Forum Discussion
PC becomes slow after several months of use
My PC has gradually become very slow and unresponsive over the past few months, even though I haven't installed any major new software or made significant changes to my system. Simple tasks like opening File Explorer, launching web browsers, and switching between applications now take much longer than they used to, and I am wondering what might be causing this performance degradation and how I can diagnose or fix it.
2 Replies
Slowness across File Explorer, browsers, and app switching suggests a system-wide bottleneck. Open Task Manager while the PC feels slow and sort by CPU, Memory, and Disk; record the process and resource that stays near capacity instead of ending unfamiliar Windows processes. Check the Performance tab for memory pressure and sustained disk activity. Next install pending Windows updates, restart, free space with Storage Sense, and disable only unneeded Startup apps. Update Microsoft Defender security intelligence and run a full scan. If Explorer remains sluggish, run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and then sfc /scannow from an elevated Command Prompt. A clean boot is the next useful comparison: if performance returns, re-enable services and startup items in groups to find the conflict. If disk warnings, freezes, or read errors appear, back up immediately and run the manufacturer’s hardware diagnostics; software cleanup cannot repair a failing drive or insufficient physical memory.
Go to the Processes tab and click on the CPU, Memory, or Disk column header to sort by usage. This will show you which specific applications or background processes are consuming the most resources.
