9 Tips to Make Your old Laptop Feel Like New in 2024

Ensure that your operating system and device drivers are up to date to ensure optimal performance.

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Did you feel your PC or laptop start to slow, or take longer than usual to start or shut down? Over time PC or Laptops may slow down and feel lazy due to a variety of reasons Such as programs and files start to clutter up the system, outdated hardware, too many installed programs, accumulated temporary files, and lack of maintenance and optimization. But there are several tips you can apply to make your old laptop feel like new again, without having to buy a brand new device. Here in this article, We’ve rounded up the most effective tricks for improving speed, performance, and reliability, making your laptop feel like its younger self again.

How to make the laptop new again

Well Remove unnecessary programs and files, and clean up disk space is one of the best ways to free up system storage and speed up your computer. Update the operating system and install apps on your computer is another effective way to improve security, bring the latest bug fixes and optimize the system performance. In addition, Disable unnecessary startup programs, Keep your laptop free of dust and debris, scan regularly for virus malware infection and so on make your laptop feel like new again.

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Clear out the clutter

Over time your PC or Laptop may accumulate a lot of programs and files or Games that you no longer use. These unnecessary items not only take up valuable space on the system drive but also slow down your computer performance. And to fix slow performance issues or make your PC/Laptop new again the first thing you need to get rid of games you haven’t played in an age, and applications you tried for a bit but then abandoned.

  • Press Windows key + R, type appwiz.cpl and click ok
  • This will open the Programs and Features” section in your control panel
  • Here locate and uninstall any programs or games that you no longer need.

uninstall apps on windows 11

In addition extensions and add-ons slow down your browser too — get rid of the ones you don’t really need or have completely forgotten about, and your web browsing should speed up.

Open the web browser type chrome://extensions/ and press enter key to display list of extensions, use the remove button to delete them.

Remove Chrome extensions

Lighten the startup load

Usually, when you Turn on the laptop, it loads a number of programs in the background. And the more and more of the applications you install on your Laptop or PC will want to start up at the same time as the operating system. As this list grows and includes more things that you don’t actually need, it can seriously impact the time it takes for your computer to wake up. Disabling unnecessary startup programs not only free up system resources and reduces boot-up time, but also improves your laptop’s performance and speed by reducing the number of programs that run in the background when your laptop starts up.

Disable unnecessary startup programs

  • Open Task Manager using Ctrl + Shift + Esc key Or you can right-click on the taskbar and select the Task manager option,
  • Also, you can launch Task Manager (search for it from the taskbar), then open the Start-up tab to disable more low-level processes
  • Here, disable any programs that you don’t need to start up automatically.

Disable startup app windows 11

Free up the system drive

Whether your Laptop has an old mechanical hard disk drive or a more modern SSD, its drive is close to full. Lack of storage space or your system drive almost full is another common reason cause the operating system and programs to run slower or crash. And you need regularly clean up your disk space and free up storage space to improve your laptop’s performance.

You can use the built-in Disk Clean-up tool to remove files on disk that you don’t actually need—temporary files, old system update files, cached files from the web, and so on. As you select each category you can see how much space you can free up.

Press the Windows key + R, type cleanmgr and click ok to open the Disk Cleanup tool, Select the drive and click ok to proceed.

Disk cleanup windows 11

In addition, Windows 11 comes with storage sense feature that not only cleans temp files and free up system storage space but also there is an option to schedule clean temp files automatically and free up the system drive.

  • Open Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense → Enable the toggle
  • Click on the Configure button and choose how often you want Windows to run the Storage Sense.
  • Now, scroll down and choose the time interval after which Recycle Bin and Downloads files will be deleted.

Configure Storage sense

Also, you can use third party Ccleaner, it cleans out temporary and junk files that you don’t need, and even tidies up the Windows registry settings file that can often become bloated.

For files, you can go through your documents, downloads, and other folders and delete any files that are no longer useful to you.

Duplicate files or folders can also contribute to lack of storage space on your laptop, which can slow down its performance. You can use or  run duplicate finder software that can spot and erase duplicate files for you

In addition, run the Defragment and Optimize Drive tool can help improve your laptop’s performance by organizing files and making them easier to access.

Defragmenting your hard drive will bring all of these pieces back together and make it easier for your laptop to access the files.

Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box. Type dfrgui and press Enter to open the Disk Defragmenter app

Disk Defragmenter on Windows 11

Update your operating system and software

Again outdated software or operating system can slow down your Laptop as they may be optimized to work with newer hardware or may have bugs that impact performance issues. Regularly Updating the operating system or installed apps bring the latest bug fixes and security enhancements, ensure your laptop is running smoothly and efficiently. You can check for updates in your laptop’s settings or use a software updater to keep your programs up to date automatically.

Updates can help fix bugs and improve the overall performance of your laptop.

Update Windows 11:

  • Press the Windows key + X and select settings
  • Go to windows update and hit the check for updates button,
  • If new updates are available allow them down from the Microsoft server
  • Once done you need to reboot your computer to apply Windows updates.

Windows 11 check for updates

Update Microsoft Store apps

  • Open the Microsoft Store on your computer
  • Select Library from the bottom left corner of your screen.
  • Click on Get Updates to check for and download all the app updates on your system.

Update Microsoft store apps

Run a malware scan

Virus or malware infections also slow down your Laptop and consume a lot of system resources, such as CPU and memory, which can lead to the system not responding. Some viruses or malware run in the background without your knowledge, performing various tasks that can use up your laptop’s resources.

To ensure that your laptop is running at peak performance, you should regularly run a malware scan. you can use Windows security which comes with improved detection and protection against ransomware attacks, enhanced network security, and improved protection against phishing attacks.

windows 11 antivirus

Also, you can use third-party antivirus software to scan your laptop for malware and remove any malicious programs that may be slowing down your device. It’s important to keep your antivirus software up to date to ensure that it can detect and remove the latest threats.

Antivirus scan

Upgrade your hardware

If your laptop is still feeling slow, upgrading your hardware may be necessary. Upgrading your RAM or replacing your hard drive with an SSD can significantly improve your laptop’s performance. RAM, or random access memory, is the temporary memory that your laptop uses to run programs.

Upgrading your RAM can help your laptop run more programs at the same time, and it can reduce the amount of time that your laptop takes to switch between programs. The more RAM you have, the more you can do at one time.

Replacing your hard drive with an SSD, or solid-state drive, can significantly improve your laptop’s speed by reducing boot times and improving app load times. SSDs are faster and more reliable than traditional hard drives.

If you are a gaming user or use your Laptop for graphics-intensive applications, upgrading your graphics card can significantly improve your laptop’s performance. A dedicated graphics card can take the strain off your laptop’s CPU and improve your device’s speed and responsiveness.

Optimize your settings

Optimizing your laptop’s settings can also help improve its performance. You can adjust your power settings to conserve battery life, reduce the number of apps that start up when your laptop boots, and disable any unnecessary visual effects. These adjustments can help speed up Windows 11 laptops and reduce the strain on their hardware. You can access your laptop’s power settings by clicking on the battery icon in the taskbar, and you can manage startup programs in the “Task Manager.”

  • Press the Windows key + X and select settings
  • Go to system then power & battery
  • In the drop-down menu next to Power mode, select Best Power efficiency

Best power efficiency

In addition, open settings go to power & battery and enable the Battery saver option.

Press the Windows key + A and use the slider to reduce the brightness.

Clean your laptop

Dust and debris can accumulate in your laptop’s fan and vents, causing your device to overheat and slow down. Regularly cleaning your laptop and gets rid of dust that’s accumulated over time so the graphics card and processor can perform at its peak help improve Laptop performance and prolong its lifespan. You can use compressed air to blow out any dust and debris from your laptop’s fan and vents. It’s important to be gentle when cleaning your laptop, and to avoid using water or cleaning products that can damage your device.

Restore your machine to factory settings

The nuclear option restoring the thing to its factory settings is one of the most effective at making your laptop feel like new. Restoring a machine to factory setting means wiping everything: photos, videos, apps, messages, Go right back to the beginning and start again with a fresh install of Windows. This option erases the entire hard drive and reinstalling the OS, you need to ensure all your files are safely backed up somewhere else, (External HDD or Cloud storage).

Before trodding this path, be sure all of your important files are backed up somewhere safe.

  • Press Windows key + I to open settings, Go to the system then Recovery.
  • Under the “Recovery options” section, click the Reset PC button, and choose an option between keep my files and remove everything and follow on-screen instructions.

Reset this pc options

When you are ready click on the reset button, And your computer will reset to the factory settings preserving your files.

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Steve Ballmer
Steve Ballmer
With over 7 years of experience in the IT industry, I have experience in IT support, helpdesk, sysadmin, network admin, and cloud computing. Certified in Microsoft Technologies (MCTS and MCSA) and also Cisco Certified Professional in Routing and Switching.

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