How to Make a Slow Acer Laptop Run Faster

All computers will slow down over time, your Acer laptop is no exception. Whether you’re using an Aspire netbook or a high-end laptop, it doesn’t matter.

Your laptop hard drive will have more files, more installed programs, more Internet browsing history, and likely more Windows registry issues. Eventually, it will run slower than it used to.

However, if your Acer laptop slows down to a point that affects your work productivity — for example, it constantly freezes, and runs very slow to start up, you’d better watch out because it might end up with a more serious issue.

There are many reasons why an Acer laptop can run slowly. In this article, we are going to explore the possible causes and fixes so you can make your PC faster again.

1. Viruses and Malware

Even today, virus, spyware, and other types of malware are still common causes of PC problems, including slowing down your Acer laptop performance.

How to check whether your Acer laptop has got caught? The best way is to run a proper antivirus software to run a full scan.

Pro tip: when you complete the scan using an antivirus program, it’s recommended that you turn off the real-time monitoring function as the feature usually tends to consume a decent amount of system resources.

2. Too Many Programs Running at Once

When you’ve got too many programs running at the same time, your laptop will likely lag especially when you have limited RAM.

If your Acer is slow at startup, chances are there are some auto-run programs or services automatically run in the background when you boot up the computer.

So, what can you do? Use Task Manager to manage startup items.

Task Manager is a built-in tool provided by Windows that can help you pinpoint the background “culprits” — applications or processes that are consuming lots of system resources such as CPU, RAM (random access memory), etc.

By disabling or force quitting those suspicious programs/services, your Acer laptop will run faster.

3. Cluttered Hard Drive

A cluttered or almost full hard drive can seriously slow down any computer. There is no evidence about what percent of available storage space you should maintain, the more the better.

If your Acer hard drive has been used up 80% or higher, it’s time for a clean-up.

How to free up more disk space? You can manually uninstall programs you don’t use anymore, or transfer large old files to an external drive.

For efficiency, you can also use a third-party PC cleaning utility that can do a number of cleanup tasks, such as disabling auto-runs, removing system junk, uninstalling applications, etc.

4. Windows Registry Issues

If you heavily use your Acer laptop for testing different programs, chances are there are some registry issues. Windows registry is a huge database that includes configuration settings for third-party applications running on your Acer.

Each time you download and install a program, its values and keys are embedded in the registry. When the registry isn’t maintained correctly, registry errors can occur, causing system and application problems.

When that happens, you’ll notice your Acer laptop starts to be more sluggish.

How to fix it? It’s not easy to do that manually (though you could if you are a computer person), but there is a freeware tool called CCleaner that can fix those registry issues.

5. Outdated Hardware

If your Acer laptop is showing its age, it’s time to upgrade the hardware, for example, add extra RAM or replace the hard drive with a speedy SSD (solid-state drive).

Before you start installing any new parts, make sure to check this YouTube video or this iFixit guide for more information.

That’s all we want to share about how to make an Acer laptop run faster.

Let us know what other techniques you discovered and worked to speed up your laptop, or you have any questions about the tips introduced above, either way, leave a comment below.