Why is pc so slow

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
wfrobinette
Posts: 1879
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:14 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by wfrobinette »

realclemsongrad wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:03 am In my case the culprit was Carbonite. I had enough of it and cancelled the subscription. Since then it has been much better.
I use IDrive with no issues. I also turned off realtime protection.

Any realtime scanning apps are going to wreak havoc. AV used to kill me on start up as it was configured to do a full scan on startup too.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

Acer aspire v5-552P

AMD 10-575M APU

8 GIG RAM
cacophony
Posts: 1363
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:12 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by cacophony »

JBTX wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:53 pm Acer aspire v5-552P

AMD 10-575M APU

8 GIG RAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbz98yLJKc8
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

cacophony wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:06 pm
JBTX wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:53 pm Acer aspire v5-552P

AMD 10-575M APU

8 GIG RAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbz98yLJKc8
Thanks. That doesn't look too terrible.
YeahBuddy
Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 12:55 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by YeahBuddy »

JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:12 pm I'm getting really frustrated with my desktop. At times it seems so slow. It tends to be slower for some amount of time after restarting. Browsers take a while to open, etc.

It is an hp pavilion 5-6 years old, i7 and 12mg RAM. Plenty of hard drive space (HDD). I don't think an SSD is compatible. Windows 10.

I occasionally clean it with CCleaner, and run malwarebytes and hitman pro. Only anti-virus is windows. I also run carbonite which may be a bit of drag. I occasionally look at startup programs and take anything I don't need in startup out of startup.

I also have a laptop, probably more than 5 years old, AMD chip (i5 equivalent I think) and it runs so slow it is barely even usable. Upgraded to windows 10.

It always seems like after a few years pcs get ridiculously slow

Thoughts?

Buy a mac :sharebeer
Light weight baby!
02nz
Posts: 10508
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by 02nz »

JBTX wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:29 pm While I just ordered an ssd so I guess we will see.
You can repurpose the HDD as an external drive, by buying SATA-USB enclosure like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-fre ... B00OJ3UJ2S
rich126
Posts: 4475
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2018 3:56 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by rich126 »

MindBogler wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:52 am
rich126 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:43 am It is just sad that all these decades after Windows, these problems persist and non-tech people have to deal with them in Windows but not much in Apple systems or Linux. Sure things like SSDs, more memory, etc. can help but shouldn't be needed.

And while windows does have some built in tools to help remove bloatware, the articles I've read indicate they aren't flawless in all cases. In some cases important drivers can be removed. Also not all of Microsoft's own bloatware is removed. You can also use Powershell and other tools to remove bloatware. There are a number of web pages that you can find via a search online that explains how to do so. Just make sure you back up critical files before you do anything.
This isn't a problem specific to Windows. Macs can and do suffer from the same issues under some conditions. This could be an issue with an old spinning HDD, a low quality SSD or, possibly, from installed applications. Even worse, most of the SSDs in off the shelf Windows laptops are not performant or durable. SSDs need proper TRIM and wear-leveling algorithms or they go to hell quickly. Newer Macs ship with high quality SSD drives by default, which helps avoid most of these problems. This is also why they sell at a much higher price point. Any Windows PC built with similar components will also function similarly.

I use a 2 year old Macbook Pro for work and an AMD + NVMe disks as my personal desktop. The desktop runs circles around the Macbook which boots slow and becomes sluggish with even a couple applications open -- some of this is due to corporate spyware. My point is that Macs aren't immune. Any computer underspec'd for its purpose will experience similar issues at some point.
I did say "not much" as opposed to never. It is just that the problem is much worse with windows than other OS. I still have my first desktop iMac and it is still functional. You can browse the net, read email, etc. w/o any major slowness. Sure it doesn't boot as fast as a SSD based system and I would not do heavy duty stuff on it due to the age of the CPU but it certainly is much more functional that if you had a comparable Windows machine that simply received updates during the same time frame.

