ChaunceyK: I have a laptop that's around 4 years old, and it runs a lot slower than when it was new. I do all the regular stuff, like always installing Windows Updates & keeping AVGfree active & up to date. I don't even have a lot on my hard drive, so I don't see any need for defragmenting. My internet connection is great, I can watch YouTube without a problem at all. But starting the OS takes really long, as does starting/switching other programs.

So what do you suppose is causing this? I've heard reinstalling the OS can sometimes help. But if that's the case, should I go ahead and install Win10? I've been using Win7 (see pic) since I got the laptop. Obviously I could google for "how to speed up my pc" but then I'd just get a bunch of ads and crap. I trust members of this community, I'd rather hear from someone on here that I trust.