How to fix a very slow laptop?

A girlfriend of mine just let me use her laptop once in a while (she uses it very rarely, thank goodness!), Problem with it: it's slow. Very slow. How slow you ask? Installing something takes up half-an-hour to an HOUR to complete (even simple anti virus definitions take THAT long!) and even starting windows take up like 7 minutes long from start to finish.

I thought installing the FCU on her laptop would ramp things up (installed with her permission ofcourse) but no. Even that takes the slowness to a whole new level.

She used to have Windows 8.1 on that laptop but we've upgraded it. So.... How can we ramp that baby up without injecting that PC with some good helping of Red Bull?

Toshiba Satellite, 1Ghz laptop.

CPU: AMD E1-2100, AMD Jaguar

Clock freq: 1 Ghz



Oh and don't get me started over installing updates on this baby... (only if you have all day and no time on your hands...)

eLPuSHeR said:

Good day.

Is the hard disk dying per chance? How much memory it has got? If Windows 8.1 was running fine there is no reason Windows 10 is running so slow. Did you try a clean installation?

PS - Try checking S.MA.R.T. values and issue a chkdsk c: /f /r /x command (from elevated command-prompt) on every partition, replacing c: by appropiate drive letter.

It has only one drive, the C:/ drive. I'll check that when I get the chance, the owner is now away for the sunday...

6 Gigs of mem it has.

pyramid10 said:

Another possibility is security software conflicts.

Yeah, she has AVG and Windows Defender running at the same time...

margrave55 said:

This is described online as a low-end laptop. Expect it to be slow. (No wonder she doesn't use it much!)

Its CPU passmark rating is 631.

In comparison we bought two HP desktops in 2010, one rated around 3700 and the other around 5000.

We junked them last year in favor of a laptop at 5700 and a desktop at 12000.

So ... a laptop rated 631 is bordering on junk. For better speed get a better computer.

Thank goodness it's not mine... I only got offered to upgrade the OS...

NavyLCDR said:

Upgrading the HDD to an SSD would give you the biggest speed boost.

A CPU Passmark of 631, though? wow.

I could explain it to her, but she's quite a-technical! :) And... yes... Kiiiiiinda slowish!