And part of the problem involves people happily downloading "free" utilities, games, and other software. Often free comes with some extra "bonus" functions that you don't really want. I gave up fixing my brother's computer when I would visit. Spending hours doing that gets tedious when you realize they simply won't listen to you and continue with the same behavior as before.
----------------------------- | If you think something is important and it doesn't involve the health of someone, think again. Life goes too fast, enjoy it and be nice.
wander
Posts: 4424
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:10 am

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by wander »

Just upgrade its HDD to SSD and let us know how it goes.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

02nz wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:21 pm
JBTX wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:29 pm While I just ordered an ssd so I guess we will see.
You can repurpose the HDD as an external drive, by buying SATA-USB enclosure like this: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-fre ... B00OJ3UJ2S
That's cool. Thanks.
User avatar
Cheez-It Guy
Posts: 4007
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2019 3:20 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by Cheez-It Guy »

Only 12 milligrams of RAM.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

Cheez-It Guy wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:03 pm Only 12 milligrams of RAM.
Well, I said it was slow.
junior
Posts: 1452
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 6:14 pm
Contact:

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by junior »

I think modern versions of windows are written for SSD drives, which is why they get slow when you don't use one. The ideal situation is an SSD for the boot disk and a separate old fashioned hard drives for media.
roamingzebra
Posts: 1214
Joined: Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:29 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by roamingzebra »

JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:12 pm Plenty of hard drive space (HDD).
How full is your HDD in percentage terms?
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

roamingzebra wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:35 pm
JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:12 pm Plenty of hard drive space (HDD).
How full is your HDD in percentage terms?
40%
hudson
Posts: 7119
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:15 am

Try an iMac for 2 weeks?

Post by hudson »

RobLyons wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:58 pm
JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:12 pm
Buy a mac :sharebeer
From the responses, it looks like the OP is going to try a PC desktop upgrade.
What if the OP JBTX wanted to try out a Mac desktop to see if it would fit his/her needs.
I see that you can buy a Mac desktop directly from Apple and return it within "14 calendar days."
I selected the lowest priced iMac desktop with an upgraded keyboard....$1400 delivered. See specs below...

Questions:
Do USB thumb drives work?
How hard is it to backup?
How well does it work with an iPhone/iPad
Can I pop the back off and swap in a new hard drive?
Can I leave financial information securely locally and run a batch file to back it up to a thumb drive every night?
Is there a checkbook app like microsoft money?
How large is the learning curve?
Do Vanguard/Yubico keys work?
Does anyone run Windows 10 on a Mac? How much memory/hard drive does it take?

I guess that someone who tried this could figure this out over 2 weeks before shipping it back? Is there a way to extend the 2 weeks?


24-inch Blue iMac with 4.5K Retina display https://www.apple.com/imac-24/
$1,379.00

Hardware
Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, 7-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
8GB unified memory
256GB SSD storage
Two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports
Magic Mouse
Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad - US English
Accessory Kit
Software
Pages, Numbers, Keynote
Photos, iMovie, GarageBand
macOS
User avatar
cashboy
Posts: 708
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:03 pm
Location: USA

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by cashboy »

+1 on going with an SSD first, and then take it from there. It is a logical and relatively easy first step and it might be 'enough'.


I have an 11+ year old mid level laptop (at that time) that ran an older version of windows 'ok', but simply crawled under windows 10 (for multiple potential reason(s) that i won't go into here).

so, i bought an SSD, copied over the HDD to the SSD, swapped the drives and this 11 year old laptop runs well. not 'great' performance, but more than acceptable for most tasks. the SSD was a very noticeable upgrade.


i also have a 4 year old dell laptop that came with HDD. it had 'ok' performance.

so, i bought an SSD, copied over the HDD to the SSD, swapped the drives and this 4 year old laptop runs very well. it has great performance now.


in both of my cases the SSD is what made the difference for me. of course someone else may have different results.

one thing to consider, once you copy to and run off of the SSD keep the HDD as a backup for a while.

one other thing i do is reboot once a day to clean out any residual tasks, temporary data, etc. l
Three-Fund Portfolio: FSPSX - FXAIX - FXNAX (with slight tilt of CASH - Canned Beans - Rice - Bottled Water)
DiamondplateDave
Posts: 209
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 10:23 pm

Re: Try an iMac for 2 weeks?

