in the screenshot below I have a utility Speccy.

In general, it is difficult to say what temperature is critical (a lot depends on the specific iron). But in general, in general, if we highlight:

  1. processor: pay attention to the temperature if it exceeds 60 °C in games ();
  2. hard drive: normal hard drive temperature is considered to be in the range of 25÷43°C. If yours is higher, I recommend that you seriously worry, since leaving this zone can seriously affect the durability of your disk ();
  3. video card: in general, some models of video cards (for example, NVIDIA) can withstand temperatures up to 100°C (but I personally cannot call this a normal situation). When the temperature in games is above 80÷85°C, I recommend reading the recommended temperature ranges of your video card manufacturer ().

To help!

The laptop is heating up: what to do? Temperature is always high: 85°C+ -

Important!

One of the main “enemies” of computer hardware is dust. It penetrates absolutely everywhere, over time clogs the cooling system, which leads to an increase in temperature. And this, in turn, can affect the speed of the PC, as well as its service life.

To help!

Cleaning your computer from dust: monitor, system unit, keyboard -

❾ Is Windows optimized for maximum speed?

It's no secret that an optimized Windows OS can work significantly faster than one that no one has worked on. Moreover, all this can also affect PC performance in games (and the number of FPS).

Just imagine: unnecessary services and programs that you never use are for some reason loaded into memory, executed, etc. All this requires spending PC resources.

Not to mention the fact that over time, a large amount of garbage accumulates in the system: temporary files, folders, erroneous registry entries, non-working shortcuts, etc. All this needs to be cleaned and put away, and then Windows will be much more responsive, there will be fewer errors, and better performance!

Optimizing Windows 10 // to speed up your computer - (also relevant for Windows 7, 8)

❿ What power supply circuit is used for the PC? Is the power saving mode enabled?

This point applies more to laptops. The fact is that in Windows there is a power supply section where operating modes are set. There are several options among the modes: economical, optimal (or balanced), and high-performance.

By default, most often, either optimal or economical is used. The latter can generally have a very significant effect on the performance of the laptop (and not only in games).

To open the settings and select the power plan, go to Windows at: .

High performance // Power supply

If you have a laptop with Windows 10 OS, please also note that you can increase performance using the battery icon in the tray.

Also, when it comes to laptops, some manufacturers equip their devices with special software. Among this software there are modules responsible for powering the laptop: for example, some devices from LENOVO have energy saving modes.

By the way, in some cases Turbo Boost may be disabled due to power settings (resulting in the processor operating far beyond its capabilities). You can find out how to check this point and use Turbo Boost from my previous article, the link to which is given below.

To help!

What causes the low performance of the Intel processor on a laptop. How can you speed it up (about Turbo Boost) -

I-❶ Do you have 2 hard drives? Is one of them disconnected?

If the game works and works, and then after a certain time it freezes for 0.5-1 seconds, and then works again, then this behavior is similar to turning off the hard drive. Those. Windows turned off the hard drive, and when it needed data from it and the game wanted to get it, it turned on again, and this was the time it took to get it back into operation (at the same time, if you listen closely, you can hear the disk starting to work (make noise)).

The conclusion suggests itself - you need to prohibit the hard drive from turning off during operation. By the way, this often happens when you have 2 or more hard drives in your system. Some of them are disabled when inactive.

To prevent this, Windows at: Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options . Next open the link "Setting up the power plan" in the active circuit (example below)!

Next, expand the section "HDD" and put "0" in the tab "disable hard drive via" . This means that the hard drive will never turn off (which is what you want). Save your settings and try returning to the game. Will this characteristic lag disappear?

never disconnect the hard drive // ​​Windows 10

I-❷ Is your antivirus/firewall enabled, have you tried without it?

And the last thing I wanted to dwell on in this article is viruses and antiviruses (and other security software). In some cases, antiviruses/firewalls can significantly affect performance; for example, they may be scheduled to scan your computer for viruses while you are sitting down to play. Often, in this case, the game starts to slow down.

I'll be brief here:


This is where I end the article.

ZAny additions on the topic would be greatly appreciated.

This article contains practical tips from personal experience that will help the average user clean and configure their computer so that it runs faster. Maybe not exponentially faster (and don’t believe programs that promise multiple increases), but it will become noticeably more responsive. The tips are aimed at users who do not have particularly deep knowledge of working with a computer (or laptop - the principles are the same).

