Computer so slow it’s almost not usable.
deejay
I don’t know where to begin in solving this as I don’t know how to determine
if the problem is hardware vs. software.
When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my files,
as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and that
takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and wait
for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
slow…word, excel, opening/closing programs, etc.
I have Avast installed and up to date. I’ve run several other things looking
for virus/malware problem…Adaware, Malwarebytes, Advanced System Care,
CCleaner... No problems ever found.
I’ve run Disk Cleanup and Disk Check and I have Smart Defrag (Iobit)
installed.
Copied the following from “System Information”
OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name KIDSCOMPUTER
System Manufacturer Gateway
System Model 838GM
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~3000 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Intel Corp. AG91510J.15A.0816.2005.0214.1818, 2/14/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.5512 (xpsp.080413-2111)"
User Name KIDSCOMPUTER\Deb
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 90.42 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 2.69 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys
Hardware Resources /Conflicts-Sharing (sorry, I don’t know how to interpret
this so I don’t know if this info is helpful)
I/O Port 0x00000000-0x00000CF7 PCI bus
I/O Port 0x00000000-0x00000CF7 Direct memory access controller
IRQ 23 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM USB Universal Host Controller - 2658
IRQ 23 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 265C
IRQ 16 Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family
IRQ 16 Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio
IRQ 16 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2662
IRQ 16 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM USB Universal Host Controller - 265B
IRQ 17 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2660
IRQ 17 OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller
IRQ 18 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2664
IRQ 18 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM USB Universal Host Controller - 265A
Memory Address 0x20000000-0xE0000000 PCI bus
Memory Address 0x20000000-0xE0000000 Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express
Chipset Family
IRQ 19 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2666
IRQ 19 Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM USB Universal Host Controller - 2659
IRQ 19 Intel(R) 82801FB Ultra ATA Storage Controllers - 2651
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF PCI bus
Memory Address 0xA0000-0xBFFFF Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family
Hardware Resources/Memory
0xF0000000-0xFBFFFFFF PCI bus OK
0xE0000000-0xEFFFFFFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFED13000-0xFED13FFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFED14000-0xFED17FFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFED18000-0xFED18FFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFED19000-0xFED19FFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFED1C000-0xFED1FFFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFED20000-0xFED9FFFF Motherboard resources OK
0xFEC00000-0xFEC000FF Advanced programmable interrupt controller OK
0xA0000-0xBFFFF PCI bus OK
0xA0000-0xBFFFF Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family OK
0xC0000-0xFFFFF PCI bus OK
0x20000000-0xE0000000 PCI bus OK
0x20000000-0xE0000000 Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family OK
0x30000000-0x3000FFFF PCI Soft Data Fax Modem with SmartCP OK
0x30010000-0x3001FFFF NETGEAR WG311v3 802.11g Wireless PCI Adapter OK
0x30020000-0x3002FFFF NETGEAR WG311v3 802.11g Wireless PCI Adapter OK
0x30030000-0x30030FFF Intel(R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection OK
0x30031000-0x30031FFF OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller OK
0x30100000-0x3017FFFF Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family OK
0x30180000-0x301BFFFF Intel(R) 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family OK
0x301C0000-0x301C3FFF Microsoft UAA Bus Driver for High Definition Audio OK
0x301C4000-0x301C43FF Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM USB2 Enhanced Host Controller -
265C OK
0x30200000-0x302FFFFF Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2660 OK
0x30300000-0x303FFFFF Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2662 OK
0x30400000-0x304FFFFF Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2664 OK
0x30500000-0x305FFFFF Intel(R) 82801FB/FBM PCI Express Root Port - 2666 OK
Drive C:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 228.21 GB (245,039,312,896 bytes)
Free Space 194.38 GB (208,713,580,544 bytes)
Volume Name
Drive D:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System FAT32
Size 4.66 GB (5,007,589,376 bytes)
Free Space 757.38 MB (794,169,344 bytes)
Volume Name RECOVERY
Problem Devices
1394 Net Adapter V1394\NIC1394\B64714132000 This device is disabled.
Thanks, in advance, to anyone who can help me!
dj
David H. Lipman
| Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so incredibly slow?
| I don�t know where to begin in solving this as I don�t know how to determine
| if the problem is hardware vs. software.
| When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
| load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my files,
| as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and that
| takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and wait
| for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
| slow�word, excel, opening/closing programs, etc.
| I have Avast installed and up to date. I�ve run several other things looking
| for virus/malware problem�Adaware, Malwarebytes, Advanced System Care,
| CCleaner... No problems ever found.
| I�ve run Disk Cleanup and Disk Check and I have Smart Defrag (Iobit)
| installed.
