How to Fix Dell Laptop Running Slow Windows 10? Try These Ways!

Q: How do I check the performance of my laptop?

<ol><li>Type Control Panel in the Search box to open it.</li><li>Select System and Security, and then select System from the next window.</li><li>Then, you can find your processor type and speed, its amount of memory (or RAM), and your operating system.</li></ol>

Q: How do I disable Dell Support Alert?

<ol><li>Click Start > All Programs > Dell Support Center > Dell Support Center Alerts.</li><li>Select User Settings and select the Alerts</li><li>Select Disable in the Notification Settings</li></ol>

You may wonder “why is my Dell laptop Windows 10 brand new running so slow” when you use the Dell laptop. But you don’t need to worry about it. This post from MiniTool provides the reasons and solutions for the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue.

As time goes, there are many issues on your computer/laptop. The slowdown of the computer’s speed may be the most common issue. No matter which computer you use, whether you use a new computer or an old computer, you may encounter this issue.

Tips:

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Dell Laptop Running Slow Windows 10

Today, let’s talk about the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue. Here are some common phenomena that the laptop runs slow.

1. It is very slow and unresponsive. This post – 13 Tips to Windows 10 Very Slow and Unresponsive can be helpful to you.

2. It keeps freezing now and then. Maybe, this post – 6 Methods to Solve Computer Keeps Freezing (#5 Is Awesome) is what you need.

3. It’s extremely slow to start up. You can refer to this post – How to Fix Slow Startup Speed after Upgrading to Windows 10.

4. It runs hot quickly and overheats. Then, you can read this post – How to Fix Laptop Overheating and Rescue Your Data.

You may ask – why is my Dell laptop Windows 10 brand new running so slow? This issue can be caused by several reasons.

Hard drive data is fragmented.
Problems with external peripheral devices such as docking stations.
The device driver expired.
Operating system files are out of date or damaged.
Disk error.
Insufficient memory (RAM).
Hardware malfunction, etc.

Before you start to fix the “Dell laptop Windows 10 running slow” issue, you can do the diagnosis for your Dell laptop.

Step 1: Restart the computer regularly.

Step 2: Run the automated tool provided in the Dell SupportAssist tool.

Step 3: Run a complete hardware diagnostic test.

After that, you can go to fix the “Dell laptop running very slow Windows 10” issue. The following is a simple guide is for you.

How to Fix Dell Laptop Running Slow Windows 10

Disconnect All External Devices and Restart
Check for Malware and Virus
Optimize Windows 10 Startup
Clean up the Hard Drive
Defragment the Hard Drive
Upgrade the RAM
Upgrade System to a Faster SSD

Solutions to the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue

Solution 1: Disconnect All External Devices and Restart

Anything plugged into the computer may make the computer work extremely difficult and cause it to run slowly. To fix the “new Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue, you need to unplug all items inserted into Dell, such as external hard drives, SD cards, and printers. Then, you can restart the PC to see if the issue has been fixed.

Solution 2: Check for Malware and Virus

If the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue still exists, you had better check for malware and virus. Viruses and malware can cause your Dell laptop to run slowly and some other serious problems. You can use Windows Defender or Avast to check for the virus.

Tip: To avoid the “data loss” situation caused by the virus attack, it’s recommended to back up your important files in advance.

Solution 3: Optimize Windows 10 Startup

You can also fix the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue by optimizing Windows 10 Startup. Some applications installed on your PC may have been set to start when your Windows starts, which will greatly slow down the startup time of your Dell laptop. You can disable some heavy performance processes. Here is how to do that:

Step 1: Type Task Manager in the Search box to open it.

Step 2: Go to the Startup tab and sort the processes by their Startup impact rating.

Step 3: Then choose to disable the processes in the High category.

Step 4: Now, you need to click the Disable button.

After that, the “Dell laptop running very slow Windows 10” issue should be fixed. If not, try the next solutions.

Solution 4: Clean up the Hard Drive

A full hard drive can also cause the “Dell laptop running very slow Windows 10” issue. Thus, you should clean up the hard drive, which can help your laptop get great performance.

You can follow the steps below to clean up your hard drive:

Step 1: Type disk cleanup in the Search box and choose Disk Clean-up from the best match.

Step 2: In the pop-up window, the system drive is selected by default. You need to click OK to continue.

Step 3: Then, you will see how much disk space you can get in total by deleting all files listed in the box, including:

Windows Upgrade Log Files.
Setup Log File.
Downloaded Program Files.
Temporary Internet Files.
System archived/queued Windows Error Reporting.
Delivery Optimization Files.
Recycle Bin.
Temporary Windows Installation Files.
Previous Windows installation(s).

Step 4: Now, select the file types you want to delete and click the OK button.