Often you have to deal with the same type of tasks to speed up your computer. Usually this has to be done for clients with a seemingly powerful machine, with a fresh Core i3-i5 processor and 4-8 GB of RAM on board. Both are decent configurations. But such a computer does not work fast at all. Typical examples:

  • Windows startup takes about a few minutes;
  • “brakes” are visually noticeable when communicating with folders and menus;
  • launching programs and browsers is very leisurely;
  • Word takes half a minute to open.

All this is somewhat strange for the specified computer power. Such slowdowns are corrected quickly. The main thing is to know where to dig. So I’ll tell you exactly where...

This article describes common problems, if you eliminate them, Windows will begin to “fly” in a good sense and delight you as before - as if only when you purchased/assembled it. The instructions are intended for the average user. Each point below can be covered in a separate article, but, as a rule, such a detailed in-depth is not necessary for the computer to work faster.

So, let's look at the common reasons why a computer starts to slow down, in order.

Problem 1. Overheating of the laptop (laptop), computer

Usually your pet starts to get too warm after a couple of years of use. This can happen for several reasons: the cooling system is not functioning well due to dust, or the thermal paste on the processor has dried out. As a result, the processor overheats and in complex tasks its performance decreases. The CPU “skips” some calculations and runs idle to cool itself.

How to get rid of overheating of the processor on your computer?

Cleaning from dust. Instructions for dummies

You need to remove the computer cover and check for dust on the heatsink in the center of the board (CPU heatsink). If there is one, then it needs to be blown out. It is advisable to blow with a thin and powerful stream of air; you can get this from a vacuum cleaner. However, you can use a vacuum cleaner to suction, but this is less effective... Before the procedure, clean the dust collector of the vacuum cleaner so that it blows more powerfully.

Instead of a vacuum cleaner, you can use a rubber bulb. And not all vacuum cleaners have a blowing mode. Go to the pharmacy and buy an enema bulb.

You can also use an ordinary hair dryer with a narrow nozzle.

Important! Be careful not to get carried away and damage anything on the board during the blowing or suction process!

Replacing thermal paste

If the computer has been running without changing the processor for more than a couple of years, then the thermal paste needs to be replaced. This is a viscous “gasket” between the processor cover and the heatsink. The purpose of thermal paste is to effectively transfer processor heat to the radiator cooler.

To do this, you need to have thermal paste available or purchase one. It is best to take ALSIL-3, TITAN-silver, or the cheapest one from ebay - HY510. The price is 3-4 dollars per syringe with a capacity of 3-5 grams. This amount is enough lubricants for 5, no less. At the same time, you can replace the thermal paste on the video card, although this procedure is somewhat more complicated than with the processor.

Although there is advice on the Internet on the topic “don’t buy KPT-8 - it was good before,” this is not entirely true. Its cost is around 110-140 rubles per syringe. It is, of course, worse than more modern analogs, but the difference is expressed in 2-4 degrees Celsius (and, perhaps, in fragility - it will last for a year or two, and then you will have to lubricate it again).

Next, you need to remove the heatsink from the central processor, wipe off the old thermal paste from it (with regular cotton wool), apply new one and install the heatsink back. There is no need to remove the processor itself. Watch the video to see how this is done:

How to get rid of overheating processor on a laptop?

Dust removal

With laptops, everything is a little more complicated, because to fully clean it you need to open it (disassemble it). One example of how to do this is in the video below.

And the following instructions are for housewives, but it’s worth noting that it works, albeit not in 100% of cases:

  1. We turn off the laptop and open it (or don’t close it).
  2. We find a hole for ventilation. As a rule, it is located on the left side.
  3. We draw more air into your lungs and blow into it very sharply. Yes, yes, we blow with our mouths! You can also blow with a vacuum cleaner, wearing a blowing attachment (it narrows the air flow and makes it stronger)
  4. If dust starts to fly out, then do everything correctly and blow until you get tired - you need to blow it properly. If there is no dust, then either the laptop is clean, or you need to blow into another hole.

Opening the laptop: cleaning dust and replacing thermal paste

Each laptop opens differently, but there are still some things in common. Every laptop is designed to be easy to clean. Therefore, it has a cover that is easy to remove (by unscrewing a few screws) and after removal you will have access to the fan (cooler) and the processor.

Those. To clean the laptop and change the thermal paste, you need to remove the cover and clean everything. For an example of how this is done, see the video below. For other laptop models, everything is done similarly.

