A Windows computer gets slower and slower over time, especially when compared to the speed it had on first boot or after a format. There are many different theories as to why this happens, some right, some wrong and it is worth looking into them to avoid making mistakes and to avoid looking for useless (often harmful) tricks or spending money unnecessarily.To have the fastest PC it is necessary to proceed with the right maintenance and that a real gear change can only be obtained by changing parts of the computer, adding RAM and / or replacing the internal disk, but there are also some quick and simple tricks that allow to improve the performance of a computer. In this article we see, therefore, all methods to make a Windows computer faster, referring to other posts on the same topic for all further information.
How to get a faster computer
By following each chapter of the guide we will be able to speed up our computer with Windows 10 to the maximum, without having to install third-party programs dedicated to cleaning the most used operating system in the world.
Remove auto start programs
When you allow a program to start with Windows automatically, your PC will start up slower. First of all, so it is necessary disable automatic start programs, since many programs are not needed, they always remain in the background and slow down considerably the start (as also visible in the dedicated screen).
For example, it can disable Skype startup, so you can only run it when you really want to use it. obviously we must avoid disabling the start of useful programs such as antivirus, which protects the computer at all times.
Activate quick start
Windows 10 we find a function called Quick start which can greatly speed up the startup of your computer, in particular if we have SSD disk or M.2 disk as the main storage drive. It is therefore always advisable to activate it and try to restart or shut down the computer, so that you can try it again at the next start.
Get faster menus
As seen in another guide we can apply a simple trick that allows you to make Windows lighter and menus faster to open up.
Even if it is only a small cosmetic change, we will be able to benefit from faster menus and a more effective scrolling between windows of the File Explorer, especially on computers with little power and little RAM.
Erasing large files from the disk
In most cases, deleting large files on the disc (videos, music or photos) will not make your PC run faster. However, we must not underestimate the use that the system makes of the disk: if it fills almost to the maximum of its capacity, the computer will slow down the performance and become almost impossible to use!
The most natural solution for avoid filling the disc, you buy a new one and add it inside your computer (if possible). Alternatively we can always delete the largest files that we can try and, in case we do not know where to look for them, we can get help from a free program like WinDirStat.
Deletion of unnecessary and junk files
On Windows 10 we can keep the disk capacity under control and delete unnecessary files automatically using the functionality Memory sensor. To activate it, open the app Settings, let's take the path System -> Storage and activate the switch at the top.
Pressing on the item Configure Storage Sense or run it now we will be able to configure the sensor to run it periodically, we can choose later when to empty the trash and to empty the folder Download for files that have not been opened for more than a few days; obviously you can't miss the button to start cleaning immediately, so you can always delete unnecessary files.
Alternatively we can clean the Windows PC by reading our guide Complete disk cleanup on Windows of unnecessary files.
Main disk maintenance
In the past it was necessary defragment your hard drive at regular intervals in order to keep the system fast, since fragmented files significantly slowed the mechanical disk in reading and writing.
If we have mechanical disks the defragmentation must still be performed, while if we have an SSD and one of the new ones M.2 NVMe memories it is no longer necessary to defragment but we will still have to clean up the unused cells with a procedure called TRIM.
To do disk maintenance (whatever their nature) we open the Start menu, look for the app Defragment and optimize drives, then click on Analyze is Optimize / Defragment for all disks displayed in the interface. If we want the disk maintenance to be performed automatically, press down on Change settings and we plan a weekly maintenance activity, trying to choose a day and a time slot in which the PC is definitely on.
To learn more, we recommend reading our guide Keep PC SSD fast; options to change in Windows 10 and 7.
Enable GPU Scheduling
On the latest versions of Windows 10 it is also possible to speed up a computer with a dedicated video card by activating the new one GPU planning, which will allow to send to the GPU a large part of the load that is normally carried out only by the processor, so as to obtain a slight increase in performance.
To learn more and to find out how to activate it, we refer you to reading our guide GPU planning in Windows 10, how to activate it and what it means.
Lighten context menus
The context menu that appears every time you press the right mouse button on a file, folder or empty space, contains several options that become more and more numerous each time you install new programs. This menu should be kept as light as possible otherwise it takes longer to load and slows down the overall performance of the computer.
