Need some help reviving an old PC
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Need some help reviving an old PC
Hi. My aunt asked me to give her laptop a once over because it wasn't 'working right'. Yeah, no kidding. Its slowed to an absolute crawl. Its been like that for a long time apparently, she just never bothered doing anything about it.
I did the basics, uninstalled a lot of garbage, updated whatever I could, that sort of thing but it's still slow af. Not really sure haow to proceed. Any ideas what usually causes this sort of slowness? I thought maybe the AV but even jpegs take ove half a minute to open...
Help. TIA.
Windows 7
Core i3
4Gb
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Windows 10 free download: How to get the upgrade now - CNET
Windows 7 Help Forums
Unless your preference is to remain with Win7, you can upgrade to Win10 (first link). I am running Win10 with comparable specs without issue, but then I don't do alot requiring more memory. If not,
May want to ask in the Win7 Forum (second link). Don't know, but I would imagine current drivers may be difficult to find. Check the manufacturer's website for any info, though most have discontinued support.
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Hello @bigseb,
My aunt asked me to give her laptop a once over because it wasn't 'working right'. Yeah, no kidding. Its slowed to an absolute crawl. Its been like that for a long time apparently, she just never bothered doing anything about it.
I did the basics, uninstalled a lot of garbage, updated whatever I could, that sort of thing but it's still slow af. Not really sure how to proceed. Any ideas what usually causes this sort of slowness? I thought maybe the AV but even jpegs take over half a minute to open...
If she particularly wants to stay on Win 7, have a look here . . .
This will show you how to do a repair install (aka: in-place upgrade install) to fix your currently installed Windows 7 and preserve your user accounts, data, programs, and system drivers.
> How to Do a Repair Install to Fix Windows 7.
Otherwise, Upgrading [ FREE ] to Win 10 would be advisable!
I hope this helps.
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Thanks for the responses.
Basically she's old and doesn't like change. Personally I'd do a clean install as everything is outdated (discontinued in some cases) but first I need to check if its saveable.
She bought the laptop years ago (10 years maybe, she's not sure) and has no back-up disks so... yeah... tough one. Again, all tips welcome before I install from scratch.
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Hello @bigseb,
Basically she's old and doesn't like change. Personally I'd do a clean install as everything is outdated (discontinued in some cases) but first I need to check if its saveable.
She bought the laptop years ago (10 years maybe, she's not sure) and has no back-up disks so... yeah... tough one. Again, all tips welcome before I install from scratch.
One of the FIRST things that you should do is to create a System Image. This way, you will be able to Mount the Image and retrieve files etc if needed in the future.
I hope this helps.
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Yeah already copied over her files.
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Yeah already copied over her files.
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The HDD is what concerns me. Did you check to see if it's doing okay?
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Replace the HDD with an SSD.
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Or, use the free version of HardDisk Sentinel to quick-check that HDD. An SSD for that laptop is a great idea! Unless, she does not want to spend the money.
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