No matter how healthy it seems now, your PC will eventually grind to a halt. Mike Plant explains how to calculate its life expectancy and put a few extra miles on its clock
Time and tide wait for no man, they say, and sadly the same is true of your PC. After years of use even the most robust of PCs will start to feel its age and succumb to errors, freezes and the dreaded Blue Screen of Death. Each new setback brings it inexorably closer to the scrapheap.
We always show you how to breathe new life into your PC. But there comes a time when even our advice can no longer keep your trusty PC up and running. Sadly, there will always come a day when you’ll have to pull the plug one last time and think about a replacement.
But when is the right time to let go? Perhaps your PC takes an age to load Windows, or pauses for a long thought before grudgingly playing that DVD you would like to watch? But does that mean it’s really on its last legs?
We’ll guide you through the 11 tests that, when their results are combined, will tell you whether your PC is still going strong, or ready to meet its maker (Dell, HP, Lenovo, or whoever). For example, we will show you how to take your PC’s temperature, test its processor and assess whether its memory is as good as it once was.
We’ll also explain what those random freezes, crashes and error messages really mean and how you can use them to identify where your computer is having problems. And, for each test, we will suggest the easiest ways you can improve your PC’s performance levels.
11-STEP HEALTH CHECK
1 The age of your computer
Why it’s important The components in your computer are like its vital organs, and as they age they become more prone to breaking down. Exactly when a component will cease to work is impossible to say, but age will increase the likelihood of a fault.
How do you find out? You probably know when you bought your PC, but does that represent its actual age? For example, you may have installed a new hard drive, some new memory (RAM) or a new processor. Does this mean your PC is suddenly a lot younger? In fact, to get philosophical, is it the same PC at all?
Replacing or upgrading at least two of the following vital components – processor, hard drive, video card, RAM or motherboard – means you can justifiably revise the age of your PC down. As a rule, consider your PC’s birthday to be half-way between when you bought your PC and the date of the earliest upgrade. So if you bought your PC four years ago, then replaced its hard drive after two years and added more RAM a year later, you should count your PC as being three years old.
Prolong its life This is simple but not cheap: replace or upgrade a few of your PC’s most easy-to-access components, such as its hard drive or RAM.
2 Which operating system do you use?
Why it’s important What operating system (OS) you use plays a big part in your computer’s ‘best before’ date. An ever-increasing number of popular programs, including Microsoft Office 2016, are no longer compatible with older operating systems like Windows Vista and XP. When your software options start to become restricted like this it might be time to consider a new PC (or at least upgrading the operating system).
How do you find out? Finding out what version of Windows you have is a doddle. Click the Start button and type system information. You’ll see the result at the top, and which edition.
Prolong its life Upgrading to Windows 10 (or at least Windows 7) means your PC is much more likely to run the latest software. This won’t always be possible though. Windows 10, for example, requires a 1GHz (or faster) processor, 1GB RAM (for 32bit processors) or 2GB RAM (for 64bit), and 16GB of free hard-drive space (20GB for 64bit systems).
To check the speed of your processor and how much RAM it has, open System Information again and look for Processor and Installed Physical Memory in the Item column. To check how much free hard-drive space you have, use File Explorer (Windows Explorer in XP, Vista and 7). Just right-click the C: drive and click Properties. Free space will be highlighted in pink.
3 How fast is your CPU?
Why it’s important If your computer’s components are its vital organs, then its central processing unit (CPU) is its brain. Every task you set your computer will go through the CPU, so it’s important the processor is able to keep pace with the demands of the latest software, browsers and operating systems.
How do you find out? Working out how fast your processor is from its name alone is impossible. Processor names normally comprise a string of words and numbers that make little sense to anyone who doesn’t actually work at Intel or AMD. For example, an old PC in the Computeractive office goes by the name: AMD Athlon(tm) II X4 640 Processor, 3000 Mhz 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s). While all those Mhz (megahertz) and cores sound impressive, this particular processor has seen better days.
The best way to test your processor is to use benchmarking software. This scores the CPU and lets you see how it measures up to the thousands of others that have also been tested. We recommend PassMark’s PerformanceTest. Go to www.snipca.com/22054 and download the latest version (PerformanceTest 9 at the time of writing). Install and open it and click Continue when prompted to get the program (PerformanceTest is free to use for 30 days, which is more than enough time for what you need to do).
Click Run on the orange CPU Mark section on the left to start the test (clicking Yes when prompted). Try not to use your PC while the process is running. When it finishes your processor will be given a CPU Mark (a number in the thousands). We’re more interested in the Percentile score though, so take a note of that. This shows you how your processor compares with the thousands of PCs that have been tested using PerformanceTest worldwide.