Post by DiamondplateDave »

hudson wrote: Thu Aug 05, 2021 5:07 am

Questions:
Do USB thumb drives work?
Yes. Since the iMac has only Thunderbolt3/USB4 ports, you would need a thumb drive to fit, or I would recommend a hub to provide more and alternative ports.
How hard is it to backup?
Time Machine is quite easy.
How well does it work with an iPhone/iPad
Quite well, they are designed to work together.
Can I pop the back off and swap in a new hard drive?
No, hardly anything Apple makes is upgradeable at this point. Buy the specs you need now and for the future.
Can I leave financial information securely locally and run a batch file to back it up to a thumb drive every night?
Automator should be able to do this.
Is there a checkbook app like microsoft money?
I am not sure, I would presume so.
How large is the learning curve?
Most people seem to pick up on using a Mac without any real problems.
Do Vanguard/Yubico keys work?
I would presume so, with the caveat about the ports above.
Does anyone run Windows 10 on a Mac? How much memory/hard drive does it take?
Yes, but I believe Windows only runs on the Intel Macs, not the new M1s. Unless somebody had specific technical need to do so, I would say running Windows on a Mac would be the worst of both worlds.
hudson
Posts: 7119
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:15 am

Re: Try an iMac for 2 weeks?

Post by hudson »

DiamondplateDave wrote: Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:14 pm Does anyone run Windows 10 on a Mac? How much memory/hard drive does it take?
Yes, but I believe Windows only runs on the Intel Macs, not the new M1s. Unless somebody had specific technical need to do so, I would say running Windows on a Mac would be the worst of both worlds.

Thanks DiamondplateDave!
Windows on a Mac? Sometimes there are windows-only applications....like Microsoft Money...probably replaceable with a spreadsheet.
Figuring_it_out
Posts: 207
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 8:54 am

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by Figuring_it_out »

JBTX wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:33 pm Thanks all so far for the advice! :sharebeer

I'm currently doing a reset on the desktop. Ordered a ssd 2tb.

Will also do a reset on laptop. It is an acer. How hard is it to swap to an ssd on a laptop? I've never opened up a laptop before.
Usually a laptop is easier than a desktop. Take some screws out the bottom that form a hatch. maybe one or two more screws on a bracked holding the HDD. Slide the HDD away from the end with the connectors. Replace it with the SSD. reinstall in reverse process.

No cables to plug in and place before reinstalling the covers on the desktop box and usually no dust but it would be a good time to blow out the fan with compressed air while you're at it. if the fan is running at high speed continuously, the processor could be overheating and reducing its clock speed. A clean fan and cooling ducts help that tremendously.

Also look at where the air comes in and leaves the unit. if any ports are on the bottom of the laptop inlet or exhaust. get some 1/4" - 1/2" rubber feet and put below it to space it above the table so it can breath. I used #2 pencils in a crunch.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

Figuring_it_out wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:20 am
JBTX wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 1:33 pm Thanks all so far for the advice! :sharebeer

I'm currently doing a reset on the desktop. Ordered a ssd 2tb.

Will also do a reset on laptop. It is an acer. How hard is it to swap to an ssd on a laptop? I've never opened up a laptop before.
Usually a laptop is easier than a desktop. Take some screws out the bottom that form a hatch. maybe one or two more screws on a bracked holding the HDD. Slide the HDD away from the end with the connectors. Replace it with the SSD. reinstall in reverse process.

No cables to plug in and place before reinstalling the covers on the desktop box and usually no dust but it would be a good time to blow out the fan with compressed air while you're at it. if the fan is running at high speed continuously, the processor could be overheating and reducing its clock speed. A clean fan and cooling ducts help that tremendously.

Also look at where the air comes in and leaves the unit. if any ports are on the bottom of the laptop inlet or exhaust. get some 1/4" - 1/2" rubber feet and put below it to space it above the table so it can breath. I used #2 pencils in a crunch.
Thanks. The desktop ssd is in route. If that works out I'll probably do the same with the laptop. Good advice on taking time to clean it out.
tibbitts
Posts: 23726
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:50 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by tibbitts »

Figuring_it_out wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:20 am Usually a laptop is easier than a desktop. Take some screws out the bottom that form a hatch. maybe one or two more screws on a bracked holding the HDD. Slide the HDD away from the end with the connectors. Replace it with the SSD. reinstall in reverse process.

No cables to plug in and place before reinstalling the covers on the desktop box and usually no dust but it would be a good time to blow out the fan with compressed air while you're at it. if the fan is running at high speed continuously, the processor could be overheating and reducing its clock speed. A clean fan and cooling ducts help that tremendously.

