Tackling Persistent Laptop Slowdowns: A Frustrating Journey

In January, I embarked on a mission to breathe new life into my aging laptop. After experiencing relentless slowdowns, I opted to replace the hard drive and boost the RAM. My ultimate goal was to run resource-intensive applications like SolidWorks without a hitch. Initially, the upgrades yielded a remarkable improvement in performance, making multitasking smoother and more efficient.

However, despite these enhancements, an unsettling pattern began to emerge. Every few weeks, my laptop would inexplicably start to lag, as if it hadn’t undergone any upgrades at all. This recurring issue has left me frustrated; I find myself spending an average of two hours on tasks that should only take 20 to 30 minutes. Just yesterday, for example, I wrestled with AnkiWeb for an extended period, and even a simple system restart took nearly an hour to complete.

I’ve tried the usual remedies, such as updating Windows and rebooting the system, yet none seem to provide a lasting solution. This has led me to wonder: could these performance dips be linked to Windows updates? I appreciate any insights or advice from the community on this persistent problem. Thank you in advance for your help!