Slow computer repair · Tri-Cities, TN

Computer running slow? Let's find out why first.

A slow computer has a cause, and the cause decides the fix. Sometimes it's software clutter and a cleanup solves it. More often, on a machine more than a few years old, it's the hard drive, and no amount of cleanup will fix that.

I check which it is before quoting, so you know what you're dealing with and what each option costs before you spend anything.

Request a pickup Call or text (423) 444-0310

Free pickup and return within about 20 miles of Jonesborough · Estimate before any work

Why computers get slow

These are the causes I actually run into, roughly in the order I see them.

An aging mechanical hard drive

Needs hardware

This is the big one, and it's the reason I won't sell a cleanup to every caller. If your computer still has a spinning mechanical drive, that drive is the bottleneck. Windows waits on it constantly, so everything feels slow: boot, opening programs, switching between windows. Spinning drives also get slower as they age and sectors start to fail. Clearing out files and startup programs makes a dent, but the machine is still waiting on the same slow part. Replacing it with a solid-state drive is the fix, and on an older machine it typically does more for everyday speed than anything else you could spend the money on.

Not enough RAM for how you use it

Needs hardware

If you keep a lot of browser tabs open and the computer slows to a crawl, it has likely run out of memory and started using the drive as overflow, which is far slower. 4GB is not enough for current Windows. 8GB is workable, 16GB is comfortable. Adding RAM is a hardware fix, and whether it's possible depends on the machine, since some laptops have it soldered to the board.

Startup clutter and background software

A cleanup helps

Years of installed programs that all want to launch at boot and keep running. Manufacturer utilities, old printer software, three different updaters, a browser carrying a dozen extensions. This is genuinely worth clearing out, and on a machine that otherwise has decent hardware it can make a real difference.

Malware or an adware infection

A cleanup helps

Something is using your processor or network in the background. This often comes with popups, a browser homepage you didn't choose, or search results going somewhere unexpected. If that's what's happening, the virus and malware cleanup is the job you want rather than a tune-up.

Overheating and dust

Cleaning helps

When a computer runs too hot it deliberately slows itself down to avoid damage. Clogged vents, a failing fan, or old dried-out thermal paste all cause it. The tell is a machine that's fine for ten minutes and then gets sluggish, often with the fan running hard.

A nearly full drive

Often free to fix

Windows needs free space to work in. Under about 10% free and things get noticeably worse. Sometimes this is the whole problem and clearing space is all it takes, which is the kind of thing I'd rather just tell you about on the phone.

When a tune-up is the wrong thing to buy

I'd rather say this up front than take your money for the wrong job.

A software cleanup removes things that are slowing your computer down, which does nothing for hardware that is slow to begin with. If the real problem is a mechanical hard drive or too little memory, a tune-up buys you a modest improvement that fades, and you've spent money without fixing the cause.

On those machines a drive or memory upgrade is the better buy, and my hardware upgrade starts lower than the tune-up does, at $129 plus the part. A solid-state drive for a typical laptop is not expensive. You'd be ahead of where a cleanup would leave you, and the machine stays fast.

And sometimes the answer is that the computer isn't worth putting money into. If you've got a machine old enough that it can't run a supported version of Windows, or the repair would cost a meaningful fraction of a replacement, I'll say so and tell you what I'd buy instead. I'd rather lose the job than sell you a $149 service on a computer you should be replacing.

Not sure which one you've got?

Tell me the make, model, and roughly how old it is, and I can usually narrow it down over the phone for free. If it needs hands-on diagnosis, that's $79, and it credits toward the repair if you go ahead.

Diagnostic from

$79

What the tune-up actually includes

When software is the cause, this is the work. It starts at $149.

  • Cut down what launches at startup and runs in the background

  • Remove leftover manufacturer bloatware and duplicate utilities

  • Clear temporary files and free up drive space

  • Check for malware and clean up browser extensions

  • Apply pending Windows and driver updates

  • Check drive health and temperatures, so you know what shape the hardware is in

  • Clean out dust and vents where it's causing heat

That drive health check matters even when you're buying the tune-up. If it turns up a drive that's failing, you want to know now, while your files are still readable. I'll tell you either way.

Get it looked at

I come get the computer, figure out what's actually slowing it down, and call you with the options and the price before I do the work. Pickup and return is free within about 20 miles of Jonesborough.

Request a pickup Call or text (423) 444-0310

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