Prolong its life Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to give an old processor a new lease of life. It is possible to overclock a CPU in some cases to make it perform above its recommended speed, but we’d advise against doing this on older machines. Overclocking can not only break the processor due to increased stress, but can cause it to overheat as well (see test 6). By far the easiest way to get more processing power is to buy a new PC.
4 How fast is your PC’s RAM?
Why it’s important Memory – that is to say RAM, rather than the storage on your hard drive – is another crucial component in determining the overall wellbeing of a PC. It’s not simply a matter of adding up the amount of RAM you have installed though, because how quickly data can access your computer’s memory is just as important.
How do you find out? Once more we turn to PerformanceTest 9 (see previous tip). This time click the Memory Mark Run button. The test will be carried out in the background (but try not to use your PC while it runs) and give you a Percentile that you should take a note of.
Prolong its life Extra RAM can be easily added to your PC. The key to this is making sure you buy the right type because the fastest RAM will only work on the latest motherboards. Use Crucial’s Advisor tool (www.snipca.com/21491) and click the ‘download the scanner’ button. After it has downloaded, doubleclick the file and click Run. When the scan finishes, all available compatible RAM will be shown on Crucial’s website.
Memory is easy to install – just be sure to buy the memory sticks in pairs (so if you want to add 4GB of RAM, buy two 2GB sticks). Just remember to check your motherboard to see if it has free memory slots before you buy (if it has no spare slots you’ll need to completely replace the RAM you have with higher GB options).
5 How long is your PC’s boot time?
Why it’s important They say good things come to those who wait, but try telling that to someone waiting an age for Windows to boot up. If this sounds like you, it might be time to take action. A long boot time can indicate problems with your hard drive or CPU, or may mean that Windows’ startup process is clogged with programs all looking to load as your PC boots.
How do you find out? Calculating your PC’s boot time isn’t quite as simple as turning it off and on again, because it’s difficult to know when the process ends. Is it when the Windows logo appears? Or when you log in? Or when the desktop appears?
BootTimer is a tool that takes the guesswork out of the equation. Download it from www.thewindowsclub.com/windows-boot-timer (or use www.snipca.com/22065 to start the download directly). Double-click the download and click Run to open BootTimer, then click Yes to reboot your PC (make sure you’ve saved any open documents). Your PC will now restart (you will have to sign in as usual). Once the boot process is complete a BootTimer window will appear showing the exact time in seconds.
Prolong its life You can speed up your boot time in a couple of ways. The easiest is to reduce the startup programs that load when your PC boots. To do this in Windows 7 and 8.1, click the Start button, type msconfig, press Enter and click the Startup tab. In Windows 10, click Start, type task manager and click the Start-up tab. Untick (right-click and choose Disable in Windows 10) any programs you don’t need when you first boot your PC – CCleaner, iTunes, Spotify, PicPick, Google Photos and Evernote are all programs that we stopped from loading during startup on our test PC.
To significantly reduce boot times you can move from a traditional hard drive to a solid state drive (SSD). Follow the instructions on our sister website Alphr: www.snipca.com/22099.
6 How hot is your PC?
Why it’s important If your PC is running a temperature it will be much more prone to intermittent crashes and freezes. A high temperature could also damage its internal components – CPU, RAM, graphics card, hard drive – and make them more likely to fail.
How do you find out? Taking your PC’s temperature isn’t quite as simple as sticking a thermometer into its USB port. Instead you should use SpeedFan. To download it, go to www.snipca.com/22068 and click the SpeedFan 4.52 link in the Download section.
SpeedFan tells you how hot your PC is overall, and how hot your CPU is in particular (which is the most important result for the purposes of this test). In general, 60°C is the maximum you ever want your CPU to reach (unless you play graphically demanding games and have a PC with a sophisticated cooling system). 40-50 degrees is a much safer level.
Prolong its life The best way to cool your PC is to clean it. Dust and grime can slow any fans, block air ducts and cause the temperature to build. You can also add more fans to your computer by attaching them inside the case and plugging the fan’s power wire into your motherboard (if you’re unsure how to do this, consult a technician).
7 How often does your PC unexpectedly restart?
Why it’s important We’ve all suffered that annoying experience – typing happily away or enjoying a good film, when suddenly our PC decides to restart for no good reason. If this is a regular occurrence (and it isn’t caused by Windows Update), it’s a sign there’s something rotten in the state of your computer.
How do you find out? It will be fairly obvious. We suggest you spend a week making a tally of how often your PC restarts.
Prolong its life Constant restarts can be caused by loose power cables and problems with device drivers. Refer to our ‘Don’t pay for PC repairs cover feature for advice on how to check your PC for loose power cables.
To check your PC for any driver problems, click the Start button and type sysdm.cpl, then click the Advanced tab and click the Settings button under ‘Startup and Recovery’. Untick the ‘Automatically restart’ box and click OK. This will prevent your PC from restarting and cause it to show a Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) instead. Refer to the following test for how to use the Blue Screen of Death error screen to diagnose your PC’s problem.