Also look at where the air comes in and leaves the unit. if any ports are on the bottom of the laptop inlet or exhaust. get some 1/4" - 1/2" rubber feet and put below it to space it above the table so it can breath. I used #2 pencils in a crunch.
My experience has been that desktops are much easier, because the covers aren't nearly as fragile. Although they can be a little tricky to get off and on properly, you can make mistakes "feeling your way" without doing any permanent damage. That definitely isn't the case with laptops.

Agree that cooling is important and you should clean fan and duct areas, and remove any dust buildup on components.
Figuring_it_out
Posts: 207
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 8:54 am

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by Figuring_it_out »

tibbitts wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 1:37 pm
Figuring_it_out wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:20 am Usually a laptop is easier than a desktop. Take some screws out the bottom that form a hatch. maybe one or two more screws on a bracked holding the HDD. Slide the HDD away from the end with the connectors. Replace it with the SSD. reinstall in reverse process.

No cables to plug in and place before reinstalling the covers on the desktop box and usually no dust but it would be a good time to blow out the fan with compressed air while you're at it. if the fan is running at high speed continuously, the processor could be overheating and reducing its clock speed. A clean fan and cooling ducts help that tremendously.

Also look at where the air comes in and leaves the unit. if any ports are on the bottom of the laptop inlet or exhaust. get some 1/4" - 1/2" rubber feet and put below it to space it above the table so it can breath. I used #2 pencils in a crunch.
My experience has been that desktops are much easier, because the covers aren't nearly as fragile. Although they can be a little tricky to get off and on properly, you can make mistakes "feeling your way" without doing any permanent damage. That definitely isn't the case with laptops.

Agree that cooling is important and you should clean fan and duct areas, and remove any dust buildup on components.
Cheap desktops have lots of sharp edges inside. It not uncommon to leave a little red dye inside the box and a conversation mark in your knuckle. Got one on my thumb knuckle that is 25 year old now. :) Still there.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

I'd hoped to have ssd in this weekend. But my Amazon order appears to have been "lost" in shipment.
chris319
Posts: 1659
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:04 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by chris319 »

You want one of these. I got one and it was a huge improvement:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073SBRHH6/

It's no secret that Windows 10 is a big, bloated resource hog. A SSD won't solve that problem but it will put a band-aid on the symptom of a slow-running machine. If your machine runs faster, does it really matter?

Use your old 2 TB HD as a bootable backup. Macrium Reflect is a free program which will make you a bootable clone. In the event of a crash, just boot off it. Bootable backups are your friends.

I have Linux Mint running on a 500 GB HD on the same machine I run Windows 10 on. I just unplug the SATA HD with Windows 10 and plug in the Linux drive. Linux runs like greased lightning on a HD 1/4 the size of my Windows drive, yet I still prefer Windows to run the applications I use.

Try that before you go reinstalling Windows 10. Paving a machine and doing a clean install of the OS can be a bloody hassle just putting things back the way you had them before. Put Macrium Reflect on your existing machine and clone it to the new SSD.
Financial decisions based on emotion often turn out to be bad decisions.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

chris319 wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:52 pm You want one of these. I got one and it was a huge improvement:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073SBRHH6/

It's no secret that Windows 10 is a big, bloated resource hog. A SSD won't solve that problem but it will put a band-aid on the symptom of a slow-running machine. If your machine runs faster, does it really matter?

Use your old 2 TB HD as a bootable backup. Macrium Reflect is a free program which will make you a bootable clone. In the event of a crash, just boot off it. Bootable backups are your friends.

I have Linux Mint running on a 500 GB HD on the same machine I run Windows 10 on. I just unplug the SATA HD with Windows 10 and plug in the Linux drive. Linux runs like greased lightning on a HD 1/4 the size of my Windows drive, yet I still prefer Windows to run the applications I use.

Try that before you go reinstalling Windows 10. Paving a machine and doing a clean install of the OS can be a bloody hassle just putting things back the way you had them before. Put Macrium Reflect on your existing machine and clone it to the new SSD.
Thanks. When I get the ssd, should I use macrium, or is there some other default tool that comes with the ssd?

