This lap-top is about 8/9 yrs old. If I remember correctly, I bought it about 2012 . It is setup for windows 10. Is there a "time-limit" on these things ? ...... Should i consider replacing it ? It has been acting up lately , and appears to be slowing . Some of it I suppose is microsoft/windows ? as I get constant notices to shut down for updates ..... but then it seems no better when it comes back . I had to do that this morning,.....and just did it Thursday . It was down for four hours. Thanks in advance.
Whatever you decide to do, get a backup of all of your important pictures and documents right away, or put them in cloud storage. I still am sad about all of the pictures that I lost when a computer would crash so bad that nothing could be saved. Now, I only use my iPad and have everything stored in the Apple iCloud, so even if the iPad for some reason was destroyed or inoperable, everything important is saved and can be downloaded into any other apple device.
Even with Windows updates, an old computer can slow down, and sometimes, quite a bit. This includes the processor and memory. My wife's old laptop got very, very slow, so we had to dish out a little over $1,000 for a new, and much faster, laptop for her. It's a Dell and we bought it at Best Buy, on sale, in November 2019. As for both of our computers, laptop and desktop, every Monday I do any updates and scanning. Some Windows 10 updates can take a long time, but since my wife's laptop is so fast, no time at all. If you don't want the frustration of a slow computer, from age, it's highly advisable to buy a new one. As for myself, I use our desktop every single day.
Ron, my pc with Windows 10 slowed down considerably about 2 weeks ago. That was just about the time of the last update. I opened Task Manager and Windows Defender SmartScreen was taking up a very high percentage of CPU (red warning). Found a video on YouTube how to disable Windows Defender. It worked. I already have pretty good antivirus software. I don't know if a laptop has the same version as a PC. Just a thought... FWIW
If you really like your existing laptop or if it has special features you like, have the hard disk replaced by a solid state version. It will speed things up dramatically, is resistant to damage from impact, and just overall works better than the spinning variety. You can do the conversion yourself if you are smarter and more confident than I am.
My experience with Windows machines goes several years back. Although I have one here, it is rarely used. My experience has been that a computer running Windows would be obsolete after a few years or it would crash during a failed OS upgrade. For that reason, OS upgrades were stressful times. On the other hand, my experience with Macs has been that upgrades are pleasant experiences because nothing ever goes wrong. A Mac should be good for at least ten to twelve years, and I have had only one crash on me, and I still intend to bring that one in to see if it can be fixed, so that I can sell it, as the resell value of even an obsolete Mac is worthwhile. The issue with my last MacBook Pro seems to be with the screen and not the computer, as it had begun flickering before it refused to light up at all. Anyhow, after eleven or twelve years with a Mac, you are likely to be faced with an OS upgrade that is not compatible with the older machine. Most of the Macs that I have replaced were still working fine, only they couldn't be upgraded to the most recent operating systems, and I could sell them on eBay for more than I'd pay for a low-level PC. As for the Windows-based machines, it probably depends on the manufacturer and model because the options include a wide range of prices, from the lower-level machines to the higher. When I was using PCs, I would opt for something in the mid-range because if I am going to spend a few thousand dollars, I'll buy a Mac. There are always options to upgrade the RAM, or the drive, or something else, as well. I have had good experiences upgrading the memory on a Windows machine, as far as speed goes, and that's not nearly as expensive as it once was.
I spent the entire day working on my good computer trying to trace down a USB problem where it was destroying any device I plugged in. It was still usable as long as I didn't plug anything into one of the USB ports, I never determined which was the culprit but I did know nothing was showing up in the voltages for all the ports, they were showing normal. I started the day trying to bridge my ISP modem router combo so it could be used with my New router I already had and never used, my desktop all have wireless antenna so I could cut all the wire clutter in the area. Anyway I had no intention working on the computer for that particular USB problem because I had already made my mind to replace the whole system using all AMD products. I had this machine on for a good two hours and it was working just fine and I had a problem with my bridging the modem but while I was sitting there working on that my good machine just shut down, no warning or anything. I didn't think much of it since win 10 has always been weak in the knees when it comes to hardware driver being updated by Microsoft without permissions. I turned it back on, it came on but never posted and shut down again, and again and etc etc. So I said I might as well tear it down and start looking for the problem I knew already existed, the bad USB ports. After stripping it down I found the culprit, one loose pin in the motherboard cpu socket. I suspect it was always like that when I bought it used on ebay. No doubt it also played a roll with the bad USB ports. My back and muscles aches like crazy after a day of roll the big computer on the desk. I will replace the system board and cpu and go with all AMD new parts and hopefully it will start up without losing the software that was installed. I will just take my loss and keep pushing. The machine had already gobbled up two new joysticks and several other things. I know how to reset the registry so it will recheck all hardware just as it would after a new operating system install or major hardware on the first boot. I wanted to do that reset before I shut it down but now that it is dead, I could still repair it using the install disc to do the same thing. I have an external registry editor also just in case and I have a sata portable station which you just sit the hard drive down into the slot and plug it in then you can make changes to the registry, without using Microsoft's Load Hive way of repair. It does not take long to make the c drive boot without loosing data.
I used the tried-and-true method of computer repair. A hammer, or just toss into the pool from an upstairs window.
It's been a while since I built a computer. I've done 3 desktops...never a laptop. My biggest struggle was getting the operating system to load.
This one is going on about 5 or 6 years,I know my other two stopped working after awhile.I wonder if you can even find a laptop now.
It depends on the laptop, i would guess, @Marie Mallery . Windows has all kinds of updates that take up a lot of space and can make the laptop work slower, or at least that is what I was told (since i have never had a windows laptop). I know that I seriously hated the Dell XPS-18 (2 in 1) tablet/desktop, and it was forever spending hours updating. I just sent it up to Idaho for my youngest son to play with and see whether he likes it or not. Apple computers and tablets will last almost forever, although they do get to a point where they stop updating the latest iOS version. Even so, you can still use them, you just can’t upload apps that are too new for that iOS. Bobby has an iMac that is one that my daughter, Robin, had, and it works fine and is from around 2012 or thereabouts. I have seem some of the older MacBooks for sale, too, and they still do okay, just don’t run the latest version of Mac OS. I recently got a Chromebook, and it goes about 5-6 years before it no longer updates, but even the older ones still work fine, and Chromebooks are a whole lot cheaper than most any other kind of laptop. They have come a long way since they started and are developing new things all of the time, so it is definitely worth looking into one if you are shopping around for a new laptop. The youtube channel “Chrome Unboxed” has a lot of great information about Chromebooks. That being said, I totally LOVE my ipads, and I use them almost exclusively, and totally recommend getting one ! If you add a keyboard, it is almost like having a laptop. Here is what mine looks like.
Thanks Yvonne, We just lost power but it came back on now. We lose it often with these storms. I have a HP and hubby has had a Chrom Book for about 8 years I guess.
I don't believe I've ever worn one out. I have been known beat them to death, however. I'd say that I typically get 5-7 years use out of a laptop before I have a fit and hit it with a hammer.