Speed up your PC or Laptop

When it comes to using a computer, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as a slow one. Does yours take forever to boot up? Or maybe once it’s booted up, you’re always waiting for something to happen? It shouldn’t be like that. At the very least, computers should make life easier, but they should also provide enjoyment and entertainment. If your computer isn’t up to speed, the chances are, you’re being less productive than you should be, and you’re not enjoying anything about it.

Of course, one solution is to replace your computer with a new one, but quite often that isn’t necessary, and in many cases, we can get fantastic results by tuning up the software, and/or upgrading its components. Quite often though speed issues are related to software applications and the operating system.

The problems often start in the factory, and it may surprise you to learn that the manufacturer is to blame. When we buy a PC that’s been made by a mainstream manufacturer, it’s usually pre-loaded with what’s called ‘bloatware’ in the tech industry. These are applications that most of us will never use, but are installed at the factory because the computer manufacturer and software vendor have come to an arrangement for them to be pre-loaded. Whilst on its own, Bloatware won’t bring a computer to a standstill, it does compete for system resources, so it certainly contributes to any system slowdowns.

We don’t always help ourselves when it comes to having our computer running at its best, this is especially true on machines that have multiple users. Although we do it less consciously than the manufacturers and software vendors. We download and install programs that we never use, or forget to uninstall the ones we’ve stopped using, or didn’t start to use in the first place because they didn’t do what we thought they would.

Another issue is, that when we do remove applications, files often get left behind. It isn’t just the programs we’ve uninstalled that leave unnecessary files behind though, over time, both applications and the operating system create temporary files, and quite often, they don’t get deleted when they’re redundant. When you visit websites, files are often saved to your computer too but never deleted. A large proportion of which add no value to your browsing. Add all this together and it can be a major drain on your computer’s resources, causing significant slowdowns.

In some cases, the cause of a slow computer can be more sinister and is related to Viruses, Malware, or Spyware. Of course, this will be much more of a concern, as it may also affect the safety of our files, photos, and personal data.

The good news is, we have a solution with our tune-up services, which start at £60.00 for our ‘Standard Tune Up Package’ and includes the following:

  • Optimisation of your Windows Operating System.
  • Full Scan for Viruses, Malware, and Spyware.
  • Removal of any Viruses, Malware and Spyware discovered.
  • Removal of any unwanted applications.
  • Removal of files no longer used by applications or the operating system.
  • Cleansing of the Windows Registry.

Unfortunately, in more extreme cases, a full system reset will be necessary, which will involve re-installing Windows, and restoring the system to its factory settings. This is a much more involved process and requires our ‘Re-install Windows Package’ which is priced at £75.00. The service includes the following:

  • Re-installation of the Windows Operating System, and chosen applications.*
  • Installation of all necessary Windows Updates and Service Packs.
  • Removal of any unwanted bloatware.
Our ‘Premium Re-Install Windows Package’ is priced at £100.00 and includes 
  • Re-installation of the Windows Operating System, and chosen applications.*
  • Installation of all necessary Windows Updates and Service Packs.
  • Removal of any unwanted bloatware.
  • Transfer of Files & Photos, and Internet Bookmarks.

*Subject to the relevant software licenses being in place, and where necessary, the provision of installation software.

In almost all cases, our Tune-Up service will improve the performance of your computer to some degree, but sometimes to really unlock its potential, a hardware upgrade will be needed. The good news is, this often makes your older, slower computer, feel like it’s new again. The even better news is that it usually costs a fraction of what it would cost you to buy a brand new computer, and it isn’t uncommon for an upgraded system to be faster and more efficient than many of the brand new entry-level models on sale in the computer stores. We can help with this too, just visit our RAM & SSD Upgrades page for more details.