Pc Has Started Running Really Slow

My laptop PC is really sluggish and other than what I have done below I don’t know what else to do and would appreciate any advice. I would say it’s been behaving really sluggish for about a week now.

It is just over one year old so it’s not an old machine. It is an Acer Aspire A315-21 laptop PC. I use Windows 10, which is up to date as is all software on the machine.

I have run Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, SUPERAntiSpyware and Windows Defender using the full scan options and all report the machine is clean.

I have used CCleaner to clean the machine and I’ve defragged the machine.

I don’t know what else I can do to either find why it’s sluggish or what to do so advice will be gratefully received.

 

If you study Task Manager, particularly CPU and Memory columns, you will gain some understanding of what is hogging your resources. You can freeze the display order by clicking the 'Name' column heading. That will give pointers to further exploring. Take a look too at the Startup tab - is everything Enabled really necessary?

 

Thanks for that info Earthling.

It's revealed something quite interesting. It says Microsoft Office was using between 50 & 60% of the CPU but I don't have a single office application open. I right-clicked on it and chose 'End Task'. I've no idea why Office was listed there. I'll regularly check it isn't and hopefully the machine will be a little more zippy.

In Startup there is only one thing enabled which is Realtek HD Audio Manager which I'm assuming is my sound card.

 

Are you using Office 365 or an installed version?

 

Could it be trying to update? I don't use Office so don't know how to check for updates.

Found this thread. Might be relevant. High CPU Use on all Office Tools

Repair an Office application

OP said the repair worked but only when they disconnected from the internet first.

 

I'm running Office 365 but too be honest I'm considering getting an installed version. I'm not really happy with 365.

 

I can try that but I thought you needed to be connected to the Internet so your PC could 'talk' to Microsoft and fix your Office suite.

 

I believe a repair just re-registers all of the files and possibly sets things back to default settings so no need to be online.

 

Thank you for that info.

I've run the offline repair but, unfortunately, it's not resolved my issue.

 

Have you tried using a Linux distribution instead or reinstalling Windows 10?

 

I'm afraid I don't understand what that means.

That seems a rather drastic measure.

I'm now having the same issue on my other PC. Therefore, I can only think this must, in some way, be linked to MS Office 365.

 

To make a long story short, think of a Linux distribution as an alternative operating system to Windows.

Besides reinstalling Windows, you could eset your PC or use a former restore point before you were having the issue.

 

I'm still not sure of the reason behind this advice. As far as I can tell Microsoft Office 365 is causing me a problem. I'm not sure blaming the operating system and changing it or re-installing it is the solution or, at least, not without knowing the reason behind this suggested solution.

If I were to reset my PC what would I lose? For example, would Word files or downloaded music be lost? I know it would be advisable to do a back-up first but I would like to know what I would need to get off the PC and on to another storage medium prior to resetting the PC.

I did a system restore. I decided to go as far back as I could which was a restore point I manually created on 29th May prior to updating my PC. However, the System Restore has not cured the problem. Knowing that System Restore didn't work would that have any impact on the advice of possibly resetting the PC?

Final, question for now. I know when you go to the option to reset a PC there are several option (all of which I don't remember) so can I, please, definitely check it is Reset you are recommending.

Thanks!

 

Just wondering how likely the falling is to cure the problem. I could always uninstall Office 365. I'd do this using Windows 10's facility for uninstalling apps in Settings. Afterwards I'd log into my Microsoft account and re-intall Office 365. In between is there anything I could do to ensure all traces of Office were removed and hadn't left anything behind that may cause an issue after its re-installed?

I have Microsoft's own instructions to follow (cf. below) but I think they assume everything will be removed. I'm not convinced uninstalls always remove all traces of an app.

