How Do I Keep My Old Candy Bar Running Quickly and Efficiently?
I am always happy to receive “help me with a technical problem” emails in my inbox, and I have had quite a few PC servicing related issues lately – probably triggered by this 911 tech support question that I answered last month. Today I’m back with another one, and it’s a twist on the old “How do I make something old fresh” dilemma that any potential upgrader faces.
Lifehacker reader Michelle writes:
“Just read my article on how to keep your old desktop running smoothly. I have a five year old Lenovo AIO and was wondering how to keep it running smoothly? There is nothing to shoot, deflate, etc. here. I would like to upgrade from Windows 8, which I have as a preset, to Windows 10, but I don’t know how to do that either. Can you help a 69 year old with limited technical skills? “
I was ready to tell you that you can actually take apart some all-in-one systems and update them. It’s not the worst process in the world, depending on how well the manufacturer has treated you, but it’s not impossible.
However, since you yourself admitted that you have limited technical skills, I suspect that pulling out screwdrivers is probably not what you intend to do. (If you want to resolve this issue, look at Lenovo — probably the support site — for the “ hardware maintenance guide ” for your particular all-in -one .)
If you want to improve your system’s hardware, I assume that you want to increase its memory, if possible, to the fastest and maximum amount your system can support. I won’t go into technical details as you probably won’t go that route, but I’d go for at least 8GB (if possible) if you don’t already have it, which you can check by pulling System out from your Windows Control Panel. … You can then use a simple site like Crucial to find out which memory is right for your system, as well as how much you can actually install on your system. (In other words, you might not even be able to do this up to 8GB.)
I would also add a solid state drive to your system if you don’t already have it, but this will be a more complex upgrade – you’ll have to clone your current drive to a new one, back up and restore all your data, or just reinstall Windows and start from scratch. This is not the most fun process, especially if you’ve never done it before, and it all assumes that you even have room on your system for a 2.5 “drive (or if you want to buy a converter for a 3.5” bay) …
Now, let’s take all of these tips and set them aside as hardware upgrades sound like they’re not in your maps.
Take the big step towards Windows 10
What I would do in your case is upgrade to Windows 10. You won’t see a huge performance boost by doing this – if your system can even run Windows 10 to begin with. (I guess it can.) What should make your system faster is that you do some sort of good general cleanup for it . You will give up all the crappy programs and other unnecessary information accumulated on your system; resetting any settings that may slow down your PC; and at the very least gives you even better protection (in the form of Windows Defender) to guard against any potential performance-degrading malware infections.
We’ve already talked about how to install Windows 10 – actually reinstall it – and the same tips apply. Make sure you back up your critical data, including anything important in your Documents, Pictures, or Desktop folders, for example (or wherever you keep your key files). You can also write down a list of key programs you want to reinstall later in case you forget, and make sure you save your browser bookmarks (ideally in the cloud) as well as any open tabs you still want to reach.
When you’re ready to pull the trigger, check to see if there is a way to get Windows 10 for free (or cheap). Otherwise, insert the installation media into your system – whether you bought the CD, burned it yourself, or use a flash drive to install Windows 10 – and let it copy. I’m keeping this process a bit quiet for brevity, but installing Windows 10 is n’t all that difficult . I recommend doing a clean install rather than an update when prompted, as this will give you a basic, simple Windows 10 experience that you can then customize to your liking.
(For example, I found that if I forget to reinstall a program after a clean install, it probably wasn’t that important to start with, and I probably should have removed it from my system some time ago.)
You can also use a tool like Ninite to quickly download and install apps that you probably use quite often. And if you run into any problems, try the new Windows 10 Featured Troubleshooting . It won’t solve all problems, but it is something.
Oh, and don’t forget to copy all your data back from where you previously backed up. This is very important, and make sure you set up any service to quickly back up your data , because this step can be easily forgotten (with disastrous consequences).