Slow tablet suggestions?

[travelover]

I'm not very techy when it comes to computers so I'm looking for a dumbed down answer as to why my Nook HD + has gotten so slow.

It is like a bad employee, it always seems to be busy, but not working on anything I need done.

I installed a cache cleaner and have eliminated all the apps that I don't really need (except for the crap loaded by Nook), but it takes forever to get going after being idle for awhile and is still slow doing simple tasks.

Any suggestions for how to figure out what it finds so much more important than my silly wants?

 

[ERD50]

Assuming you have completely re-booted it (did you? Memory gets allocated and only a full on/off will really clear it up sometimes), then maybe a full blown factory reset to defaults is in order? That will mean a fair amount of re-enetering setup info, but might be what's needed.

I don't know if the Nook has a 'task manager' (maybe an add-on app?) - something like that might show you if an app is using a lot of CPU and/or memory.

-ERD50

 

[bUU]

What are the apps you've installed over the last several months, going back to before you first started noting the table slowing down?

 

[travelover]

What are the apps you've installed over the last several months, going back to before you first started noting the table slowing down?

Just a few forums like this and Flipboard. Slow down has been gradual over several years, not abrupt.

 

[bUU]

That's natural. The more apps you add, the more likely one or another will take up residence in memory despite your intentions and slow the tablet down. Some of the battery saver apps claim to give you some control over this, but I found that the best approach for me was keeping the apps installed to just those I'm likely to use, relying on the ability to re-download apps wirelessly should I guess wrong.

 

[Meadbh]

I'm an iPad user, so can't comment on Nook specifics. Here are a couple of strategies I use:

1. Before shutting down, I regularly close all the apps I have used that session, which have been running in the background.
2. I periodically go into "Usage", which shows all the apps installed and how much space they are taking up. I delete rarely used apps. But the biggest chunk of storage is photographs. I share the ones I want with the cloud and delete the rest.

 

[MichaelB]

Just a few forums like this and Flipboard. Slow down has been gradual over several years, not abrupt.

Is the operating system being updated? That can easily be a cause of overload, as updated and newer versions are simply too big for older hardware.

 

[travelover]

Is the operating system being updated? That can easily be a cause of overload, as updated and newer versions are simply too big for older hardware.

Could be. That is what killed my Ipod 2

 

[easysurfer]

This thread made me happy I didn't get a tablet over the Amazon Prime sale .

 

[enginerd]

This thread made me happy I didn't get a tablet over the Amazon Prime sale .

Nook is Barnes & Noble. Kindle is Amazon. I have 4 Kindle Fires in my household (oldest was shipped the day it was released). Other than one battery death, I've never had any slowdown issues.
I have noticed with plenty of other tech (such as Ipod, Ipad, Iphone, Samsung galaxy) that the slowdown occurs slowly until you get a system upgrade and then BAM! it suddenly turns almost unusable.
The best solution is to backup any content you have and perform a full system wipe back to factory settings (unfortunately most system upgrades are irreversible). Then reinstall any content you need. If it's still too slow, it's time for an upgrade.

 

[folivier]

I have a Nexus 7 (original) that is useless from the latest OS upgrade.

 

[jim584672]

I have a Nook HD Plus. I turned on text to speech once. It totally froze up. Had to do a complete wipe and reinstall to get it back.

 

[Tree-dweller]

There is a software option available to convert your Nook to use android. I used it myself and love it. You download onto an sd card, and can dual-boot after. Link to site follows. https://www.n2acards.com/

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[zinger1457]

There is a software option available to convert your Nook to use android. I used it myself and love it. You download onto an sd card, and can dual-boot after. Link to site follows. https://www.n2acards.com/

That's what I did with my Nook Color but found it was still too slow for doing most things except reading books. For the Nook Color the slowness problem was more of a hardware issue than software, it just wasn't made to be a full blown tablet. Maybe the HD+ is a better fit.

 

[travelover]

The Nook HD does run an Android system.

Sent from my BNTV600 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[zinger1457]

The Nook HD does run an Android system.

I'm not familiar with the HD+, the Nook Color also ran on an android based OS but it was so locked down that you were very limited in what you could do.

 

[pixelville]

My guess would be an operating system upgrade made it slow.
As a policy, I never upgrade an OS beyond 1 major version. So if we bought a device that runs 7, I will upgrade to 8, maybe 8.1/8.2 but not to 9. Once did an OS upgrade after 2 versions and my iPad became unusable. Main disadvantage is new apps/upgrades are not available for old OS. I upgrade useful apps after upgrading OS and for a few months after that.

 

[Ian S]

The Nook hd+ version of Android is a modified 4.0 IIRC. I doubt there's been a system upgrade since the HD+ is obsolete at this point and barnes and Noble has instead gone with a modified Samsung product. I have a Nook HD+ that I've converted to dual boot using afncards.com products. They have KitKat 4.4 and it works pretty well. But I would first try a full reset of the existing Nook system. That really should get it back to its original snappiness.

 

[Tree-dweller]

The Nook hd+ version of Android is a modified 4.0 IIRC. I doubt there's been a system upgrade since the HD+ is obsolete at this point and barnes and Noble has instead gone with a modified Samsung product. I have a Nook HD+ that I've converted to dual boot using afncards.com products. They have KitKat 4.4 and it works pretty well. But I would first try a full reset of the existing Nook system. That really should get it back to its original snappiness.

Yes, Ian wrote it much clearer than I did in my earlier post, when I meant to convey the the upgrade was to Android 4.4 on my nook HD+. He used a different vendor for the same end result. I have found that having kitkat has expanded the number of apps available, but it will never be blazing fast due to its hardware limitations. But for the short money I paid for it, it suits my needs for now.

 

[travelover]

Thanks. Did I mention that I'm a tech dummy? Do Kitkats melt in the sun?

 

[Tree-dweller]

Ha! Yeah, android version names do get cute: kitkat (4.4), jellybean (4.2), ice cream sandwich (4.0), etc. I'm sure you could manage the upgrade with one of these cards if you wanted. The toughest part for me was finding and opening the cover for the slot in the Nook where the card is inserted!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[Ian S]

The names for Android versions are all confectionary-themed and run in alphabetical order: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean, KitKat and now Lollipop. I have the latter on my new cell phone and it's great. Especially compared to Donut which was on my first smartphone.

Back to the O.P.'s original issue. I think the best bet is a factory reset. According to this post it's a bit of a pain but greatly improves speed.

 

[travelover]

...........
Back to the O.P.'s original issue. I think the best bet is a factory reset. According to this post it's a bit of a pain but greatly improves speed.

Thanks, I may just do this.