Step 5: Now, you need to click Delete Files to confirm that you want to permanently delete theses files.

Then, you have cleaned up the hard drive successfully. Check if the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue still exists.

Solution 5: Defrag the Hard Drive

The next solution to fix the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue is to defrag the hard drive. The corrupted or fragmented hard drive can also cause this issue. Thus, you need to defrag the hard drive. Here is how to do that:

Warning: This solution is only suitable for Dell with a hard disk drive (HDD). If you purchased a laptop with an SDD instead of a standard hard drive, or later upgraded to SDD, it’s not recommended to use this method.

Step 1: Type defrag in the Search box and choose Defragment and Optimize Drives.

Step 2: Now, you can select the desired drive and click Analyze.

Step 3: After scanning the drive, choose the fragmented drive and click Optimize.

Step 4: Wait for the process to be completed. When the defragmentation process is finished, reboot your computer and check whether the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue is fixed or not.

Solution 6: Upgrade the RAM

If the methods above are not working, you maybe need to upgrade the hardware. More RAM will allow you to run multiple programs at once or run more high-demand programs quickly. If your RAM is less than 4 GB, the upgrade will significantly improve the performance of your laptop.

Step 1: Power off your laptop and flip it down.

Step 2: Then, you need to remove the laptop battery.

Step 3: Get a small star screwdriver and pop up the panel that you unscrew.

Step 4: Check your compatible RAM and install the RAM in the slot.

Step 5: Cover the back panel and tight it with the screw.

Step 6: Power on your laptop.

Tip: To learn more detailed steps, you can refer to this post – How to Upgrade Laptop RAM from 2GB to 6GB.

Solution 7: Upgrade System to a Faster SSD

Another suggestion to fix the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue is to upgrade the system to a faster SSD. Unlike traditional hard drives, SSDs don’t have the moving parts, thus, they are faster.

To do that, there is a free tool for you – MiniTool ShadowMaker. It is also a professional backup program that can be used to back up the operating system, disk, partition, file, and folder. Besides, it is a user-friendly program to protect your computer and data.

This software offers a Trial Edition that allows a 30-day free trial for all backup features. If you want to use it permanently, get its Pro Edition. Now you can download and try MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up your PC.

Now, let’s see how to upgrade the system to a faster SSD.

Step 1: Connect the SSD to your computer. Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker, then click Keep Trial and click Connect in This Computer to continue.

Tip: MiniTool ShadowMaker enables you to manage the remote computer as long as they are on the same LAN.

Step 2: After entering the main interface, navigate to the Tools tab. And then choose the Clone Disk feature to continue.

Step 3: Next, you are required to choose the source disk and the target disk for cloning. The source disk is the system disk and the target disk is SSD.

Step 4: After you have successfully selected the disk clone source and destination, click OK to continue.

Step 5: Then you will receive a warning message that tells you all data on the target disk will be destroyed during the disk cloning process. Then click Yes to continue.

Note: If there are important data on the target SSD, you had better back up them in advance.

Step 6: Then it will begin to clone the system to the faster SSD and you need to wait several minutes until the process is finished.

Step 7: When the disk clone process is finished, you will receive a message which tells you that the source disk and the target disk have the same signature. You need to remove or disconnect either of them.

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Bottom Line

To sum up, this post introduced some useful solutions to the “Dell laptop running slow Windows 10” issue. If you also come across the same issue, you can try these tricks. Besides, you can try MiniTool ShadowMaker to upgrade your system to SSD.

If you have any better solutions to fix the issue or have any problem with MiniTool ShadowMaker, share it in the comment zone or contact us via the email [email protected] and we will reply to you as soon as possible.

Dell Laptop Running Slow Windows 10 FAQ

Do you need Dell SupportAssist?

Your new Windows laptop usually comes with a lot of software you don’t need. Often, they will slow down your computer. Thus, sometimes, you don’t need Dell SupportAssist. You can uninstall it.

How do I check the performance of my laptop?

Type Control Panel in the Search box to open it.
Select System and Security, and then select System from the next window.
Then, you can find your processor type and speed, its amount of memory (or RAM), and your operating system.

How do I disable Dell Support Alert?

Click Start > All Programs > Dell Support Center > Dell Support Center Alerts.
Select User Settings and select the Alerts
Select Disable in the Notification Settings

How can I speed up my computer with Windows 10?

Restart your PC.
Update your system.
Check startup applications.
Run Disk Cleanup.
Remove unused software.
Disable special effects.
Disable transparency effects.
Upgrade your RAM.

About The Author

Daisy Follow Us

Position: Columnist

Having been an editor at MiniTool since graduating college as an English major, Daisy specializes in writing about data backups, disk cloning, and file syncing as well as general computer knowledge and issues. In her free time, Daisy enjoys running and going with friends to the amusement park.