Four years ago I bought an HP Envy. Nice machine, great display, sound and keyboard, decent specs. In the last couple of months it was slowing down past the point of frustration. It became a chore just to use it.
So, 4 years on a $500-$600 laptop? Meh. I figured that was ok and went shopping for a new one. I test drove a Lenovo, an ASUS and another HP - all with better specs than my Envy had and were in the $700+ range. I was disappointed in all of them. Crappy displays, cheap keyboards - and not any faster than the one I had before it went in the tank.
I really didn't want to spend $1,000 for a laptop that was basically a toy - I'm retired, and all I do on it is email, web, some video editing - I like to use Office tools. Didn't want to try a Chromebook - but that would have been next.
So, instead I did a complete factory reset on my old one. Huge difference! It now runs like the new machines I tested and obviously still has the great display and comfortable keyboard I was used to. Extended the life of my laptop and saved a bunch of dough for now.
This is likely a "duh" for the tech savvy nerds on HROT, but it was a discovery to me. It's a pain because you have to back-up all your personal files and reload all the software, but I had to do that for a new machine anyway.
I recommend anyone frustrated with the speed of their computer try this before buying new.
So, 4 years on a $500-$600 laptop? Meh. I figured that was ok and went shopping for a new one. I test drove a Lenovo, an ASUS and another HP - all with better specs than my Envy had and were in the $700+ range. I was disappointed in all of them. Crappy displays, cheap keyboards - and not any faster than the one I had before it went in the tank.
I really didn't want to spend $1,000 for a laptop that was basically a toy - I'm retired, and all I do on it is email, web, some video editing - I like to use Office tools. Didn't want to try a Chromebook - but that would have been next.
So, instead I did a complete factory reset on my old one. Huge difference! It now runs like the new machines I tested and obviously still has the great display and comfortable keyboard I was used to. Extended the life of my laptop and saved a bunch of dough for now.
This is likely a "duh" for the tech savvy nerds on HROT, but it was a discovery to me. It's a pain because you have to back-up all your personal files and reload all the software, but I had to do that for a new machine anyway.
I recommend anyone frustrated with the speed of their computer try this before buying new.
