If your computer has enough memory, processor power, and disk space, software updates should make it work better.
“Please download an update.” This is a message that appears regularly on most users’ computers.
Many are concerned about doing this because they fear that their computer will not work as well once they do.
Users install software updates to improve the performance and security of their computers. However, these can cause slowdowns and there are several reasons why.
If your computer has a limited amount of random access memory (the physical hardware inside a computer that temporarily stores data), updates could slow it down.
Today, 4 to 8 GB of RAM would be limited and 16 a 32 GB they would be ideal for a general purpose computer. Software updates often require the use of additional RAM. This reduces the amount of RAM available for the operating system to run programs.
Also, most of the computers we have in the house do not run on powerful processors, which means that installing many software updates can cause slowdowns.
Limited resources
Software updates will require more processing power, resulting in an overall reduction in the computer’s ability to run the operating system and software applications.
Installing new updates will increase the total number of processes to handle. This results in delays in the execution of the tasks required by the operating system and applications for their proper functioning.
But if your computer has a lot of software installed, which consumes a lot of memory and processing power, then you have limited available resources for computer operation.
Installing new software updates puts even more pressure on your computer, causing it to slow down.
In the meantime, if you have a large volume of stored data on your computer’s disk, updates can also cause a slowdown. Since software updates can use your storage space for temporary processing, this could further reduce available disk space.
Ultimately, this results in slower computer performance with each software update.
Security
However, if your computer has enough memory, processor power, and disk space, software updates should make it work better.
Remember, despite being rigorously tested for accuracy and safety, operating systems and software may have weaknesses that can be attacked by unauthorized users to gain access to your computer and personal data.
Whenever these weaknesses are identified, organizations launch patches in the form of software updates and installing those updates is very important to keeping your computer and data safe.
So what are the simple steps to improve your computer’s performance and prevent it from slowing down?
1- Delete temporary files regularly
The operating system and application software regularly create temporary files and folders on computers.
These files consume space on the computer’s disk and often use processing power that can slow down the computer.
Regularly deleting these files can improve the performance and overall speed of your computer.
Temporary files can be safely removed using disk cleanup and management tools for popular operating systems, including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux.
2- Have few programs that open when you turn on the computer
Many software such as Dropbox, Skype, or Adobe can start automatically and run in the background when your computer is turned on.
These processes can be monitored using tools like the task manager in the Windows operating system. Always keep the number of programs that open at startup as low as possible, disabling unnecessary ones.
Remember, there are some startup processes required by the operating system that cannot be disabled
3- Uninstall unnecessary programs
There may be some software installed on a computer that you rarely use. Uninstalling programs you don’t use can improve performance and speed – your computer gains disk space and some processing power is freed up.
This can be done by adding or removing software features for Windows and moving them to the Trash on Macs.
4- Save information in the cloud
Storing data in the cloud (a network of remote servers) can significantly improve computer performance by saving disk space and managing related files.
It is advisable to store large files like music and videos there. The only limitation of using cloud space is that an active internet connection is required to access files, and you have to pay a provider like Apple to access it.
But this can be helpful to make your computer run faster.
5- Increase resources
The ultimate solution to improving the speed of a computer is to increase resources by adding or replacing hardware such as computer memory, processor, and disk drives.
However, it is not always possible to add RAM to all machines and it can be complex, so make sure you have tried the other (easier) solutions first.
* Omprakash Kaiwartya is a Lecturer in Connected Systems, Nottingham Trent University, UK. Mufti Mahmud is Professor of Cognitive Computing, Nottingham Trent University.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
