Yes, it's an upgrade.
Yes, it's an upgrade.
Hard drive can also fall victim to issues. I checked what you mentioned, and I should have done that earlier. Now I understand the situation better. Your laptop is clearly outdated and performs poorly based on reviews. Upgrading Windows won’t help and might even slow things down further. I’m not sure about your budget, but I suggest choosing something more powerful—something in the $500 to $1000 range would be ideal for work use. Your current device no longer justifies the effort.
It’s nice of you to assist, thanks! Yes, it’s a bit outdated, but buying isn’t an option right now, so I’m trying everything I can. I checked the performance monitor and CPU—AMD E-300 is consistently near 99% most of the time. I also mentioned RAM because 4GB doesn’t fully load for a 64-bit OS, and it’s likely adding to the slowdown even if not visible on the monitor.
Here’s what I did:
1. Ran a malware scan with PC Toolkit.
2. Removed startup programs like PowerDVD, Camera, WildTangent, and disabled non-essential software.
3. Uninstalled some Metro apps that displayed news or GIF wallpapers.
4. Changed power settings to always prioritize performance mode, even on battery.
5. In advanced settings, selected the performance option and turned off all visual enhancements except fonts.
I read Windows 10 performs better than Windows 8, but only if you have good specs. This might be a limitation of an older laptop, which is why I asked for advice. I’m not sure about Norton’s impact, but I’m open to suggestions on improving performance. Let me know if you have any ideas!
Based on your setup, I’d skip Norton entirely. Windows Defender works well now, and lighter loads mean better performance on older hardware. Wild Tangent is mainly malicious code—I’d delete it rather than let it run.
Malwarebytes didn't flag it as a threat, but I don't notice it anymore—it likely got cleared after uninstalling several demo games.