How Can I Diagnose and Fix My Slow Computer?

Dear Hands of Support,
My computer's feeling a little sluggish lately and I want to boost its performance if possible.  Are there any easy and reliable tools I can use to check my PC and tune it up? 
Thanks,
Hoping for a Boost

Dear Hoping,
Getting top performance out of your computer is definitely a challenge. We've got some ideas for you that may help.

Perform Basic Maintenance
We guess that you're already doing basic maintenance for your computer. Performing those maintenance steps, such as keeping your operating system and applications up to date and cleaning out temporary files, should keep your system running well. Sometimes, just deleting bloatware can really make a big difference in your computer's performance (we recommend PC Decrapifier for the job). So definitely the first thing we'd recommend is to check the guide for your operating system. If you're a Mac user don't forget to use the built in Disk Utility feature every 3 months. 

Download and Run Diagnostic Tools Like Soluto to Identify ProblemsIf your computer is experiencing problems, however, like applications freezing or serious slowdowns, you can use computer diagnostic software to troubleshoot the problem. 
One computer diagnostic software is Solute. Solute is a free Windows tool that shows you which applications may be slowing your system down. It's also a tool for solving application crashes before they happen and can report crash information based on other Solute users' experiences. 

Perform a Quick System Check Up Online with PC PitStop OverDrive
If you just want a quick PC health check, however, there's a free online tool called OverDrive from PC PitStop you can use that will analyze your computer's hardware, software, security, and so on, and give you recommended fixes, if any. The site looks spammy, but the tool actually does a good job of analyzing your system and can also be used for benchmarking your computer. (Note: PC PitStop also offers PC Matic and other software downloads that can check your computer's performance, but you don't need to download and install any software to run the OverDrive tests.)
When it's done scanning, OverDrive will suggest fixes like clearing your cache, updating any missing drivers, increasing security settings and so forth. Re-run the tests after making any suggested fixes and you should see your rank improve and your PC operating at least a bit better.
Good luck and have fun testing your system!
Sincerely,
Hands of Support

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