As your laptop gets older, you may notice it starting to drag, even while surfing the internet for simple webpages. Unfortunately, people don’t always have enough cash on hand to buy a new laptop computer every time theirs becomes a little sluggish.
However, with trade-in services such as Gadget Salvation, even people without enough funds to buy a new computer can trade-in their old laptop for cash to use on another laptop purchase. This makes upgrading to a better laptop much easier, as trading it in offsets the cost of a new computer.
Simply sell a laptop in “as is” condition, and let the professionals repair, refurbish, and resell your computer. In the meantime, take that cash and buy a new computer that better suits your needs.
Who knows, you may even have enough cash to buy some of the year’s hottest laptop accessories.
That said, if you don’t want to trade-in your laptop, there are things you can do right now to speed it up.
1. Out With the Old
One of the best ways to improve your laptop’s performance is to uninstall unused programs that are taking up space and running in the background, despite not being used by you. In fact, there may be programs on your computer you never even knew existed.
Look at your laptop’s installed software list. From there, uninstall anything you are not using, while taking care not to rid your computer of its necessary components.
If you need help deciding which programs to keep, and which ones to delete, try a free, third-party service such as PC Descrapifier to help you along the way.
2. Delete Temporary Files
Temporary files have a tendency to accumulate on your laptop’s hard disk and bog it down.
That said, you can clear these files by getting rid of your internet history and cookies. This will result in more hard disk availability and faster loading speeds.
Just make sure once you delete these files, that you empty the Recycle Bin on your desktop as well. This is because if left in the Recycle Bin, these temporary files have simply moved from one location to another, and you have not really “deleted” them.
3. Make More Room
There are several ways to make more room on your computer so it can load quicker:
- Solid State Drive. Install a solid state drive on your computer to take some of the load off your laptop’s hard drive (which is the root cause of slow computers).
- More Hard Drive Storage. Even with regular cleaning of your website’s unused and temporary files, your laptop’s hard drive is likely to fill up quickly. Install more hard drive storage on your computer to make more room for everything you need.
- RAM. RAM is the temporary storage center for programs you are currently using on your computer. The more programs you run at once, the less RAM you have, and the slower your laptop will run. Add more RAM and watch your laptop speed up significantly.
In the end, there are several ways you can make more room on your computer and speed up the slowdowns you are experiencing.
4. Get a Static IP Address
Rather than wait for your laptop to gather an IP address from the network each time you start your computer, get a static one that your computer immediately recognizes every time.
This not only makes startup easier, it makes managing the network easier, especially if you use more than one device on a single network.
5. Literally Clean Your Laptop
Dust can be your laptop’s biggest enemy when it comes to loading speeds. By simply disabling all of the cables, turning off your laptop (and letting it cool for 30 minutes), and opening up the laptop’s exterior, you can gently vacuum the dust out and hope for some speed increases after the fact.
In the end, you may not want to turn in your old, trusted laptop for something shiny and new. Luckily, there are many things that you can do to speed up your laptop, without having to toss it out and buy a brand new one.
In fact, some of these easy troubleshooting tips will save you a ton of money in the long run. Simply give your laptop a little TLC and watch its sluggish pace speed up. You will never know your laptop is old and used, as it will run like it’s brand new.
