Speeding Up Slow Running PCs

As an IT support company, we occasionally hear about slow running PCs with Windows 10. You already checked for viruses…none there…and aside from running like molasses, everything seems to be fine. Could be that your PC just has too much clutter. Clutter jams up the memory and can restrict performance to the point where everything just gets frustratingly slow. We’ve identified 5 kinds of “clutter” that can be doing this, along with ways to clean it all up.

Five kinds of clutter and how to clean them up.

The first thing you will probably notice in this post about slow running PCs is that the fix for items #1 and #5 is to Refresh Windows. For items #2, #3 and #4, it’s to Reset Windows. In Windows 8, there were two different buttons to click on and you had to decide whether to Reset or Refresh, the major difference being whether or not you would go all the way back to factory settings, deleting your apps and files, or save them. Windows 10 gives you a single Reset button, which options as you proceed so you can make choices that best suit your needs. As an IT support provider, we’ve included the terms REFRESH or RESET after each type of clutter to help you determine which track you should be following.

1: Pre-installed software. This is the stuff we refer to as “bloatware” or even “crapware”. These are the apps that software manufacturers pay the PC manufacturer to load into the computer. It’s advertising. It presents some security risks, but most importantly, it takes up RAM and disk space and uses up CPU capabilities. REFRESH

2: Windows Updates. Now, we are not telling you to not install Windows updates. These can be important. The problem comes because sometimes these updates do not download correctly and you can end up with corrupted and unusable files. Windows will remove some of them on its own, but some will remain there unless removed. RESET

3: Bloated Registry Files. Every time you do something in Windows, it gets recorded in the PC’s registry. This includes files and apps you have deleted, and sooner or later everything gets slowed down with all these repetitive and unneeded entries. RESET

4: Error Files. Windows also keeps a complete log of processing errors and crashes and these, too, accumulate over time. Unless you are having consistent recurring errors, there is really no point in keeping these. RESET

5: User Created Bloat. How many old files are you keeping that you don’t need anymore, including those that aren’t properly organized? REFRESH

Decluttering Windows

As you see, you have two choices: Reset or Refresh. When Resetting, a new, clean copy of Windows 10 is installed returning your PC to the original factory state. When you Refresh, your PC reinstalls Windows 10 free of any bloatware.

IMPORTANT: Both tracks will delete your Windows 10 apps and your personalized settings, so think about what you want to backup and what you want to keep notes on. Both tracks will give the option of keeping or deleting old files, so again think about backups. FYI, we ALWAYS suggest full backups before performing functions like this.

If you would like to read an article about slow running PCs with detailed instructions on fixing them: http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2871133/reset-refresh-windows.html

or

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2477704,00.asp

Need a little more help? Your Atlanta managed IT support provider should be able to help…or give us a call.