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Performance
Performance
My computer is running slow — what can I try?
Most slowness comes down to four things: a full drive, too much loading at startup, a failing drive, or an update that stalled. Work through these in order — they're all free and safe to try.
Restart properly. Not sleep or close-the-lid — a full shut down and power on. On Windows choose Restart specifically, as Shut Down can leave the old session in place.
Check your free space. On Windows: Settings → System → Storage. On a Mac: Apple menu → System Settings → General → Storage. If you have less than about 10% of the drive free, that alone will slow everything down.
Cut down what starts automatically. Windows: Ctrl+Shift+Esc → Startup apps → disable anything you don't need immediately. Mac: System Settings → General → Login Items.
See what's using the machine right now. Windows: Task Manager → Processes, sort by CPU then Memory. Mac: Activity Monitor. If one app sits near the top constantly, that's your culprit.
Install pending updates and reboot. A half-applied update is a very common cause of sudden slowness.
Check the drive's health. If the machine still crawls — especially if it freezes, clicks, or takes minutes to boot — the drive itself may be failing. Stop and back up your files before doing anything else.
If it's still slow after all of that, it's usually an ageing hard drive, not enough memory, or a software problem worth looking at properly. An SSD upgrade often makes an old laptop feel new.
Nearly always this is airflow — dust in the vents, or the machine sitting on something soft. Sometimes it's one runaway app.
Check what it's sitting on. Beds, sofas and cushions block the intake vents underneath. Use a hard flat surface.
Find the vents and look for dust. A can of compressed air, short bursts, from the outside is safe. Don't stick anything into the fan.
Check for a runaway process. Windows: Task Manager. Mac: Activity Monitor. A browser tab or a stuck update can peg the processor at 100% and run the fan flat out.
Close what you're not using — especially browser tabs and video calls, which are heavier than most people expect.
Make sure it's up to date. Fan-control behaviour is often fixed in updates.
If it's still running hot and loud after a clean, the thermal paste has usually dried out — that's a workshop job, and it makes a big difference to both temperature and speed.
Battery and speed problems on phones are usually storage, background apps, or a battery that's simply worn out.
Restart the phone. It clears a surprising amount.
Check free storage. iPhone: Settings → General → iPhone Storage. Android: Settings → Storage. Under 10% free will cause problems.
Check battery health. iPhone: Settings → Battery → Battery Health & Charging. Below about 80% maximum capacity means the battery is worn.
See which apps use the most battery: Settings → Battery. Uninstall or restrict anything unexpected near the top.
Install pending updates, then charge to full and use it normally for a day before judging.
A worn battery is a normal wear item, not a fault — replacing it is far cheaper than replacing the phone. Bring it in and we'll check the health reading with you.
Office installs from your Microsoft account — the licence lives with the account, not the computer, so you don't need a disc or a product key if it's already attached.
Go to office.com and sign in with the Microsoft account that owns the licence.
Click Install apps (or My account → Apps & devices).
Choose the 64-bit version unless you specifically need 32-bit, then click Install.
Run the file that downloads and leave it alone until it finishes — it can take several minutes.
Open Word or Excel and sign in with the same account when prompted, so the licence activates.
If you have a product key on a card, redeem it first at microsoft.com/setup while signed in, then follow the steps above. If Office is already installed but says unlicensed, sign out inside the app (File → Account → Sign out), then sign back in with the correct account.
Windows can rebuild itself without a USB stick, and it can keep your personal files while doing it. Back up first regardless.
Back up your files first. A reset should keep them, but should is not a guarantee.
Go to Settings → System → Recovery.
Choose Reset this PC.
Pick Keep my files to reinstall Windows but keep your documents, or Remove everything if you're selling or giving the machine away.
Choose Cloud download if your internet is decent — it fetches a fresh, up-to-date copy rather than reusing a possibly damaged one.
Leave it plugged into mains power and let it run. It can take an hour or more, and it will restart several times.
Your apps will need reinstalling afterwards, and you'll need your Wi-Fi password and any software licence details. If Windows won't start at all, hold Shift while clicking Restart, or interrupt the boot three times to reach the recovery menu.
macOS reinstalls from Recovery, which is built into the Mac. The way you get there depends on whether it's an Apple Silicon or an Intel Mac.
Back up your files first, ideally with Time Machine.
Apple Silicon (M1 and later): shut down, then press and hold the power button until you see Loading startup options. Click Options, then Continue.
Intel Mac: shut down, then start it up holding Command+R until you see the Apple logo.
In the Recovery window choose Reinstall macOS and follow the prompts.