Thermal paste

The laptop needs better thermal paste. I would recommend Ice Therm-2, Arctic Cooling MX-4, Arctic Cooling MX-3, Arctic Cooling MX-2. KPT-8? It is outdated, but more or less works. It’s far from the best option, but in the absence of anything more interesting at hand, she can handle it.

Problem 2. The operating system is clogged

What exactly is the problem? When using a computer every day, a lot of our actions are saved on the disk, in system files, etc. For example, we visited a website, pictures, and cookie data from this website were saved in temporary files. The same can be said, for example, about Word or many other programs - they all save something somewhere, for a while. Has your favorite program been updated? Hundreds of files were erased and written back from the disk - and not all of them correctly. Errors and clogs accumulate, just like in a regular drain pipe. And so, after several years of using the computer, such temporary storages become full (or there are a lot of errors), and it becomes difficult for the system to work - hence the slowdowns.

Cleaning the operating system

  1. Agnitum, Russia
  2. Avast Software, Czech Republic
  3. AVG Technologies, Czech Republic
  4. Avira, Germany
  5. BitDefender, Romania
  6. Doctor Web, Russia
  7. Emsisoft, Austria
  8. Eset, Slovakia
  9. F-Secure, Finland
  10. Kaspersky Lab, Russia
  11. McAfee, USA
  12. Microsoft, USA
  13. Panda Security, Spain
  14. Check Point, Israel
  15. Comodo, USA
  1. Avast Free Antivirus - free
  2. 360 Total Security - Free
  3. Panda Antivirus Pro - paid
  4. AVG Anti-Virus Free - free
  5. ESET NOD32 Smart Security - paid
  6. up

    Problem 6: Manufacturer's Software

    This item is most relevant for laptops Samsung, Asus, Acer, Lenovo.

    There are programs on the computer that were installed not by you, but by the manufacturer or by the person who installed the OS (operating system). Sometimes there are a lot of such programs and very often they are not needed! But they start during system startup and always work, which slows down the computer. We are talking about all sorts of things: YAC, regoptimizer, Amigo, etc.

    Problem 7: Hard drive problems

    This topic is quite extensive and deserves a separate article, but here we will talk about it very briefly.

    The problems here are divided into 2 types:

    Just problems

    Such problems are usually not accompanied by the symptoms described below when the disk "dies". But at the same time, you notice slowdowns when opening folders, and the system may freeze frequently. This is not always a symptom of a fatal disk failure, and it can sometimes be treated.

    Such problems are usually solved like this:

    • Go to “My Computer” and hover your mouse over drive C:
    • Right-click > Properties > Tools > Run scan.
    • Wait until the computer reboots and during the reboot process it checks the disk for errors. Errors will be corrected automatically. This process is not fast and takes from 0.5 to 5 hours.

    The hard drive is dying

    This point refers to that sad moment when your hard drive (hard drive) has malfunctioned and is gradually dying. Something can be done, but it is most likely temporary and not reliable. The best and probably the only recipe in this case is to copy the data to a working disk and replace the non-working one.

    Symptoms of a serious disk failure when it needs to be replaced:

    1. Periodic “complete freeze” of the system, it is also called “dead freeze”. This is when the system just freezes and absolutely nothing works: neither “Ctrl+Shift+Esc”, nor “Ctrl+Alt+Del”. The most reliable way to check whether the system has really fallen asleep is to press the “Caps Lock” key and look at the lights on the keyboard; if none of them react, then this is “completely over” and the only help here is the “Reset” button on the system unit , which will forcefully reboot the system.
    2. Clicks, loud noises, squeaks, buzzing, ringing"harda". When the hard drive is working properly, it may make a little noise, but not buzz or creak at all.
    3. Severe overheating of the disk. In normal condition, the hard drive should be slightly warm or warm if you copy something from it, but not hot. If the case is hot, then this is serious and the hard drive is most likely faulty. The problem can be solved by installing additional cooling (fan). But all this is temporary, because overheating is a clear sign of a serious malfunction somewhere inside the disk.

    IMPORTANT! If you observe the symptoms described above, then urgently copy all files to a working hard drive, because you can lose data at any second.

    IMPORTANT! Do not try to open and repair the hard drive - this is simply a useless exercise, because in 99% of cases nothing can be done there, especially without special equipment and special conditions.

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