Start-up for minutes, delayed reactions: It can really freak you out when your computer goes lame. There are many reasons for a slow system. That is why hope should not be given up in the first place. Before going to the expensive specialist, users can try to get the PC up and running again.

If the device is only temporarily slow, a restart may help in some cases. The computer can then rearrange itself and make any updates. However, if this does not remedy the situation in the long term, it could be due to these other reasons:

Lame autostart menu

If Windows starts up too slowly, cleaning up the autostart menu can help your computer. “Many programs nest unnoticed in the car launch,” explains Florian Holzbauer of “Chip” magazine.

If you enter the “msconfig” command in the Windows command line and then select System Start, you will see the listed programs and services that are started directly with the operating system. They then brake the system at startup.

Too many files on the hard disk

If there are a lot of files and programs on the hard disk, the PC may work slower. It’s not just large amounts of pictures, videos or songs that bring a computer to its knees. Rather, it is the programs that run on the side: “Large amounts of data alone do not lead to slower system executions,” explains Manuel Fischer, Head of Software at the IT industry association Bitkom.

Ten years ago, hard disk cleaning on lame computers still meant defragmenting. The reason: programs are not stored on the disk in one piece, but in many individual segments. The more unsorted the hard disk is, the longer it takes the computer to find and access related files. Therefore, defragmentation is still recommended for older, lame systems. Newer computers from Windows 7 have an automatic system that does this. In newer Windows systems, users can also use the search keyword “Memory” to view the “Windows memory diagnosis” to see what takes up a lot of space.

A storage space management is also available for the Mac from the Sierra operating system. Users of older MacOS systems can use search terms such as “image” or “video” in the Finder to see which of these files are stored on their PC and display them in size to locate the data giants.

But don’t forget to empty your trash afterwards! If tidying up does not bring much improvement, a new installation of Windows is recommended. Important: back up the data beforehand.

Programs

Without you noticing it, many programs often run in the background of the computer. You should take a closer look using the Task Manager (Windows shortcut: CTRL-ALT-ENTF, on Mac with Spotlight search under “Activity display”) and pay attention to the CPU load. This gives an overview of how much computing power the individual programs currently require. If you recognize an unusual load there, you should have a closer look at the program and possibly delete it.

Obsolete system

Computers need a little care – and now and then a rejuvenation cure. It is therefore important to carry out regular software updates. Drivers, i.e. the interface between operating system and hardware, should also be updated from time to time. These include graphics cards, WLAN routers or printers. To find out which drivers are outdated, PC users can also use tools such as Driver Booster 3 for Steam to get an overview.

Windows XP and Windows 7 have set the automatic updates for drivers as a support service. For the Mac, current driver versions are usually displayed in the App Store under the updates, and you can also search for the latest version on the provider’s website.

Viruses

Viruses can sometimes be found behind a slow computer. This malware runs unnoticed in the background all the time and thus slows down the speed of the computer. Apart from the security of your data, you should therefore always have an antivirus program activated. A detailed virus scan can be performed to find out whether there is malware on the computer. It is also sufficient to use free offers from reputable providers.

Avoid overheating

To prevent the highly stressed technology from running hot, fans are installed in every computer. Like a fan, they cool the modules, which have a lot of computing power. However, long or incorrect use can affect the fan, causing the computer to heat up and slow down.

Therefore, it is very important to keep the ventilation openings on the sides of the laptops always free – and to use a laptop stand instead of a blanket, for example. In serious cases too much dust has settled in the fan, then it may have to be replaced.

You just want to save a certain section on your computer as a screenshot, quickly reopen the last closed tab of the browser or clear your cache in a flash? We have 12 computer tricks and tips that everyone should know.

1 Tailor-made screenshots with the Snipping Tool

Screenshots are taken quickly, but often you only want to capture a certain section. Of course, the screenshot can be quickly edited and adapted in appropriate image processing programs such as Adobe Photoshop or IrfanView. It is easier to record only the part that is to be used. The snipping tool is used for this purpose. Simply search for “Snipping Tool” using the Windows search, open it and select the desired section before recording.

2. Repeat last entry in Excel at the push of a button

Excel has become an integral part of everyday working life. It is helpful if you can make working with the software a little easier. To do this, simply press the F4 key and your last command will be repeated. Example: You give a line the color blue. Now you can simply select any other lines and press F4 to add a blue line to these fields. It couldn’t be faster!

3. Copy files by drag and drop

You want to quickly copy a file on your computer? That this works with the right mouse button or with the combination Control + C is probably common knowledge. But did you know that drag and drop works the same way? To do this, click on the desired file and hold it down while holding down the Control key. Then you can simply move the file, the system will automatically make a copy.

4. Reverse image search made easy

In Google Chrome, inverted image search works with just a few clicks. So if you want to know where the image still appears all over the net or if there are possibly higher resolution offshoots of it, this goes as follows: Simply press and hold the S button and click on the desired design. It couldn’t be easier or faster.

5. Useful shortcuts for YouTube videos

If you like watching videos on YouTube, you may have noticed that you can pause the clip using the space bar – provided you have already clicked around in the video before. This works better if you simply press the letter K instead of the space bar to pause a YouTube video. If you want to rewind for 10 seconds, press the J key, 10 seconds forward works with L.

6. Reopen last closed tab

Everyone should know that: You have several tabs open in the browser, surf back and forth and suddenly it happened – and a browser tab quickly closed by mistake. Of course, in this case you can reopen the tab with a few clicks using the toolbar of your browser. But you can do this even faster with this key combination: press Control + Shift + T simultaneously and the last closed tab is opened again.

7. Move window in Windows with arrow keys

Easily move an open Windows window? Hold down the Windows key and press one of the four arrow keys to move the window. If you work with several monitors, you must also hold down the shift key if you want the window to move to the other display.

8. Empty browser cache easily

The cache of the browser should be cleared from time to time, as otherwise a lot of unnecessary data garbage accumulates. Hold down Control + Shift + R to clear your cache.

9. Protect your computer with a simple key combination

You need to get away quickly, but don’t want to leave your computer unprotected? Then press the Windows key together with the letter L, and you will immediately find yourself in the Windows login menu. Of course, this is only effective if you have also assigned a password for your Windows account.

10. Mouse wheel opens links in new tab

Did you know that? If you want to open a link in a new tab, simply click on the mouse wheel in the middle and the page opens in a new tab.

11. Use browser as simple editor

The browser as a simple text editor? Nothing could be easier. Just copy the following code into the address bar of your browser: data:text/html, <title>Text Editor</title><body contenteditable style=”font-size:2rem;font-family:georgia;line-height:1.4;max-width:60rem;margin:0 auto;padding:4rem;”>

12. Zooming in the browser

The text or image of a website is too small for you? Then you can easily zoom in and out by pressing +. If you want to zoom out again, this works with control and -. To restore the default view, press Control in combination with the digit 0.