Stay on mains power and connected to Wi-Fi throughout. It will restart more than once.
Reinstalling this way keeps your files. Only use Disk Utility to erase the drive if you're selling the Mac or specifically want a clean start — and only after a verified backup.
A Mac that hangs on the logo or the progress bar is usually a software or disk problem rather than a dead machine.
Force it off by holding the power button for 10 seconds, then start it again — sometimes it's a one-off.
Start in Safe Mode. Apple Silicon: hold the power button, select your disk, then hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. Intel: hold Shift while it starts.
If Safe Mode works, restart normally — that alone repairs a lot of startup problems.
If it still hangs, boot into Recovery (see the reinstall macOS guide) and run Disk Utility → First Aid on the internal disk.
If First Aid reports errors it can't repair, stop. Don't reinstall over it — that risks your data.
Repeated startup failures with disk errors can mean the drive is failing. Get your data secured before doing anything else.
There's usually a legitimate way back in, as long as the account belongs to you.
Windows with a Microsoft account: reset the password at account.live.com/password/reset from your phone, then sign in on the PC with the new one.
Windows with a local account: answer the security questions on the sign-in screen if you set them up.
Mac: at the login screen, enter a wrong password three times and you should be offered a reset using your Apple ID.
Mac alternative: hold the power button to reach Recovery (Apple Silicon) or Command+R (Intel), then use Utilities → Terminal → resetpassword.
If it's a work or school device, contact your IT department — only they can reset it.
We can only help with a device you can show is yours, and we'll always ask for proof of ownership. Some resets will lose access to encrypted data, so ask before you start if that matters.
Before assuming the worst, rule out power and a stuck power state. These checks cost nothing and fix a fair number of "dead" machines.
Leave it on charge for at least 30 minutes. A fully flat battery often shows no signs of life at first.
Check the charger itself. Try a different cable and socket, and look for a light on the adapter. On a MacBook, look for a light or a chime.
Look and listen closely. Any fan noise, keyboard backlight, or faint screen glow means it has power and the fault is elsewhere.
Force a power cycle. Hold the power button down for 15–20 seconds, release, then press it normally.
On a Mac laptop, reset the SMC: with it shut down, hold Control+Option+Shift for 7 seconds, add the power button for another 7, release everything, then start it up.
Disconnect everything — docks, USB devices, external monitors — and try again with nothing plugged in but the charger.
If there's still no sign of life, it's usually the charging circuit, the power management chip or the board itself. That's board-level work, and it's very often repairable rather than a write-off.
Before assuming the battery has died, rule out the cable and the port — a blocked charging port is one of the most common causes and costs nothing to fix.
Try a different cable and a different plug socket. Cables fail far more often than devices do.
Look into the charging port with a torch. Pocket lint compacts at the bottom and stops the connector seating fully.
If you see debris, switch the device off and gently hook it out with a wooden or plastic toothpick. Never use metal.
Check whether it charges intermittently, or only if you hold the cable at an angle. That points to a worn or loose port rather than a battery.
Leave it charging for 30 minutes and check whether the battery percentage has moved at all.
If the port is loose or the device only charges at an angle, the connector usually needs re-soldering or replacing — a board-level repair from £35, and much cheaper than a new device.
I spilled liquid on my laptop — what do I do right now?
What you do in the first few minutes matters more than anything else. Corrosion, not the liquid itself, is what kills boards — and powering it on is what causes the real damage.
Shut it down immediately. Hold the power button until it goes off. Don't wait for a normal shutdown.
Unplug the charger and any accessories.
Turn it upside down like an open tent so the liquid runs out rather than further in.
Blot what you can with a towel. Don't rub it into the keyboard.
Do NOT use a hairdryer, radiator or oven — heat spreads the liquid and warps components.
Do NOT put it in rice. It does nothing for liquid already inside, and rice dust makes matters worse.
Do NOT try to turn it on to "see if it works". That's what turns a cleanable spill into a dead board.
Get it looked at as soon as you can. Corrosion keeps spreading while it sits there, even when it looks dry.
Sugary drinks and salt water are far more aggressive than plain water. The sooner a board is cleaned properly, the better the outcome — we do free diagnosis on liquid damage.
Do this before any repair, any OS reinstall, and ideally once a month anyway. It takes about ten minutes to set up.
Windows: plug in an external drive, then Settings → System → Storage → Advanced storage settings → Backup options, or use File History.
Mac: plug in an external drive and macOS will offer to use it for Time Machine. Say yes and let it run.
Cloud alternative: OneDrive, iCloud Drive or Google Drive will sync your Documents, Desktop and Photos automatically.
