Whenever you have experienced a situation where your computer has lagged, you might be thinking, “Would formatting my PC speed it up?” This is a question that most users tend to ask when in doubt and they aim to improve the performance of the computer. Along with other aspects, this article will discuss if formatting your PC is one of the ways to increase its speed and if it is the best way.
Before going into the context, you should know about the what is data sanitization?
What Does Formatting a PC Mean?
Upon commencing the analysis on if formatting your PC will help improve its speed, one must explain what formatting entails first. Indeed, formatting means the step of removing everything (data) contained on a storage device (hard disk) and creating a new storage structure. To format a pc means practically removing everything and beginning everything anew. This removes any programs that were installed, deletes all the files, and changes all the settings for the installed operating system back to what it was when the PC was purchased.
Will Formatting My PC Make It Faster?
Indeed, formatting your computer has the potential to make it faster. But the extent of it also depends on what made your computer slow in the first place. In cases where the system is slowed down by the excess number of applications installed. Damaged operating system files or a virus somewhere lurking, performance enhancement is more than likely after a format. The reason is obvious – a format means a new beginning, erasing unwanted content, and organizing the whole system afresh. Nevertheless, it cannot be said to be a cure-all for performance problems.
When Formatting Helps:
Overused Operating Systems: As time passes, your computer gathers files, applications, and trash data that tend to slow down its functioning. This buildup can be removed through formatting, which enhances speed considerably.
Infections of Malware or viruses: The presence of malware or viruses may have adverse impact on the working of your system. The only means of combating such threats is formatting the system – thus reinstating the machine to a fresh, desensitized condition.
Problems of Software Incompatibility: Once in a while, a software incompatibility issue or a specific defective piece of software can cause retardation of the normal functioning of your computer. This offers a solution to this problem by restoring the cleaning computer and installing the operating system afresh. Thus the appropriate installation of the program is done.
When Formatting May Not Help:
Although in many instances performance enhancement may be attained through formatting, it is not a universal panacea. Where for example the PC is slow due to hardware components, formatting may not be of assistance. Below are a few examples in which formatting may not lead to the enhancement of your PC’s performance:
Hardware Limitations: It goes without saying that if one’s PC is an older model with outdated components such as an old hdd or low RAM, formatting will not give any speed up. Such will require the upgrading of the hardware components if any improvement is to be realized.
Hard Disk with Bad Sectors: Formatting a disk which has bad sectors will not help since the problem is with the hardware. In that case, one may have to replace the hard disk to enhance speed.
Lack of Enough RAM: In an instance wherein the PC is performing slow because of lack of sufficient RAM, reinstalling the operating system will not solve the issue. Rather, performance issues can be solved by increasing the RAM.
Legacy CPU
Even after hard resetting the computer, if the internal hardware particularly, the central processing unit (CPU) is out of date or slow. The computer will never be able to keep up with the current computing advancements. In other words, upgrading is inevitable, either a faster processor or a newer generation of CPUs to see performance improvement.
Defective Power Supply: With a broken or low-capacity power supply unit (PSU) the system may fail to operate. Experience random shutdowns and performance issues or cause damage to other components, issues that cannot be resolved by formatting. To address inadequate performance caused by an insufficient PSU, an upgrade to a more powerful and competent unit is needed.
Overheating Problems: If your ceiling fan does not work. Or too much dust builds up in your system causing it to get hot, formatting will be of no help. In addition to cooling the components, such throttling of the processor. And the graphics processor will also lower the overall operating capacity. This will involve cleaning the internal parts of the PC and improving the flow of air, or changing thermal paste and fans.
Alternative Ways to Speed Up Your PC Without Formatting
If you ask yourself this question, “Will formatting my PC Make it faster?” and pessimistically foresee the risk of data loss. Do not worry; there are other options of enhancing performance without formatting. Uninstall Unnecessary Programs: Eliminate all applications that are no longer needed. Such programs waste valuable resources that could be used by the operating system thus causing the PC to slow down.
Clear Out the Temporary Files: Temporary files are saved and in due course slow the system down due to the excessive saving of these files over time. Therefore use Windows Disk Cleanup and similar programs to remove and clean the disk from such files. If you still have an old hard drive, replacing it with SSD (Solid State Drive) made of flash memory will contribute to a noticeable performance improvement. Unlike conventional hard drives, which use spinning discs to store data, SSDs have no moving parts. This brings quicker load times and overall better speeds.
Add More RAM: Increasing the RAM capacity of your PC enables it to perform more operations at the same time thus increasing speed and performance.
Defragment Your Hard Drive: On the other hand if you still have the traditional hard drive. You may first defragment it to relocate some information thereby increasing the speed of your PC.
The Role of Data Wiping Software in Formatting
Resetting one’s personal computer may enhance its performance but one should also be aware of the fact that formatting. Or even deleting files from your hard disk does not really erase the data. With the presence of some recovery programs, it is possible to retrieve files that have been deleted which carries a danger in privacy. This is where SysTools hard drive DOD Data Wipe Software comes in. If you wish to ensure that your data is completely deleted prior to carrying out a reformatting. Let’s Remove Data After Format Installation offer help for that.
It employs state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated techniques to write over the user’s hard disk. So many times that it becomes virtually impossible to retrieve the data after a format is done. This software is especially handy in instances where the user has to sell. Or give away the personal computer and needs to shield any personal data from prying eyes.
May you read this: Importance of US DOD 5220.22-m data wipe standard
Conclusion: Should You Format Your PC for Better Speed?
Is reformatting a computer helpful to improve its speed? Yes, but in certain contexts. If your PC runs slowly because of some programs, buildup of junk files. Or the presence of malicious programs, formatting is likely to result in faster performance. In contrast, if the issue is with old or damaged pieces of the PC. Then it is better to put into consideration hardware upgrades as formatting cannot suffice.
In the end, even though reconditioning your PC may be beneficial in some aspects, it is not the only way through which enhanced performance can be achieved. Quite often, the best enhancement is achieved through the normal upkeep of the machine. Changes in software as well as replacing some parts of the machine with better ones.