I’m not sure what I’m doing. When I got my laptop, I said no to the extra offer for more money and now it’s really slow. Can someone please help this dummy? 
Technology is new to many people, so let’s just say “technologically challenged.” It’s something that everyone is when they first begin to use a computer, even me. The more comfortable you get with your laptop, the more you will learn. Since I am not sure what your system is, how much memory you have, what the extra offer was, or what you have been doing with the laptop, I am going to offer a few basic tips that you can try to fix the problem.
What Can Cause a Slow Laptop?
A number of problems can cause your laptop to become slow. At the top of the list are a lack of free memory, too many spyware applications, too many viruses, and registry problems.
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Resolving a Slow Laptop: Scan for Spyware and Viruses
If you do a lot of surfing on the web or any surfing at all, it is possible that you have spyware, viruses, or Trojans on your computer. Each one of these applications can mess up your laptop and make it function poorly and slowly. Spyware and viruses take up a lot of resources on the laptop, making it run slower when you use it. Eventually, these bad programs can destroy your machine. If you haven’t run an anti-spyware/anti-virus application on your laptop, you need to do so in order to check for and remove any bad programs. If you had declined an offer of a computer security program, then an infection is likely. View our reviews of quality antivirus programs for product recommendations.
Resolving a Slow Laptop: Disk Cleanup
The next strategy that you should try is to complete a bit of maintenance and do a disk cleanup. If the registry is messy or the hard drive is fragmented, then your laptop will not run smoothly. Cleaning it up should enhance the speed for the laptop if this is the issue. First, you are going to start by defragging the laptop and then you will follow that up by running the “chkdsk” utility.
To defrag the laptop:
1) Click on Start in the lower left-hand side of the screen.
2) Select All Programs.
3) Select Accessories.
4) Select System Tools.
5) Select Disk Defragmenter or Disk Cleanup (defrag) depending on your operating system.
Just use these simple steps to run the chkdsk utility:
6) Click on Start in the lower left-hand side of the screen.
7) Select Run.
8) Type the following command into the little white box: chkdsk / f
9) Press Enter.
Resolving a Slow Laptop: Memory
You also have the option to add a bit of memory if the above steps didn’t work. Check to see how much available free memory the laptop has. If it is running low, then you can delete a few games, music, files, etc to free up some space or you can purchase some memory and put it in. If you opt for this strategy, you can find some good directions at one of our other articles here: Adding Memory.