Check it actually worked. Open the backup and confirm you can see real files — an untested backup isn't a backup.
Keep at least one copy that isn't attached to the computer. A drive left permanently plugged in won't survive theft, fire or ransomware.
If the machine is already failing or won't boot, stop and don't run repair tools — every extra attempt can reduce what's recoverable. Bring it in and we'll assess the drive first.
Often yes, but what you do next decides it. Every write to the drive risks overwriting what you're trying to recover.
Check the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac) first — deleted files usually sit there until it's emptied.
Windows: right-click the folder it was in → Restore previous versions, if File History or a restore point is available.
Mac: open Time Machine and browse back to before the deletion.
Check cloud storage. OneDrive, iCloud and Google Drive all keep deleted files for a period, and have their own recycle bins online.
If none of that works, stop using the drive. Don't install recovery software onto the same drive — installing it can overwrite the very files you want.
For anything important, the safest route is to stop and let it be imaged properly. Deleted-file recovery starts from £50, and we assess what's recoverable before you commit.
Plan for two things: your files, and the accounts and licences that get forgotten until you need them.
Back up the old machine first, so you have a fallback if anything goes wrong mid-move.
Mac to Mac: use Migration Assistant (Applications → Utilities). It moves apps, accounts and settings, not just files.
Windows to Windows: sign in with the same Microsoft account and let OneDrive sync Desktop, Documents and Pictures, then copy anything outside those folders manually.
Copy the folders people forget: Downloads, and anything saved outside Documents.
Write down what you'll need to sign back in to — email, banking, password manager, and any software licence keys.
Keep the old machine intact until you've used the new one for a week and confirmed nothing is missing.
Don't wipe or sell the old computer until you're certain. If you're selling it, make sure it's properly erased and signed out of your accounts first — we can handle both.
Work from the router outwards — it's the fastest way to tell whether the problem is your device or your connection.
Check whether other devices have the same problem. If everything is affected, it's the router or the line, not your laptop.
Restart the router: unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and wait two minutes for it to settle.
Forget the network on your device and reconnect. Windows: Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → Manage known networks. Mac: System Settings → Wi-Fi → Details → Forget.
Move closer to the router to rule out range, and note whether it holds a connection there.
Try the 5GHz band if your router offers both — it's faster and usually far less congested than 2.4GHz.
Update your network drivers (Windows) or install pending system updates (Mac).
If one device fails on every network while others are fine, it's likely that device's Wi-Fi card or antenna — worth a proper look.
Pop-ups, a hijacked browser homepage, new toolbars, or sudden slowness are the usual signs. Most of it is removable.
Disconnect from the internet if you think details have been stolen, and change important passwords from a different device.
Run a full scan with Windows Security: Start → Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Scan options → Full scan.
Check your installed programs for anything you don't recognise and remove it: Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
Reset your browser. In Chrome: Settings → Reset settings → Restore settings to their original defaults. This clears hijacked search engines and rogue extensions.
Review browser extensions and remove anything you didn't deliberately install.
Never call a phone number that a pop-up gives you, and never let anyone who cold-called you connect remotely to your machine — that's the scam itself, not the fix. If you already gave someone access, treat it seriously and get the machine checked.
The useful question is whether the fault is in the screen itself or in what's driving it. This tells you which.
Plug in an external monitor or TV. If the external picture is perfect, the problem is the screen or its cable, not the graphics.
If the same lines or flickering appear on the external display too, the fault is the graphics chip or the board.
Open and close the lid slowly and watch. If the picture changes as you move it, the display cable or its connector is the likely cause.
Press gently around the edges of the screen. Changes under light pressure point at a loose connection.
Restart and watch the very first screen. Faults visible before the operating system loads are almost always hardware.
A cable or connector is a much smaller job than a panel, and a panel is much smaller than a board — worth diagnosing properly before anyone quotes you for a whole screen.
First work out whether it's the keyboard hardware or the software above it.
Plug in a USB keyboard. If that works perfectly, the built-in keyboard is the problem.
Open an on-screen keyboard and test the dead keys there. Windows: search On-Screen Keyboard. Mac: System Settings → Keyboard → Accessibility Keyboard.
Check your keyboard language. A layout set to US instead of UK swaps @ and ", and moves the £ sign — it looks like a fault but isn't.
Restart. A stuck modifier key can make the whole keyboard behave strangely until it clears.
If keys are sticky rather than dead, and something was spilled, treat it as liquid damage and stop using it.
Individual dead keys are usually the keyboard membrane or ribbon connector. On MacBooks the keyboard and battery are often one assembly, so it's worth a proper quote before deciding.