8 How often do you see the Blue Screen of Death?
Why it’s important BSoD error messages are caused by software problems and corrupt files. If you’re regularly seeing these, it’s a good indicator that your PC has a serious fault.
How do you find out? Once again, try keeping a tally of BSoD occurrences over the course of a week. The error message is at least easy to spot, as it takes over your entire screen.
Prolong its life The best way to prevent the BSoD is to find out what the error message means. Have a look at our screenshot screenshot below: the important bits are those highlighted by a red ring. Type these into Google for information on the cause and how to fix it. If this doesn’t resolve the problem, you could try formatting your PC and reinstalling Windows from scratch. Just make sure you back up your important files first and make a list of the programs you own and use.
9 How often does your PC freeze?
Why it’s important If your PC regularly locks up – meaning the cursor refuses to move and you can’t do anything (such as type or open a new window) – it could mean your PC is overheating (graphics cards are particularly prone to crashing when they get too hot).
How do you find out? Keep a tally of how often your PC freezes through the course of a week. Only count instances where the PC freezes for 10 seconds or more, because shorter, harmless freezes are possible when you open a program or your PC completes a background task.
Prolong its life Cleaning the dust from inside your PC is a good way to bring down its temperature. You could also consider buying a new graphics card, although it’s not easy to know which one will fit with your motherboard. Our advice is to ask Nvidia or AMD – the two biggest manufacturers of graphics cards. Nvidia’s support page is at www.snipca.com/22109, while AMD’s is at www.snipca.com/22110.
10 Is your hard drive an HDD or SSD?
Why it’s important Hard disk drives (HDDs) have more moving parts than any other component in your PC and are therefore more likely to break down than others. In contrast, solid-state drives (SSDs) store data in a similar way to USB sticks and therefore don’t have any moving parts at all. This makes them much less likely to develop a fault than traditional hard drives, and they also transfer data more efficiently, making them faster.
How do you find out? By far the easiest way in Windows 8 and 10 is to use the Optimise Drives tool. Click Start, type optimise drives and press Enter. Find the system drive (which will have a Windows logo next to it) and look in the ‘Media type’ column to find out what type of drive you have. It will either say ‘Hard disk drive’ or ‘Solid state drive’.
For Windows 7 (and earlier) use the Device Manager. Click start, type device manager and press Enter. Next, click the arrow next to ‘Disk drives’. This will show you the name of the hard drive. Type this name into Google to find out what type of drive you have.
Prolong its life Though it’s nigh-on impossible to completely prevent unexpected mechanical failures in your hard drive, you can at least take some of the strain off it and thereby reduce the risk. Defragging a hard drive will rearrange the data on it more logically, thereby reducing the amount of time it spends looking for files. This will also speed up the drive itself (note: you don’t need to defrag an SSD).
Windows has a built-in defrag tool. Click Start, type defrag and press Enter to open it. Select the system drive (the one with the Windows logo next to it, usually the C drive) and click Optimise (in Windows 8 and 10) or ‘Defragment disk’ (in Windows 7). If this doesn’t work as well as you’d hoped, try the free program UltraDefrag (www.snipca.com/19324).
You can also test your hard drive for imminent failure. DiskCheckup will display a message if it finds anything wrong with your drive. You should back up any important files with EaseUS Todo Backup Free (www.snipca.com/21134).
11 What USB version does your PC have?
Why it’s important Having the latest version of USB on your PC will increase the speed at which data transfers between your PC and anything connected to it over a USB connection (such as external hard drives and USB sticks). Older versions, such as USB 1.0 or 2.0, not only slower but also a clear indication that your PC is getting on a bit. USB Type-C is the latest version, which is not only faster but easier to plug in because the connector can insert into the port either way (upside down).
How do you find out? The best way is to use the Device Manger (click Start, type device manager and press Enter). Find the ‘Universal Serial Bus controllers’ section and click the arrow next to it to expand it. Look for any entries that end in ‘Host Controller’. If the name of the Host Controller contains the word ‘universal’ you have USB 1.0 and if the name says ‘enhanced’ you have USB 2.0. If you have USB 3.0 the name will feature ‘USB 3.0’, and it will contain USB-C if you have USB Type-C.
In some cases, you can also physically check which ports you have. USB 3.0 ports are usually blue and are labelled SS (meaning Super Speed), while USB Type-C ports have a distinctly flat-oval shape (see image at www.snipca.com/22105).
Prolong its life Adding newer USB ports to your PC is one of the more straightforward upgrades you can carry out. Buy an expansion card (such as this one for £15 from Amazon – www.snipca.com/22106) and fit it into one of your PC’s spare PCI Express slots. If you’re unsure how to do this follow this workshop on our sister website Alphr: www.snipca.com/22107.