I've already run windows 10 resets on both machines, but left data on there. In the reset I chose option to download windows 10 from the cloud for the reset.
User avatar
TexasPE
Posts: 690
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2018 7:41 pm
Location: Southeast Texas

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by TexasPE »

JBTX wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 8:56 pm
When I get the ssd, should I use macrium, or is there some other default tool that comes with the ssd?

I've already run windows 10 resets on both machines, but left data on there.
If you are buying a Samsung SSD, I've had excellent results (3 machines) by using their Samsung Magician software (download from the Samsung site) to clone the existing hard drive to the SSD. Before you do so, recommend you make sure the HDD is healthy (eliminate bad sectors using CHKDSK, defragment - DEFRAG) and that Windows 10 is up-to-date.
At 20: I cared what everyone thought about me | At 40: I didn't give a damn what anyone thought of me | Now that I'm 60: I realize that no one was really thinking about me at all | Winston Churchill (?)
tibbitts
Posts: 23726
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:50 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by tibbitts »

Figuring_it_out wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:06 pm
tibbitts wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 1:37 pm
Figuring_it_out wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:20 am Usually a laptop is easier than a desktop. Take some screws out the bottom that form a hatch. maybe one or two more screws on a bracked holding the HDD. Slide the HDD away from the end with the connectors. Replace it with the SSD. reinstall in reverse process.

No cables to plug in and place before reinstalling the covers on the desktop box and usually no dust but it would be a good time to blow out the fan with compressed air while you're at it. if the fan is running at high speed continuously, the processor could be overheating and reducing its clock speed. A clean fan and cooling ducts help that tremendously.

Also look at where the air comes in and leaves the unit. if any ports are on the bottom of the laptop inlet or exhaust. get some 1/4" - 1/2" rubber feet and put below it to space it above the table so it can breath. I used #2 pencils in a crunch.
My experience has been that desktops are much easier, because the covers aren't nearly as fragile. Although they can be a little tricky to get off and on properly, you can make mistakes "feeling your way" without doing any permanent damage. That definitely isn't the case with laptops.

Agree that cooling is important and you should clean fan and duct areas, and remove any dust buildup on components.
Cheap desktops have lots of sharp edges inside. It not uncommon to leave a little red dye inside the box and a conversation mark in your knuckle. Got one on my thumb knuckle that is 25 year old now. :) Still there.
That's probably true: a desktop would be more likely to damage you, while you'd be more likely to damage a laptop.
chris319
Posts: 1659
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2021 5:04 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by chris319 »

When I get the ssd, should I use macrium, or is there some other default tool that comes with the ssd?
There is a free version of Macrium Reflect. Just install that on your existing computer. You will then need to have both HD's (old and new) functional at the same time, one as the source disk and the other as the destination. This is how you will back up your HD going forward.
Financial decisions based on emotion often turn out to be bad decisions.
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

Follow up:

SUCCESS!!!

Swapped in SSD on both the Acer laptop (1TB) and HP desktop (2TB) after previously doing a windows reset with a cloud windows version, and using Macrium free to clone the drives. (Also upgraded RAM on laptop from 8 GB to 12 GB). The performance is night and day. My desktop is flying, and my laptop is substantially faster. Like 2 new PCS!

Thanks to all who helped. This was a game changer. Only reason it took this long is for some reason the Amazon shipment got lost and I had to reorder. The actual cloning and drive swap outs were fairly easy, once you have all the parts you need.
Last edited by JBTX on Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
DSInvestor
Posts: 11647
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:42 am

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by DSInvestor »

Alright Alright Alright!
Wiki
hudson
Posts: 7119
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 9:15 am

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by hudson »

JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:45 pm Follow up:

SUCCESS!!!

Swapped in SSD on both the Acer laptop (1TB) and HP desktop (2TB) after previously doing a windows reset with a cloud windows version, and using Macrium free to clone the drives. The performance is night and day. My desktop is flying, and my laptop is substantially faster. Like 2 new PCS!

Thanks to all who helped. This was a game changer. Only reason it took this long is for some reason the Amazon shipment got lost and I had to reorder. The actual cloning and drive swap outs were fairly easy, once you have all the parts you need.
YES!
Clean install?
Macrium Free: I forget what I used to use; it's been a while. The next time I do a clean install, I may try Macrium to do a backup....but why not now?
What else did you learn?
User avatar
ThereAreNoGurus
Posts: 970
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 10:41 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by ThereAreNoGurus »

JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:45 pm Follow up:

SUCCESS!!!
I've been lurking on this thread to see what would happen.

