While you can't magically make what's old new again, there are ways you can decrease the lag on your older desktop or laptop computer. Below are seven ways to restore your computer to its original speed. 

1- Prune your startup apps

Over time, you'll add more and more programs to your PC's list of startup apps – the programs and processes that run when Windows starts. Not only does this slow down the startup progress, but it adds to the number of programs continually running in the background. 

The remedy? Review the list of startup apps on your PC and disable ones that use a lot of memory or processor power. 

2- Use fewer tabs in your browser

Surprisingly, web browsers are memory hogs. So running more than a few tabs can dramatically affect the overall performance of your PC. 

3- Schedule anti-malware scans

It's important to scan your PC regularly for viruses and other malware. You can adhere to a scheduled scan that your antivirus program chooses for you, but that might be in the middle of the day when you're working, bogging down your PC even more.

So consider scheduling your own scan for a time that works for you.

4- Restart your computer regularly

Most people put their PC to sleep at the end of each day, so it starts faster in the morning and is automatically set up with whatever projects you had been working on the day before. But always putting your PC to sleep deprives it of the ability to do necessary house cleaning and flush out fragmented memory. 

To get the best performance out of your computer, restart the PC at least once every few days. You don't need to do this daily, but twice a week will keep it running at peak efficiency. 

5- Pause OneDrive 

OneDrive is a convenient cloud storage service included with your Microsoft 365 subscription. However, its constant synchronization can slow down your system. If you need the most performance from your PC possible, consider pausing OneDrive, which you can do for two, eight, or 24 hours at a time. 

6- Install an SSD

If you have an older PC that isn't equipped with a solid-state drive (SSD), then no single thing will improve your computer's performance more than upgrading to an SSD. 

This isn't a simple upgrade because it involves replacing your old system drive with a new one, reinstalling Windows, and then reinstalling all the programs you usually use. But an SSD can make your computer boot in seconds rather than minutes and start most programs almost instantly. It's a much more noticeable speed improvement than even upgrading to a new CPU. 

7- Use ReadyBoost

If you have an older computer – especially one without an SSD – it might benefit from a Windows 10 feature called ReadyBoost. This tool lets you use a USB flash drive as additional memory. 

In terms of overall speed improvement, it's similar to adding additional RAM to a free socket on your computer's motherboard but much easier.