My Laptop / computer or mobile device has slowed down – what can I do?

Find your laptop/computer or mobile device has slowed down?

Many devices slow down due to “bloatware”, “Overloading”/Cluttering and “Virus/Malware”. To put them in perspective, we will go down each route.

Bloatware

Bloatware is generally the “Useless” programs that get installed directly from the manufacture/warehouse or bundled within other programs. With all these extra programs and data that is not required, takes up unnecessary space and power, therefore slowing your device down.

Your best course of action, would be to remove/uninstall any programs you do not need, clearing out all this space will give the device, space to breath and have “spare” power to run day to day task plus any more strenuous tasks you throw at it.

Overloading/Cluttering

Very similar to the perspective of Bloatware, Overloading/Cluttering is where you load lots of programs or storing lots of data on to the device and once finished don’t remove/uninstall them and continue to add new ones, taking up more and more space and power causing it to overload/clutter. Another way to overload is by installing programs that are too strenuous for the device, for example using a budget device and trying to carry out powerful tasks, like using 3d rendering or installing games that are well over-spec’ed for the device.

Many users don’t know but filling a hard-drive full can cause numerous faults, from “blue screens of death” to “hanging”. This can be easily rectified by remove unwanted files or moving them to an external source, like Dropbox or a USB Hard-drive (if this is done, make sure you take a backup elsewhere as well). Uninstalling programs you no longer use are a crucial way of prolonging the productivity of the device.

Virus/Malware

Another big culprit of poor device performance is the dreaded Virus or Malware infection, where your device gets infected with malicious software. The malicious software tend to take up useful resources and/or spread files taking up space causing loss of storage space, to create similar affects to cluttering. If you suspect a virus or any malware, first thing to do is to disconnect from the network/internet and install an antivirus and anti-malware software. This could be Norton Anti-virus and Malwarebytes but there is plenty to choose from, just make sure you get your software from a reputable supplier and to not install just “any old” anti-virus or malware scanner, as some malicious software have been disguised as an anti-virus to make you think it is okay.

Conclusion

The best way to keep your device running prim and proper, is to make sure you have a good anti-virus and anti-malware program, and make sure you do a monthly check where you uninstall all unwanted programs, and remove or move any no longer needed files.

Final #toptip  – A good place to remember is the “downloads” folder on many devices, holds many unnecessary files that can also be downloaded again from the internet. So always a good place to look as you can generally delete all the files from here and save yourself a lot of space and resources.