very slow laptop?

rabialiones

wow! that seems really long-winded and i dont think i am brave enough to do all that, in case i press the wrong button and mess it all up.
i'm not really that teccy

r_b

Have you considered using Ubuntu instead of Windows? It's not for everyone but if you only do browsing(I'm not sure what your needs are) you will be surprised how much quicker it is.

Alternatively, a Windows clean install is easier to do that most people think and as others have mentioned, an SSD will bring your computer back from the dead.

rabialiones

never heard of or used ubuntu , but will definitely look into it now.
i mainly do browsing.
also, could you elaborate on windows clean install and SSD.
is that the same as Knarff 44 has mentioned in post 11?

tavernman

Why do people keep saying an SSD is the answer to slow PCs , they will not stop the crapware that gets on PCs, they will not speed up a crappy download speed. Use things like MVPS hosts , do regular checks with malwarebytes, use Adblock, NoScript, and perhaps Ghostery with Firefox ....bah

r_b

rabialiones wrote: »

never heard of or used ubuntu , but will definitely look into it now.
i mainly do browsing.
also, could you elaborate on windows clean install and SSD.
is that the same as Knarff 44 has mentioned in post 11?

First let me agree with tavernman on the fact that SSDs "will not stop the crapware that gets on PCs, they will not speed up a crappy download speed" but they are pretty much the single best thing you can do to speed up your PC. If you do decide to follow any of the steps suggested in this thread(I don't claim to be an expert and Im sure the others will make great suggestions) do install a good AntiVirus(I always install the free BidDefender for my parents).

Lifehacker have some great info on SSDs. Have a look here.
See a 'Before and After' video here.

By Clean Install I mean what is essentially a format of the hard drive, where everything is deleted(Including the recovery partition mentioned by Knarf44) and start with a completely fresh installation.

In order to do a windows clean install you will need a Windows installation disc or bootable USB flash drive. If you use the same version of windows you will be able to use your existing licence so you dont need to buy a copy of Windows. Details here.
Also, if you want more info on making the switch from Windows to Ubuntu, have a look here.
Before you decide whether you want to do the switch, get more opinions. You might find it's not for you and decide against it but you should at least look at it. If it makes any difference, it is a Pay What You Want software and I always install it on my old computers and use them as media centres or dashboards in the office.