1. Scan for malware and viruses: Run a full system scan with an up-to-date antivirus program or scan your PC with an online virus scanner to check for any malicious programs and remove them as necessary.
2. Update your operating system and other software: Keeping your operating system and other software updated and patched can help prevent security vulnerabilities and improve performance.
3. Clean up and defragment your hard drive: Use a disk-cleaning tool such as CCleaner to clear out any unnecessary temporary files and folders, and then defragment your hard drive to optimize disk usage.
4. Install more RAM: Adding more RAM can provide a noticeable performance boost, especially if your PC is running low on memory.
5. Activate idle time shutdowns & hibernates: An idle time shutdown can help reduce power consumption when not in use, while a hibernate mode can help save open documents, programs and websites for quick access when you’re ready to get back to work.
6. Disable unnecessary startup programs: Many programs will start up automatically when your PC boots and can bog down processing speeds. You can disable these programs in the control panel or using a startup manager like CCleaner.
7. Uninstall unnecessary programs: You may have installed programs that you no longer use and they can be taking up resources without you even knowing. Uninstalling these can help improve performance.