What Are The Best Ways To Improve The Speed Of An Old Laptop?

If you have an old laptop that still works but is slow to retrieve data and open programs, you can improve the speed of your laptop following these tips. Doing this can extend the lifespan of your laptop and keep it functional for several more years.

RAM Upgrade

If your laptop is like a desk, the RAM is the work surface. The bigger the surface of the desk, the more tasks you can work on at once. If you don't have enough RAM--if your desk surface is too small--your laptop will work more slowly because it won't be able to complete more than one or two tasks simultaneously. Upgrading your RAM is like expanding the size of your desk and increasing the number of tasks that your computer can handle at one time.

Change from an HDD to an SDD

HDD stands for "hard disk drive." A hard disk drive was the standard for many years and is very likely what's being used in your laptop right now. Hard disk drives are a little like very powerful CDs. The data is stored on a spinning, magnetized plate. Information is retrieved from the HDD by a control arm that reads and writes data. Although hard disk drives are powerful, they're also limited in the speed with which they can operate because they rely on moving parts. SDD, which stands for "solid disk drive" is a relatively new type of hard drive that relies on no moving parts. If you're hoping to upgrade your laptop to a faster hard drive, install an SDD.

Upgrade the OS

Your old operating system may have been acceptable when you first bought your laptop, but if you failed to upgrade your OS when updates were available, you effectively disadvantaged your computer. If your laptop is using an old operating system to operate newer software, this can be technically challenging for your computer. Upgrading your operating system if it's out of date can help your computer run more efficiently.

Clean Out Your Hard Drive

Over time, your laptop may have accumulated hundreds of programs and bits of information that it's no longer using. This data can clutter your hard drive and make data retrieval more complicated. There are many different programs designed to clean up hard drives and remove unneeded information. Running software designed to clean up your software can help your laptop run more quickly.

If you're not a software and hardware specialist, improving the speed of your laptop computer may be too challenging to accomplish on your own. If this is the case, contact a reputable laptop repair shop for a quote.