Slow Computer Troubleshooting
Creation date: 3/18/2026 7:42 AM
Updated: 3/18/2026 10:35 AM
Windows
- Using the Windows search bar, navigate to “Task Manager.”
- Check your CPU, Memory, and Disk Usage. If two or more of these are above 80-90%, and you only have 1 or 2 things running, that is abnormally high and is causing your computer to run slowly. If you have multiple browser tabs, Word/Excel documents, or applications open, try closing all unnecessary items that could be slowing down your computer.
- Next, try restarting your computer. This can close any background processes that may have been causing issues.
- Check if your computer has any Windows or Dell updates to download. You can check this by clicking the Windows icon, going to your apps, and checking if you have Dell Command Update or Dell SupportAssist installed. Then, you can click on either app and check for and install updates.
- If neither of these apps are installed on your computer, go to https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us?app=drivers. It will prompt you to download Dell SupportAssist. Once it is downloaded, it will bring up your computer on that website, and you can check for updates while on the Dell website. Or you can wait for the SupportAssist app to download and check for updates through the app.
- You can also run a Sophos Antivirus scan to check for any malware running in the background that could be slowing your computer.
- Go to File Explorer and locate the C: Drive, which can be found by going to “This PC” in the left column. If the local disk is red and indicates that there is very little space left on the hard drive, this could also be the cause of your computer's slow performance.
- The fastest option to fix this would be to free up space on your hard drive by uploading everything to OneDrive and removing those files from the computer. You can do this by right-clicking your OneDrive and selecting “Free up space.” This will cause any files that are on both OneDrive and your computer to be stored only on OneDrive.
If none of these fix the issue you are having, feel free to contact us in the Dowden Science Hall IT Office, call 260-359-4357, or email helpdesk@huntington.edu.
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