HP Laptop Running Slow? Here’re 4 Quick Methods to Tune it up

Last updated: Jan. 6, 2017

You hate when your HP computer starts to slow down, we all do.

However, it's only natural that your laptop should get slower with the passage of time — yes, the life rule also applies to computers as well.

Over time, your laptop can get clogged up with junk files, unused applications, and other system issues. Thus it will run slowly eventually. But, if that happens too soon, especially when your HP laptop is almost brand new — then, there's got something wrong.

In this article, I'll show you a few quick and effective ways to speed up your HP laptop (Pavilion or other series). But first, let's dive into the causes first.

Why is my HP laptop so slow?

Causes of a slow HP laptop vary, but they all fall into these four categories:

  • Hardware issues: not enough RAM, disk running out of space, etc.
  • Software issues: malware/adware infection, Windows system errors, third-party software problems, etc.
  • Inappropriate using behavior: run too many tasks at once, play video games without letting your PC for a break, laptop overheating, etc.

Here's how to fix it step by step.

1. Check viruses, malware, or adware

Viruses or malware can cause a number of problems besides slowing down your HP, for example, collecting information, compromising security, causing data loss, etc. To find out whether your HP laptop has viruses or malware, run a full scan with BitDefender — the best antivirus program in the world as of 2017 (source).

Adware, on the other hand, does less harm to a computer, but it would drag down the performance especially when you surf the Internet using a web browser. Adware is a type of software that injects flash ads (without your knowledge) or redirects search queries to some spammy advertising websites. To check and remove Adware, you can use SpyHunter.

2. Clean up your HP hard drive

Running out of disk space is often the culprit of many computer issues, including slow performance. Emptying disk space will speed up computers (source). That's why PC experts suggest us organize and clean up our hard drives on a regular basis.

While you can do this manually by transferring large files, uninstalling applications, etc.; We recommend you to use CleanMyPC — a super efficient software that handles all kinds of PC cleaning tasks. Like its name indicates, it's able to find system junk, unnecessary files, and you can clean them all with one click, time saving.

Click here to ﻿﻿g﻿et﻿ CleanMyPC

3. Diagnose Windows system, software issues

First off, get rid of those bloatware (pre-installed applications on your HP) and processes that often slow down Windows startup; having too many apps running when your PC starts is a bad idea. Learn what bloatware is and how to remove it via this ComputerWorld article.

Next, run RegCure Pro to scan and fix all found Windows registry errors. It helps speed up your HP laptop and keep your system running smoothly.

Click here to get﻿ RegCure Pro

Also, don't forget to update third-party software installed on your HP and keep them up-to-date, this helps solve the annoying application keeps freezing issue. Updating is often ignored by simply clicking "remind me later," but it's by no means a smart decision. To fix that, you can enable auto updates by going to My Computer > Properties > Automatic Updates and set it up there.

4. Upgrade your HP laptop hardware

Yes, this is a no-brainer method, but it works amazingly to boost HP laptop performance. Consider adding more memory if you often run large programs for example photo/video editing. You can also consider replacing your laptop internal hard drive (if it is) with a new SSD (solid state drive).

Pro tip: watch this video before you start to uncover your laptop mainframe. 

Other fixes:

  • Adjust your using behaviors. Don't multitask — close other applications when you want to launch a new one. While you are browsing the Internet, close tabs and windows you don't need.
  • Also, most HP laptops are not designed for gaming, if you are really into games, get a gaming laptop or desktop model that has more advanced hardware configurations.
  • Get a cooling pad/mat for your HP laptop. This helps avoid HP overheating issues, you can easily get a pad or mat for $20-30 bucks on Amazon.

Final words: be nice to your HP laptop, it will pay you "dividends" (aka, the performance 🙂

Cover image credit to ​Flickr.

Jessica Carrell


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