Sooner or later, it happens to almost every device. Over time, it just isn’t as fast and responsive as it was the day you bought it.
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There are various reasons for this, but unlike an old car that starts to deteriorate over time, chances are that the device itself is still in good condition. With the exception of the battery on a phone or the hard drive on a PC, most components of both phones and mobile devices are quite resilient under normal conditions. Batteries can degrade with time, and hard drives will eventually wear out, but from my experience, phone and PC hardware problems are rarely the reason devices start to slow down or act erratically.
It’s what’s in the device
The problem is most likely software, the operating system, a full storage system or extraneous bytes such as registry entrants. These types of slowdowns have long been an issue with Windows machines, but they can also happen with Macs, smartphones and tablets.
Your first line of defense is a reboot. Restarting a device isn’t a panacea, but it can often solve all sorts of problems including slow performance, erratic behavior, or a hung system. Most of the time, you can do a normal reboot, but if the system is unresponsive, you might need to turn off the power and restart it. Either way, it will terminate any apps that are running, which might solve the problem or improve performance.
The problem could also be within the apps, so make sure they and your operating system are up to date.
Drives or smartphone storage that’s nearly full can also slow things down. You can almost always free up space by deleting unused apps or backing up and erasing data files that you don’t need on the device. Video and photos take up more space than text files and can be backed up to cloud storage.
The issue could also be malware, which is why it’s important to have a good security program that can scan your apps and operating system and repair any problems. PCMag does an annual review of security software for all platforms that you can find by searching “PCMag The Best Antivirus Software.”
Unnecessary start-up apps
Software and apps that load into memory every time you turn on your device can cause problems. These apps don’t just take up memory but use other system resources. Running in the background might make an app more efficient, but can slow other apps. In addition to impacting memory and processor performance, these apps also use energy, which can be a big deal on battery-operated devices.
Windows and Macs have a Startup or Login tool that lets you review the programs that are automatically loaded into memory. If the program doesn’t need to run, it may be unnecessarily taking up resources.
If you’re not sure of a program, leave it alone until you can determine if it is essential. If it’s something you’re not using every day, you can prevent it from loading automatically but still load it when you want to use it. If you do this, make sure you known how to reconfigure a program you’ve disabled in case you need it later or its removal causes a problem. If you have doubts, don’t do anything until you get expert advice. You’ll find links to how to do this on Macs and PCs at larrysworld.com/startup.
Delete unused apps
Another thing I do is periodically check for apps that I’m not using. If I don’t expect to use one in the foreseeable future, I uninstall it to save storage space and system resources. This is especially important with a smartphone or tablet, because there is no easy way to prevent some apps from loading on start-up or remaining in memory. For advice, search for “how to uninstall apps on” followed by Windows, Mac, Android or iPhone. Getting rid of these apps might not only improve performance but can make a big impact on your storage system. And if you need them later, you can download them again from the app store.
Sometimes the problem is a device that’s plugged into your PC or Mac. If you’re having problems and suspect a device, unplug every USB device except for your keyboard and mouse, restart the computer and plug your devices back in one at a time. Even if they all behave perfectly, this can sometimes solve problems, so you may be able to keep using whatever device was causing a slowdown or glitch. If you’re not using the device, it’s best to leave it unplugged.
If all else fails
Although I urge extreme caution before doing this, if all else fails, an almost sure way to improve performance is to reset your device to factory settings. All devices have ways to erase storage and reinstall the operating system, but you need to make sure all data are backed up and that you know how to reinstall the operating system and your apps. Doing this is a hassle, and it can be dangerous, but if done correctly, it can have an amazing impact. It can often making your device run as well as it did the day you took it home. Again, be very cautious before doing this and seek expert advice if you’re in doubt. You should always have a backup of your data and install discs for your computer’s software or know where to re-download your programs. Also, make sure you have serial numbers or other installation information you’ll need to re-activate programs you’re re-installing.
Of course, you could also throw hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new machine, but a bit of maintenance might make that older PC, Mac or smartphone run like it’s young again.
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Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at larry@larrymagid.com.
