Will I lose my files and programs when switching to an SSD?

No. We clone your current drive onto the new SSD, so your laptop boots exactly as before, with Windows, your programs and your files, just much faster. We still recommend keeping a backup.

How do I know if my laptop needs an SSD or RAM?

If it takes a long time to boot and open programs, it's the drive. If it freezes with several things open, it's the RAM. Often it's worth doing both. We check it in the free diagnostic.

Can every laptop take an SSD and more RAM?

Most Windows laptops can. Some ultra-thin models and several recent Macs have the memory soldered and can't be expanded. We confirm it with your exact model in hand.

How long does the upgrade take?

It depends on the size of the drive being cloned. In many cases you pick it up the same day; we give you a time estimate during the diagnostic.

Yes. We work on laptops and desktops from the major brands, Windows and Mac. On Macs we first confirm whether your model allows the upgrade.

Slow Laptop? SSD and RAM Give It Years of Life

If your laptop takes minutes to boot, freezes when you open a few tabs and the disk is always at 100%, it almost certainly needs an SSD and more RAM, not a new laptop. It's the single most impactful upgrade there is: the same machine, several times faster, with your programs and files intact.

Every week someone comes into the kiosk at Plaza Carolina Mall with the same story: "my laptop is painfully slow, I think it's time to buy a new one." And every week we tell them the same thing: before spending on a new one, let us take a look. In most cases the problem isn't that the laptop is old, but that it has a mechanical hard drive or too little memory. And that's fixable.

Why your laptop got slow

A laptop doesn't get slow for no reason. It's almost always one of these two things (or both):

The mechanical hard drive (HDD)

Many laptops, especially ones from a few years back, come with a traditional hard drive with spinning parts. Windows, your programs and your files live there, and every time you open something the drive has to physically go find it. Over time it fragments, wears down and everything takes longer. If you open Task Manager and the disk sits at 100% even when you're not doing anything, that's your problem.

Too little RAM

RAM is where the laptop keeps what you have open right now. If there isn't much of it, the moment you open a browser with several tabs, a document and a video call, it fills up and the laptop starts using the disk as memory (which is far slower). The result: everything freezes.

What changes with an SSD and more RAM

An SSD (solid-state drive) has no spinning parts: it finds what it needs instantly. Going from HDD to SSD is the most noticeable upgrade you can make to a computer:

It boots in seconds, not minutes.
Programs open immediately.
The disk stops sitting at 100% and the laptop responds.
It's quieter and handles bumps better, because there are no mechanical parts.

Adding more RAM lets you keep many things open at once without freezing. Together, the two upgrades turn a slow laptop into a fast one and set it up for several more years. It's part of our computer and laptop repair service.

Upgrade or new laptop?

This is the honest question, and here's how we answer it:

The upgrade makes sense if:

The laptop turns on and works, just slowly.
It has a mechanical drive or little RAM (we confirm it in the diagnostic).
You use it for browsing, office work, school, video calls or everyday tasks.
You don't want to reinstall everything or migrate your files.

Think twice if:

The memory is soldered and the drive is already an SSD (true of some ultra-thin models and several recent Macs).
The screen, hinge or board are also damaged.
You need power for heavy video editing or demanding games that the current processor can't deliver.

Either way, we tell you straight. The diagnostic is free on any device that powers on, and we never start a job until you approve the price.

How we do the upgrade at Fix On Wheels

Free diagnostic. We check what drive and how much RAM it has, and what your exact model supports.
Price before we start, tax included.
Drive cloning. We copy your current drive onto the new SSD: Windows, your programs and your files, all the same. You boot up and everything is where you left it, just fast.
RAM installation and stability testing.
Handoff and test with you. You boot the laptop at the kiosk and see the difference.

We work on laptops and desktops from the major brands, Windows and Mac. Most repairs come with a 60-day warranty, and your invoice shows the exact warranty for each service; the table is in our store policies.

Get a cleaning while you're at it

If the laptop also runs hot, makes noise or shuts off on its own, make the most of the visit: we do internal cleaning and fresh thermal paste, and if it has viruses or a corrupted system, we clean it or reinstall. All in the same quote.

Bring it to Plaza Carolina today

We're on the second level of Plaza Carolina Mall, across from Victoria's Secret, Journeys and Kokomo. Open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM and Sundays from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Walk in or book your appointment online. Bring the laptop and the charger.

Want to know if your model supports the upgrade before coming in? Call us at (787) 717-7605 with the brand and model and we'll confirm it.

Slow laptop: why an SSD and more RAM give it years of life