We have seen, in another article, how disable unnecessary options in the right click menu on Windows.
Check for virus and malware
When a computer is hit by a virus or complex malware it can become slower, but more often than not it hides without giving any symptoms of infection. Modern malware is specifically designed to go unnoticed so it avoids slowing down your PC.
Check the health of your machine however, it is something to do always, even every day, by scanning with the antivirus (also Windows Defender okay, just keep it updated). Whatever the antivirus used, the advice is still to do a scan with Malwarebytes, which allows you to scan every area of the system for free for hidden threats.
Avoid free programs with advertisements and adware
Searching the Internet is easy to find free programs for Windows PCs; Unfortunately, however, it is just as easy for these free programs to be accompanied by garbage or to install other advertising components or sponsored programs, slowing down the PC. This is not to say not to download free programs, but to be very careful when installing them.
Need avoid installing sponsors and should never allow them to start automatically unless, of course, the nature of the program requires it (such as antivirus).
It is also important to know the difference between freeware and open source: freeware is commercial software that, even if free, is interested in earning money in some way; open source, on the other hand, is a free program, which should not have sponsors or for profit. Let us also remember always download free programs from official sites and not from elsewhere, to avoid installing anything else.
To learn about sponsored free programs and open source programs, we recommend that you read our guides Prevent the installation of junk and unwanted apps and programs is Best free open source programs for Windows, commercial software alternatives.
Uninstall any programs you are not using
It sounds trivial, but PC performance improves if there are fewer programs installed. Consequently, it pays off uninstall programs that we don't need and the ones we never use.
Quickly terminate blocked programs
To terminate a program that is blocked and that prevents the PC from doing other things, you can use the task manager, by pressing the keys together CTRL + Shift + Esc, locating it in the list of running processes and applications.
To make everything easier and faster we can also read our guide If your PC isn't moving and responding, how to unlock it without restarting Windows.
Disable visual effects
Windows includes many small animations that make file and window movements more pleasant, but which require additional memory and some of the performance of the video card and processor to work well.
On older PCs, it's worth it disable Windows animated effects, which are mostly turned on by default. It is not necessary to deactivate all of them, but only those that are deemed superfluous.
Accelerate computer shutdown
A slow shutdown is as annoying as a slow start, especially if you are shutting down your laptop after a job and have to wait for it to shut down. In another article we have seen all tricks to speed up Windows PC shutdown.
Alternatively, we can always focus on hibernation to turn the PC off and on quickly; in this regard, we invite you to read the guide How to Enable Hibernation in Windows 10.
Update hardware components
Upgrading your computer with more powerful and newer parts is perhaps the most useful thing you can do to make your PC run faster. However, we must be careful about what you buy to respect the compatibility between the various components and not to make unnecessary replacements.
The most effective update today to speed up a computer is, without a doubt, the replacement of the hard disk with an SSD, solid state drive. We have already explained the difference between Hard Disk and SSD: the normal hard disk is a mechanical device always in motion while the SSD is a flash memory with no moving parts and naturally faster.
In other articles we have reported which SSD to buy to make the PC fast and guide for move windows to SSD without reinstalling everything.
The ideal situation is a PC with an SSD for Windows and programs and a hard drive to store personal data (photos, music, videos, etc.).
Reinstall the operating system
Reset the computer and reinstall Windows all over again gets your PC back as fast as it was new. With the tool for Windows 10 this process has become very simple, while keeping your personal files; to learn more we can read our guide How to reset Windows 10 (Reset PC).
Conclusions
With all these tricks we will really have all the tools to make the computer faster immediately, by installing very few additional programs and taking advantage of the tools that Windows 10 provides basic on all PCs. While you can't work miracles, you can tweak some Windows options to make it faster to load and perform each task.
If by chance we do not find some of the functions seen above, our advice is to always update Windows 10 to the latest version available.
If we have previous versions of Windows we can optimize them by reading our guides Optimize Windows 7 for a fast PC and better performance is Speed up Windows 7, 10 and 8.1 with 10 hidden options.