With the new working from home movement, it’s important to have a PC that is up to speed; we’ve all experienced the frustration of a typing lag, delay opening a program, or a spinning wheel indicating that our system is taking time to think about what we’ve just asked it to do. Issues such as these can cause even the calmest of people to shout at the screen or consider quitting work with immediate effect. Instead of sitting back and putting up with it (or throwing it out of the window), read on for a few pointers.
Let’s Start
Quite often it can be convenience that is slowing down your PC. The convenience of having your most-used apps open upon start-up can actually be your worst enemy. Check your settings for start-up items and bin those that are non-essential; you are wasting memory and CPU on apps that are essentially running just in case you need them.
Bring it to Task
Task Manager is an underused tool that should be your best friend. It tells you what’s using the most memory, what’s taxing the CPU, and how much network data a program is using. For the most comprehensive information, open up the More Details tab. Keep your eye on programs that have high memory or CPU use, or that keep going to the top of the list then disappearing. Close these processes and check to see if this improves your computer’s speed.
Stop Browsing
Close down your non-essential browser tabs. It’s easy to lose track once you get past a handful, and some use a significant amount of energy just by sitting there.
Go Viral
Not literally. But do check your anti-virus software isn’t running tasks in the background as this can use precious power. Schedule its tasks for when you are not using your PC.
Un-sync
Check to see if you have apps auto-syncing, and schedule or manually undertake the syncs.
Turn it Off and On Again
Yes, we just suggested turning it off and on again. There’s a reason that it’s a common suggestion; quite often your computer will need a full reboot to iron out any issues. This is especially important if you tend to keep your computer in an ‘on’ state throughout the day.