Congrats! If you are not a tech person, you did one heck of a job!
Trade the news and you will lose.
kimura king
Posts: 264
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:59 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by kimura king »

delete
Last edited by kimura king on Fri Oct 01, 2021 8:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
02nz
Posts: 10508
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:17 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by 02nz »

JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:45 pm Follow up:

SUCCESS!!!

Swapped in SSD on both the Acer laptop (1TB) and HP desktop (2TB) after previously doing a windows reset with a cloud windows version, and using Macrium free to clone the drives. (Also upgraded RAM on laptop from 8 GB to 12 GB). The performance is night and day. My desktop is flying, and my laptop is substantially faster. Like 2 new PCS!

Thanks to all who helped. This was a game changer. Only reason it took this long is for some reason the Amazon shipment got lost and I had to reorder. The actual cloning and drive swap outs were fairly easy, once you have all the parts you need.
It never fails - swapping out an HDD for SSD is life-changing!
Topic Author
JBTX
Posts: 11227
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 12:46 pm

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JBTX »

ThereAreNoGurus wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 10:15 pm
JBTX wrote: Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:45 pm Follow up:

SUCCESS!!!
I've been lurking on this thread to see what would happen.

Congrats! If you are not a tech person, you did one heck of a job!
Thanks, but people here pointed me in the right direction, and then it is youtube videos. I've never been a big DIY guy but lately I find I am tackling things I never would have due to YouTube videos. If I can watch it and see how it is done I have a lot more confidence. Not just computers but a few other home minor home maintenance tasks.
User avatar
telemark
Posts: 3389
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:35 am

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by telemark »

Figuring_it_out wrote: Sat Aug 07, 2021 6:06 pm
tibbitts wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 1:37 pm
Figuring_it_out wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:20 am Usually a laptop is easier than a desktop. Take some screws out the bottom that form a hatch. maybe one or two more screws on a bracked holding the HDD. Slide the HDD away from the end with the connectors. Replace it with the SSD. reinstall in reverse process.

No cables to plug in and place before reinstalling the covers on the desktop box and usually no dust but it would be a good time to blow out the fan with compressed air while you're at it. if the fan is running at high speed continuously, the processor could be overheating and reducing its clock speed. A clean fan and cooling ducts help that tremendously.

Also look at where the air comes in and leaves the unit. if any ports are on the bottom of the laptop inlet or exhaust. get some 1/4" - 1/2" rubber feet and put below it to space it above the table so it can breath. I used #2 pencils in a crunch.
My experience has been that desktops are much easier, because the covers aren't nearly as fragile. Although they can be a little tricky to get off and on properly, you can make mistakes "feeling your way" without doing any permanent damage. That definitely isn't the case with laptops.

Agree that cooling is important and you should clean fan and duct areas, and remove any dust buildup on components.
Cheap desktops have lots of sharp edges inside. It not uncommon to leave a little red dye inside the box and a conversation mark in your knuckle. Got one on my thumb knuckle that is 25 year old now. :) Still there.
My favorite desktop was a translucent blue and white tower from Apple. It had a latch on one side: open that with your fingers and the whole thing would swing out and down, giving you access to everything inside. Apple has changed a bit since then :(
User avatar
JupiterJones
Posts: 3624
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2010 3:25 pm
Location: Nashville, TN

Re: Why is pc so slow

Post by JupiterJones »

telemark wrote: Wed Aug 11, 2021 6:11 am My favorite desktop was a translucent blue and white tower from Apple. It had a latch on one side: open that with your fingers and the whole thing would swing out and down, giving you access to everything inside. Apple has changed a bit since then :(
Ah yes, the PowerMac G3. It was a beaut.

It is a shame that the (admittedly beautiful) design of most of their offerings makes them basically non-upgradable. I wonder if they've forgotten that the computers that put them on the map were very tinker-friendly. You'd pull up on a couple of tabs on the Apple ][, the whole top panel would come off, and there'd be the motherboard looking back at you in all its glory. (And Apple didn't even make a case for the Apple 1 in the first place!)

Granted,the one Mac that you can still open up and poke around on--the Mac Pro--is very slick. But the price tag... yowzah.
"Stay on target! Stay on target!"
Post Reply