Windows Running Slow — Speed Up Boot, Apps, and Background Processes

Overview #

When your Windows PC starts lagging — taking forever to boot, loading apps slowly, or freezing during multitasking — it’s not always a sign of hardware failure. Often, the issue lies in background processes, startup programs, or unoptimized settings.

Let’s fix it together by addressing what’s slowing your system down, one step at a time.

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Terms & Definitions #

Term	Definition
Startup Programs	Apps that automatically launch when Windows boots.
Background Processes	Tasks that run in the background — like update checks or sync services — that consume memory and CPU.
Paging File (Virtual Memory)	A reserved section of your drive used when physical RAM fills up.
Disk Usage	The percentage of your storage actively being read or written to — high values can cause freezes.
Power Plan	System mode that adjusts performance and energy use (e.g., Balanced, High Performance).

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Steps #

1. Check Startup Programs #

Too many apps launching at startup can make boot times crawl.

Windows 10/11 Steps:

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Select the Startup apps tab.
3. Right-click and Disable anything non-essential (Spotify, OneDrive, Teams, etc.).

PowerShell Command:

Get-CimInstance Win32_StartupCommand | 
Select-Object Name, Command, Location | 
Out-GridView

Review what launches at boot. Disable unnecessary entries via Task Manager.

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2. Check Background Processes #

Some apps (e.g., cloud sync clients, updaters) quietly eat CPU.

Steps:

1. In Task Manager → Processes, click CPU or Memory to sort.
2. Identify non-critical apps consuming excessive resources.
3. Right-click → End Task.

PowerShell Command (View Top 10 CPU Processes):

Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 10 Name,CPU

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3. Free Up Disk and Memory #

Windows needs headroom — aim for at least 15% free space on your main drive.

Steps:

1. Open Settings → System → Storage.
2. Turn on Storage Sense.
3. Empty Temp Files and Downloads folders.

PowerShell Quick Cleanup:

Start-Process cleanmgr -ArgumentList "/sagerun:1"

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4. Adjust Virtual Memory (Paging File) #

If you’re running low on RAM, virtual memory helps.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl, and hit Enter.
2. Go to Advanced → Performance → Settings → Advanced → Virtual Memory.
3. Choose System Managed Size (recommended).

PowerShell to View Current Paging File:

Get-CimInstance Win32_PageFileUsage | Select-Object Name, AllocatedBaseSize, CurrentUsage

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5. Optimize Power Plan #

Use High Performance mode to get more consistent speed (especially on desktops).

Steps:

1. Open Control Panel → Hardware and Sound → Power Options.
2. Select High Performance or Ultimate Performance (if available).

PowerShell to Enable Ultimate Performance:

powercfg -duplicatescheme e9a42b02-d5df-448d-aa00-03f14749eb61

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6. Disable Indexing on Heavy Drives #

Windows Search indexing speeds up queries but can slow HDD-based systems.

Steps:

1. Open File Explorer → This PC → Right-click C: → Properties.
2. Uncheck Allow files on this drive to have contents indexed.

PowerShell to Stop Indexer:

Stop-Service WSearch
Set-Service WSearch -StartupType Disabled

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7. Scan for Malware or Corruption #

Viruses or corrupted system files can cause lag.

Windows Security Scan:

1. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Quick Scan.

System File Check:

sfc /scannow
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

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8. Optional: Disable Visual Effects #

Turn off animations and shadows to save CPU cycles.

Steps:

1. Press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl.
2. Go to Advanced → Performance → Settings.
3. Choose Adjust for best performance.

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Conclusion #

You’ve just cleaned up startup clutter, optimized background activity, and reclaimed performance. If your system still feels sluggish after these steps, it might be time for an SSD upgrade or additional RAM — but for most users, this tune-up makes a night-and-day difference.