Idk, it’s frustrating how bloated things are

Or so I heard a Q-Anoner say...

Must have done it wrong

and trying to get crap done asap so i can have a reasonable facsimile of life.

I'm using forms downloaded from web and I wonder if this is some sort of security wall. Even after i enter.my data and save, takes longer than it used to to open them, and I'm randomly seeing thatmbanner warning and that its locked for editing.

I have a 2017 Dell laptop that I paid about $500 for. Processor is a core i7 7th gen.

Office Depot says it should be sufficient to do the 99% document production work I do (no graphics, no gaming). But it's so slow and the fan motor runs alot.

I also have satellite internet, so slow there, too. Hard to tell where the slowdown is sometimes.

I'm looking at a new LG. Well rated in Consumer Reports. But i don't understand the chip comparison very well. Costco has a 17 inch with an i7 10th or 11th? gen on sale for $1100 + $130 for Office Suite installed.

Any wisdom you'd like to share?

Don't jettison it just yet.

Take a look at my other post on this thread. You should be able to fix most of the problems, which are probably more in the way of cleaning up the junk files that build up on a PC over time.

You may want to do a repair function: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/repair-an-office-application-7821d4b6-7c1d-4205-aa0e-a6b40c5bb88b

Of course, as is somewhat typical, this says if it doesn't work, reinstall the app.

I have had this happen to my office laptop on opening Outlook. I usually get my IT colleagues to do something (which I think has to do with how much free space I have for Outlook). But even for 100 page Word docs with footnotes, tables, etc, it has never taken more than a few seconds to open a document.

where he retired last year! Thanks, though.

I think I will get a new machine and use this one for backup?

It's so weird that ALL the forms I'm downloading, that I'm required to use - old .docs, now, even after I save them, have that warning banner and are locked for editing.

My suspicion is the slow down is due to stiffer security with all the recent hacks?

Also...the motor on this thing is now running CONSTANTLY!

Just don't know what the best replacement laptop would be?

Thanks!

I use these regularly on my PCs, and they clean up a lot of issues. One is called Advanced System Care and the other is called CCleaner (which used to mean "crap cleaner" ). I have been using both for about 7 years or so.

Take a look at them (and others) here at this safe site (and also make sure you read the reviews and get the right one for you): https://download.cnet.com/utilities/windows/ . It is amazing how well these programs can tune-up your system. They use a lot of Windows own software, but make it more user friendly.

The motor running is probably your computer's fan. It shouldn't be running all the time.

I have several laptops that are 5-8 years old. Not a lot can go wrong with them. Worst case, you can make them high-end Chromebooks for no cost.

On edit: I think you are better off get this (Glary Utilities: https://download.cnet.com/Glary-Utilities/3000-18512_4-10508531.html ) rather than Advanced Systemcare. I've used ASC for years, but recent reviews are much lower than previous ones. I might switch to Glary too.

My husband just purchased AVG tune-up he's thinking of installing?

I'm just wondering with my busy, often deadline-heavy requirement, I shouldn't get something faster and keep the Dell for backup? That way we can tweak the Dell and get it running better.

Do you think the IT companies are tweaking things to upgrade security behind the scenes?

This fan running issue is kinda scary!

Thanks, Merry!

I am not an expert, but I have tinkered with computers since the early 80s. Many problems are fixable.

If you already have AVG tune-up, that should work too.

Honestly, c4p, if you were a gamer etc or doing heavy-duty work (in terms of taxing the computer), I would say yes. But, it sounds like you are more like me in that you work hard on your computer with creating documents, email, surfing. In terms of taxing the computer, that's pretty low.

Unless you want to get a new PC, I wouldn't. Just back up your documents and other files like pix, music, etc, and then clean up your computer. I've had a lot of friends who have complained about similar issues with their PCs. If you use the tune-up software, it makes a big difference.

Sadly, in my experience, Windows degrades over time, and you have to maintain it. The AVG program or the others I have mentioned automate the maintenance. Similarly, browsers get bloated from websites you've visited, cookies, and other "junk", a lot of which slows your internet experience down. Similarly, you need to maintain these too.

The other thing is that the price of PCs has skyrocketed, as there is a massive chip shortage around the world.

Note that there have been some serious worldwide internet outages and other issues in the past few weeks. That might slow you down for internet related work, but it shouldn't affect your use of Word.

I honestly think you're better off cleaning up your PC and seeing how things work after that. Unless you REALLY want a new PC!

Can you take it apart & look?

I got tired of buying the cans of compressed air, and bought a small electric one. Does the trick just fine and I don't have to ever buy those cans again.

Compressed air is great for many things on the PC like cleaning out keyboards (hint: turn the keyboard upside down if possible and then clean the hell out of each key with compressed air. You'd be amazed as to what comes out!)

It's also really useful for so many househouses (cleaning dirt out of window channels, vents, etc, etc)

That being said, it probably is a software issue that's causing this to happen, with to many processes happening. Impossible to say for sure without seeing it.

But compressed air or shop vac on reverse works too. 👍

My husband just purchased AVG tune-up he's thinking of installing?

I'm just wondering with my busy, often deadline-heavy requirement, I shouldn't get something faster and keep the Dell for backup? That way we can tweak the Dell and get it running better.

Do you think the IT companies are tweaking things to upgrade security behind the scenes?

This fan running issue is kinda scary!

Any recommendations for laptops for a small sole proprietor who only does word processing documents?

Thanks, Merry!

Your fan running constantly is a great signal that some process is spinning on your machine, taking all of it's cycles ... and leaving almost none for your Word process.

There are innumerable things that can cause this ... from something moderately innocuous like an "automatic update" that Windows is doing in the background, to some normal program deciding to get crazy and spin hard, to malware running on your machine and trying to mine bitcoins at your expense.

If a reboot doesn't resolve the issue, you should (at least) run "Task Manager" or "Perfmon" to try and identify where your CPU cycles have gone. Running some malware software check would be a good idea as well.

Good luck!

I'm on an old computer with a old version of Word on it.

It opens right up!

I don't get why you are having this problem.
Nope!

That program has a maze of infuriating and useless codes that screw up everything. It also makes the program cumbersome and difficult to use.

I don't do Word, I avoid Microsoft at all costs, but ....

I was using a ridiculously cheap Android tablet to read an eBook. And it was incredibly slow.

So on a hunch, I turned *OFF* WiFi (and networking) and it got quite fast. It was downloading ads (et al) and taking cycles away from what I was trying to do.

The point is that something on your machine is possibly trying to phone home and making the rest of your machine slow.

Word shouldn't do that (I don't think?), but who knows what else is on your machine (and we'll just ignore the possibility of malware...).

Just a random thought, maybe it'll help. Good luck

Also, do a periodic virus scan if it's not already being done automatically.