A PC that was quick when it was new and is slow now has usually not worn out; it has filled up — with programs that start themselves, files that were never deleted and a Windows that has not been updated since the shop set it up. Microsoft’s support pages list ten things to try before spending money. Here they are, in the order most likely to help.
The ten, ranked
- Stop programs starting with Windows. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, open the Startup tab and disable everything you do not need at boot — updaters, chat apps, printer utilities. This is the single biggest fix on most machines.
- Scan for malware. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options → Full scan. Cracked software, common on Bangladeshi PCs, is the usual source.
- Install updates. Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates, and let the graphics and chipset drivers update too. Slow-downs from a half-installed update are common.
- Free disk space. A Windows drive with under 10 per cent free crawls. Settings → System → Storage → Temporary files, then empty the Recycle Bin and move videos elsewhere.
- Turn off visual effects. Search “Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows” and choose Adjust for best performance. On a PC with 4 GB of RAM the difference is visible.
- Pause OneDrive sync if you never asked for it: right-click the cloud icon in the tray → Pause syncing. It uploads your Documents folder constantly on a slow connection.
- Close what you are not using. Forty browser tabs use more memory than any other program on the machine.
- Check the paging file is set to be managed automatically (System → Advanced → Performance settings → Advanced → Virtual memory). Someone may have fixed it small years ago.
- ReadyBoost: on a PC with a spinning hard disk and 4 GB or less, a spare USB stick with 500 MB free can be used as a cache (right-click the drive → Properties → ReadyBoost). It helps a little; it does nothing on a machine with an SSD.
- Restart. Not shut down — restart. Windows’ fast start-up keeps the old session; a restart clears it.
The upgrade that beats all ten
If the PC still has a mechanical hard disk — most desktops sold in Bangladesh before 2020 do — replace it with an SSD. A 240 GB SATA SSD costs about 2,500–3,500 taka in Multiplan Center or on Star Tech, any repair shop will clone the old disk onto it, and the machine will boot in twenty seconds instead of three minutes. Nothing on the list above comes close.
Source: Microsoft Support, via Prothom Alo.
