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Tomimys's avatar
Tomimys
Copper Contributor
May 11, 2026

Windows PC slow after leaving off for months

So I just got back from school for the summer after having not used my custom built PC for 3-4 months and now windows runs EXTREMELY poorly. Basic stuff like web browsers crash on opening like 50% of the time, it randomly locks up and freezes, I get tons of lag on the desktop screen with nothing open at all, etc. Its to the point where the OS is borderline unusable. Anyone know how to fix this?

3 Replies

  • Hellen-Charless's avatar
    Hellen-Charless
    Brass Contributor
    Jun 01, 2026

    Hi, Even browsers and desktop are freezing, so it's more likely to be a system-wide issue than game related. I'd recommend checking: SSD/HDD health  RAM with Windows Memory Diagnostic CPU/GPU temperatures This is the Event Viewer for critical errors.This is the critical error Event Viewer. Running sfc /scannow Also, boot to Safe Mode. If it works there, then the problem could be caused by a driver or a start-up program. Is the Windows installed on an SSD or HDD and do the freezes occur straight after booting up?

  • Truimtp's avatar
    Truimtp
    Copper Contributor
    May 31, 2026

    Download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft. Backup your important data first.

  • Phillipforyu's avatar
    Phillipforyu
    Copper Contributor
    May 12, 2026

    Your PC's slowdown is almost certainly software-related from the 3-4 month idle period—Windows updates piling up, drivers falling out of sync, or a malware infection that occurred while you were gone. Hardware rarely degrades just from sitting unused. Below is a prioritized action plan from quickest to most thorough.