The Microsoft instructions I intend following at here: https://support.office.com/en-gb/ar...rom-a-pc-9dd49b83-264a-477a-8fcc-2fdf5dbf61d8

 

Edit. Sorry I was posting at the same time as @mark59

They have been telling everyone to install Linux. It's a wonderful OS but takes a LOT of work to learn so is not for everyone. @Jared. that really isn't helpful at all and does nothing to help OP solve their problem. We are here to help solve current problems not send people off on tasks that are irrelevant.

Depends on the method. You can refresh it and not lose any of your personal files (still not advisable without a backup of your personal files) or do a reset or fresh install. You will see warnings along the way on what will happen so it is an intuitive process.

You want to use the option of opening All settings and go to Update & Security the chose Recovery.

That all seems a little drastic though just for one program acting up. I'm not familiar with Office so a little in the dark here.

• Is it an app from the Windows store or is it installed like from an .exe download?
• Have you checked for updates as well as checking Windows Updates with the option to 'Receive updates for other Microsoft products' turned on? Windows Update > Advanced options
• Can you easily uninstall it and do a fresh install? If so use something like Wise Program Uninstaller to uninstall it.

 

I have uninstalled it from my desktop PC. I am yet to do the re-install.

I have followed Microsoft's instructions on how to uninstall Office on my laptop PC but it refuses to uninstall. I do not have Wise Program Uninstaller but I do have Revo Uninstaller. That cannot get rid of it either. So I've decided, with the laptop, to do a Reset. It's not going to be such a big issue. There's only me with an account on it whereas there are three accounts on the desktop. Plus the desktop is my main workhorse so there wasn't much on the laptop. I've noted all the apps I had and transferred everything I wanted such as documents and photos to an external hard drive.

If Resetting the laptop PC fails I shall use my problem solver of last resort and launch it through an upstairs window, which I shall, of course, open first.

 

I have uninstalled and reinstalled Microsoft Office 365 on my desktop PC. Task manager is reporting the following about ClickToRun.exe.

CPU: 46-50%
Memory: 8.1 MB
Power Usage: Very High

Are these figures normal or excessive?

I can’t say the PC is sluggish at the moment so I have no idea whether this is normal or abnormal.

 

Found another possible fix of disabling Telemetry. Telemetry is how MS collects usage and performance data from your computer.

Click Start > Settings then open the Privacy options

Select Diagnostics & feedback

Select the Basic option and restart the computer.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by Telemetry so I'm not sure what I'd be disabling. While fixing things and awaiting replies I've done a bit of research. It seems that Microsoft Office Click-to-Run is a normal part of MS Office and it should be running. Although just checking now the values are high it doesn't appear to be having any detrimental effect on the speed at which my PC (desktop) is working.

I haven't put MS Office back on my laptop PC yet. I spent a good part of yesterday putting all the other software back on it after resetting it. I decided I'd put Office back on it last and devote this afternoon to that.

Thank you for your advice and support. My desktop PC is working fine now. So, is my laptop, which after a rest should be; although, MS Office hasn't been put back on it yet.

I have absolutely no idea if this had any relevance although I'm not sure it would. Prior to uninstalling Office from my desktop I noticed it was 32-bit. Windows 10 is 64-bit or, at least, my version of it is. Therefore, when I re-installed Office I installed the 64-bit version.

 

It's a way for MS to collect data from it's users and aggregate the data to make a better Windows. It's a background process that can cause issues like high CPU and power usage. Turning down the setting to basic data collection can solve the problem. If the CPU starts maxing out again then try turning down Telemetry to basic and remember to restart the computer for it to take effect.

64 bit Windows is compatible with most 32 bit software. The 64 bit software may run more efficient but 64 bit also uses more RAM in order to run more efficient. Don't let that alarm you though. The basic strategy of 64 bit is that unused RAM is wasted RAM. If the computer is performing well there’s nothing to worry about. If the computer is regularly using 80-90-100% RAM then consider adding more. Mine uses about 40% RAM just setting idle with a browser open and that is normal.

 

OK, understood.

Thanks! And, thank you very much for your help.