I have a Lenovo ThinkPad running Windows 11 with an Intel Core i5-10310U, 16 GB of RAM, a 64-bit system, and Intel UHD integrated graphics. The SSD is using about 198 GB of its 357 GB capacity. After startup, the laptop remains sluggish for roughly a minute after I sign in, and applications later freeze or become unresponsive. What step-by-step troubleshooting should I try to identify and fix the cause?
3 Answers
Start by booting into Safe Mode. Hold Shift while selecting Restart, then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart and select Safe Mode. If the laptop runs normally there, a startup program or driver is probably causing the problem. In normal Windows, open Task Manager and check the Startup apps and Processes tabs for anything consuming unusually high CPU, memory, or disk usage. Disable nonessential startup programs, install Windows and Lenovo driver updates, and restart. You can also run Command Prompt as administrator and use `sfc /scannow` to check for damaged system files.
If troubleshooting does not help, back up your files and perform a clean Windows installation or use Windows Reset. That can remove broken drivers, corrupted software, and years of accumulated startup clutter. Do not change BIOS or disk settings without a verified backup. A Linux distribution such as Linux Mint or Debian is another option if you are comfortable reinstalling the computer, but it is not required just because the laptop has 16 GB of RAM.
Sixteen gigabytes of RAM is enough for Windows 11, so downgrading to Windows 10 is not necessary and is a bad long-term option now that it is out of support. Check how much memory and disk activity browsers, antivirus software, cloud-sync tools, and other startup applications are using. Also make sure the SSD has a reasonable amount of free space and check its health if the system continues freezing.
Thanks, I’ll start with Safe Mode and check Task Manager before making any major changes.