10. Upgrade to an SSD

Okay so this we lied a little bit as this one isn’t free, but we couldn’t leave it off our list. Unlike traditional hard drives, SSDs (solid-state drives) have no moving parts which makes them far more efficient and therefore faster.

Whilst this would potentially speed up your computer significantly, it’s off-putting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the cost. You can expect to pay up to $250 for a new SSD which is by no means a small investment, and certainly not as easy to stomach as the other tips on this list. Secondly, changing the hard drive is not an easy task – it involves fiddling with the internal cables of the PC / laptop, which can sometimes lead to further issues.