As a laptop owner, you are bound to run into certain performance issues. Some people do not have the patience to deal with the problems themselves and prefer to take their laptops to a computer service shop.
Such an approach is fine because you leave the device in the hands of a professional. But is that necessary all the time?
Not really, since there are multiple laptop issues that owners can solve themselves. It is about knowing how to counter them when a specific problem reveals itself.
Overheating
Let’s start with overheating. A high temperature for your laptop is one of the worst things that could happen. The sense of anxiety you get that something is not right is understandable.
The likely reason behind overheating is the clutter accumulating inside the device. You need to clean the dust inside so that the internal fans can do their job properly.
It is also worth noting that a cooling pad could be a worthwhile investment. If you have some money to spare, get this accessory and use it as a means to provide cool air to the laptop.
Loud Noises
Loud noises coming from the internal fans are an issue closely related to overheating. The dust inside is bound to affect it as well.
You should not ignore the issue by putting on headphones and listening to music. Sooner or later, it will catch up with you, and you will have to pay for new laptop hardware.
Besides cleaning the dust inside, you should also keep an eye on background processes. High-end software that is running in the background could be overburdening the internal laptop fans, and if they cannot keep up, it is natural that the fans will have to work extra hard and make loud noises.
Screen Flickers
Screen flickering is tricky because it is likely related to the hardware inside. Unless you know what you are doing, it is not recommended to tinker with the device’s hardware.
The issue might be tolerable if the screen flickers are rare, but if it leads to the point where using the computer becomes more or less impossible, then you have no choice but to solve the problem.
Before you seek professional help, try one thing. Check if there is a new operating system version update available. If there is, download and install it.
Similarly, you can test and see whether downgrading to an older OS version fixes the flickering problem.
Sometimes, the root cause of the problem is incompatibilities between the operating system and GPU. Tinkering with the former’s version can be a way to solve the issue.
Battery Troubles
Modern laptop models are pretty reliable when it comes to their overall battery health and lifespan. Nevertheless, it does not guarantee that you will avoid the issue.
Replacing the battery can be quite expensive, meaning that fixing an issue in a different way is more efficient.
Think about potential sources that could be killing your laptop’s battery. The first that ought to come to mind are redundant background processes. If you are on macOS, check Activity Monitor. For MS Windows users, Task Manager offers that.
Cybersecurity threats might also affect the computer. Scan the device and see if the system has corrupted data. Files that are infected with a virus should be removed from the laptop.
Next, go through the system settings and see whether you have enabled redundant visual effects. While not seemingly a big issue, these effects can also affect the overall battery state of a laptop.
Memory Leaks
Memory leaks are not something laptop users can see themselves. It is an issue that becomes clearer the longer a computer has been running without restarts.
The system distributes computer memory all the time, but the device needs to be restarted every few hours to prevent memory leaks.
As soon as you restart the computer, you should notice a jump in its performance (in a positive way). That is when you know that the memory leaks have been stopped for the time being.
Slow Internet Browsers
A slow internet browser is not necessarily the fault of a computer. If you check for background processes, viruses, the dust inside the device, and other potential causes of performance issues, and they prove to be clear, it is necessary to seek other potential roots of the problem.
The internet connection is the first thing to try in such a case. Check whether the upload and download speed is good not just on your laptop but also on your smartphone.
Poor Wi-Fi signal might be preventing your enjoyment of the internet as well. Perhaps there is a third-party peripheral jamming the signal?
Getting in touch with an internet service provider and asking whether they can help is worth a shout as well.
