Every second your employees must wait for their computers costs your small business time and money. Workers need technology that helps keep them productive, rather than slowing them down. Here are a few tips for fixing PC lag, so you can help employees get in the flow – and hit your business goals.
Identify and Remove Resource-Intensive Applications
Opening many programs at once can create slowdowns. Of course, it’s not your employees’ fault — they’re busy trying to get work done. An easy fix for this problem is to figure out what applications use the most resources so employees can close out the ones they don’t need.
Hitting the “Control + Alt + Delete” command is a fast way to find out what programs are running and how many resources each is using. Reviewing the list of open programs allows your employee to spot the ones they aren’t using and close them. As you and your employees learn about optimizations, you can adjust or align business processes to match your needs.
Optimize Web Browser and Internet Connections
When working online gets slow, an outdated browser might be to blame. Updating to the most recent version of the browser can help fix PC lag in the form of sluggish internet performance and speed up your employees’ productivity.
Open the browser and find the “Settings” option at the top of the page. Click the “About” link to learn what browser version is running, and if that version isn’t the most recent, consider an update.
Add-ons and extensions are also sources of internet slowdowns. Find out which ones are in use by visiting the “More tools” option and selecting “Extensions.” Disable or delete any extensions that aren’t needed.
And if performance is still slow, consider restarting your internet modem. This easy fix often remedies PC lag—which is really an internet connectivity issue—and can speed up performance.
Optimize and Defragment the Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
Data is saved to different regions of the HDD. Over time, data gets spread out, and that makes the computer work harder to find it, creating PC lag.
Speed up computer performance by “defragmenting” the hard drive. Start by typing “defrag” into the Windows search bar. Select the “Defrag and Optimize Drives” option and tell it to run. The defragmentation process should give the computer a nice little boost in speed.
Scan for Harmful Software and Malware
Cybersecurity threats, such as malware, create computer slowdowns. This type of malicious software works by using computer resources, corrupting data, and eventually taking over systems.
If your business computers have antivirus protection, you can run a quick scan of the computer. A second option is typing “Windows Security” into the search bar and selecting “Virus and Threat Protection.” Tell it to “scan” so you can identify any malware that is lurking in the system.
Update Old and Insufficient Hardware
Older technology can get in the way of computer speed and performance. Sure, the computer is trying hard to run fast, but insufficient hardware often weighs it down. Lighten the load by considering performance-enhancing updates. Here are a few to consider.
Upgrade Processing Power
The central processing unit (CPU) gives your computer the power it needs to run faster. And the more power your CPU has, the quicker your device will run.
A great way to figure out whether a computer is performing optimally is to use a CPU stress test. A stress test runs the CPU for a specific period of time to figure out if it’s stable and performing well.
If your PC shows signs of lag, consider replacing your CPU or upgrading to a new device.
Upgrade Insufficient RAM
Computers need adequate random access memory (RAM) to perform well. Insufficient memory makes running many programs at once hard for computers, creating sluggish performance. Consider increasing RAM, either by installing more on your existing device or upgrading your computer.
Update an Old Graphics Card
An outdated graphics card can create frustrating computer lag. Updates and patches are often auto-generated; however, you also can do a search. Open the Windows search bar and enter your graphic card name. Find and install any new available updates. Alternatively, you can upgrade to a device with more robust and faster graphics card performance.
Upgrade from HDD to SSD
A computer HDD has spinning platters that read and write data. A fast-spinning platter means the computer is working really hard—a risk for computer lag.
An SSD stores all data on a memory chip that is readily available. And since the SSD is newer technology and has no moving parts, it’s faster, quieter, smaller, and uses less energy. If your employees are having frequent slowdowns, consider upgrading from an HDD to an SSD.
Intel and Powerful Performance
Your small business is busy and doesn’t have time for unexpected delays. Devices that are powerful and flexible with built-in security can help keep you both productive and more protected.
Security starts at the hardware level. The Intel vPro® platform gives you innovative, hardware-based security technology that helps protect against leading security threats.
No IT support? Look into Intel vPro® Essentials. It delivers out-of-the-box hardware-based security protection and includes Intel vPro® Security, which helps protect against attacks below the operating system.
And if you need even more security and manageability, Intel vPro® Enterprise is built to enhance security in larger business fleets.
And since employees are happier when their computers run as expected, Intel vPro® helps them not only work more securely, but faster too – helping to avoid sluggish PC performance and productivity loss.