It’s the most common question we get at our Toton workshop: "My laptop used to be fast, but now it takes 10 minutes just to turn on. Do I need a new one?"
The honest answer? Probably not. In 90% of cases we see from customers in Beeston and Long Eaton, the laptop hardware is fine. The problem is usually one specific component.
1. The Hard Drive Bottleneck
Older laptops use Mechanical Hard Drives (HDD). These have spinning platters inside, like a record player. Over time, they get physically slower. Modern software (like Windows 11) expects fast data access that these old drives just can’t provide.
The Fix: SSD Upgrade
We swap your old HDD for a Solid State Drive (SSD). It has no moving parts and is 10x faster. It’s like upgrading your car’s engine from a lawnmower to a Ferrari.
2. Bloatware & Startup Apps
Every time you install a printer or a new casual game, it likely adds a helper program that runs every time you turn the computer on. We often see laptops trying to launch 20 different programs before you’ve even clicked your browser.
3. Running Out of RAM
If you keep 50 tabs open in Chrome, your computer runs out of short-term memory (RAM). When this happens, it starts using the slow hard drive as temporary memory, bringing everything to a crawl.
Don't Buy New. Upgrade.
A new laptop costs £500+. An SSD upgrade and service from Brooks Computers costs a fraction of that and often results in a faster machine.
Book a Health Check (£49)