The desktop is around 13 years old but I upgraded the CPU around 2009-2010.

What can I do?

the cheeky response is, 'don't be in a hurry.'

I am a big fan of the chrome books (laptops). If you're not using any kind of specialty software, you could be a candidate for a chrome book.

They don't require virus protection and they update automatically. There is almost zero lag time when you open up your laptop.

Their battery times are way good, much better than mac or MS laptops. Their processors are generally slower, but that's relative; you probably will think, "wow, that's fast!"

And then you have Google Docs! All your stuff is stored in the cloud. You could lose your laptop, buy a new one and in less than 10 minutes you're back in touch with all your stuff.

Take a look: https://www.google.com/search?q=chromebooks+for+sale&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS760US760&oq=chrome+books&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l5.8385j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

but again, this only works if all you're doing online is email, shopping, searching, writing and storing photos.

Maybe it's just very bored with what you're asking it to do. :D

Okay, so you upgraded the CPU seven years ago. Have you upgraded your operating system or other software since then? Because the newer stuff really suck up computing power.

But a lagging computer is usually plagued with malware. Have someone check it out. Or you could probably find a used computer that's two or three years old and several times faster than the one you have.

That's ancient in computer years. I would get a new one.

But in the meantime, defragment your hard drive, run a virus scan, and download and run one or more anti-malware programs. See if that helps.

With the costs of some pretty decent laptops, it's a total waste of time and money to put added software and administrative effort to speed up an old dog.

Your operating system is maybe Vista, while WIN7 or WIN10 are so much more powerful and faster.

It's a no brainer, and a new computer is a great Christmas gift even if you have to give it to yourself.

What summer said, plus lay off the porn sites and you won’t pick up every piece of mal-ware ever invented.

Just go to the start menu and go to disk clean-up --that will empty all the spare old duplicated web pages and files !!! JB

Buy a boat and use your old computer as an anchor.

Or download and install Ubuntu. It’s windowish enough to use easily, runs well on old computers, and you might pick up a little Linux.

My daughter put an ad-blocker on it. There is a little icon in the upper-right corner of the screen that shows how many ads it is blocking, and I get a kick out of just watching the numbers go up, as my computer trots smoothly through its paces.

Last week, after the computer locked up and became completely unresponsive while I was on FB, I was about ready to put my fist through it. The ad blocker seems to have solved that. Thank you, Eric K et al, for not allowing ads to gum up our board!!

Get a tablet. If a desktop computer were important to your job, you would have upgraded it years ago. You likely don't do anything that can't be done perfectly well on a tablet.

BTW computers do die. Fans get plugged with dust and parts eventually overheat. Fan bearings or disk bearings will fail. Tablets have none of those moving parts. It's just a matter of time. You're pushing your luck.

Re: Ubuntu. It is cheap, but there are faster ways to commit compucide.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2017 11:38PM by Brother Of Jerry.

I love my chromebook.

Are you local to the SLC area?

Get a [another] computer. One that doesn't lag (as much, yet), causing you to wonder, worry and ask about the lag time.

What would you do?

The first thing to do is hit Control+Alt+Delete then select the task manager to see what your computer is doing.

Second, find the tasks that you dont need and choose End Task to close them.

When you install programs on your computer there usually are background tasks that run from time to time that slow your computer down. You can uninstall the extra programs or stop them from starting in the Task Manager.

The best solution is to get a new computer.

Other solutions include scanning your computer for viruses or malware. Here are some links to free tools to help you do that.

***
IMPORTANT

You don't want to have multiple virus scanners on your computer because it will really slow down your computer. Uninstall the free trial after you've scanned your computer.
***

https://www.malwarebytes.com

https://www.safer-networking.org

Symantec Free Trial
https://us.norton.com/downloads?inid=nortoncom_nav_downloads_homepage:homepage

McAfee Free Trial
https://www.mcafee.com/consumer/en-us/store/m0/catalog/mtp_521/mcafee-total-protection-trial.html