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 90.42 MB
Add more RAM. It's cheap.
Go to the local OfficeMax, Staples, etc, and add 1GB or replace ith 512MB module with 2 x
1GB modules.
--
Dave
http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
Multi-AV - http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp
Unknown
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353
See if this speeds things up and post back your
results
"deejay" <dee...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:622348F3-C2CC-4F2D...@microsoft.com...
> Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so incredibly
> slow?
> I don't know where to begin in solving this as I don't know how to
> determine
> if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
> load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my
> files,
> as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and
> that
> takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and
> wait
> for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
> slow.word, excel, opening/closing programs, etc.
>
> I have Avast installed and up to date. I've run several other things
> looking
> for virus/malware problem.Adaware, Malwarebytes, Advanced System Care,
Jim
"David H. Lipman" <DLipman~nospam~@Verizon.Net> wrote in message
news:%23g9GFyy...@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> From: "deejay" <dee...@discussions.microsoft.com>
>
> | Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so incredibly
> slow?
> | I don't know where to begin in solving this as I don't know how to
> determine
> | if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> | When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
> | load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my
> files,
> | as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and
> that
> | takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and
> wait
> | for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
>
> | I have Avast installed and up to date. I've run several other things
> looking
> | CCleaner... No problems ever found.
>
> | I've run Disk Cleanup and Disk Check and I have Smart Defrag (Iobit)
> | installed.
>
>
> Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
> Available Physical Memory 90.42 MB
>
> Add more RAM. It's cheap.
> Go to the local OfficeMax, Staples, etc, and add 1GB or replace ith 512MB
> module with 2 x
> 1GB modules.
>
> --
> Dave
> http://www.claymania.com/removal-trojan-adware.html
> Multi-AV - http://www.pctipp.ch/downloads/dl/35905.asp
>
>
512MB. This indicates lots and lots and lots of pagefaults. Dave's advice
would significantly reduce the number of pagefaults, and the machine would
surely run faster.
Jim
Randem
would be moot. Otherwise you can look here for some suggestions...
http://www.randem.com/virusproblems.html
--
Randem Systems
Your Installation Specialist
The Top Inno Setup Script Generator
http://www.randem.com/innoscript.html
Disk Read Error Press Ctl+Alt+Del to Restart
http://www.randem.com/discus/messages/9402/9406.html?1236319938
"deejay" <dee...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:622348F3-C2CC-4F2D...@microsoft.com...
> Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so incredibly
> slow?
> I don't know where to begin in solving this as I don't know how to
> determine
> if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
> load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my
> files,
> as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and
> that
> takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and
> wait
> for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
> slow.word, excel, opening/closing programs, etc.
>
> I have Avast installed and up to date. I've run several other things
> looking
> for virus/malware problem.Adaware, Malwarebytes, Advanced System Care,
![PA Bear [MS MVP]'s profile photo](http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a-/ALV-UjXsf05hH-R8XChS3fXPPzfoO8FYYxAKhT86KfPnIELr3QJ9tQ=s40-c)
PA Bear [MS MVP]
Help! My computer is slow!
http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002
HeyBub
> Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so
> incredibly slow? I don't know where to begin in solving this as I
> don't know how to determine if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop
> to load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work
> with my files, as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of
> picture editing and that takes an incredible amount of time now. I
> click on something and sit and wait for the screen to change.
> opening/closing programs, etc.
>
> I have Avast installed and up to date. I've run several other things
Shot in the dark:
Remove or disable all network components, that is, start in Safe Mode with
networking disabled. Does this make any difference?
Sometimes the computer tries to interrogate a network connection that's not
there or search a network resource that doesn't contain what's needed. All
this waiting for a response that will never come can add up to a bunch.
Nate Grossman
>What David said.
I don't THINK so. XP should do fine on 521mb of RAM... and that
amount of RAM wouldn't cause a 15-minute boot to Windows.
C'mon, guys. The computer worked fine at one time.
David H. Lipman
| "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>What David said.
| I don't THINK so. XP should do fine on 521mb of RAM... and that
| amount of RAM wouldn't cause a 15-minute boot to Windows.
| C'mon, guys. The computer worked fine at one time.
Yes, before he loaded all that software he has on it and moved it from plain Jane vanilla
to a modified system.
Nate Grossman
>From: "Nate Grossman" <nategr...@stvryn.com>
>
>| "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>>What David said.
>
>| I don't THINK so. XP should do fine on 521mb of RAM... and that
>| amount of RAM wouldn't cause a 15-minute boot to Windows.
>
>| C'mon, guys. The computer worked fine at one time.
>
>Yes, before he loaded all that software he has on it and moved it from plain Jane vanilla
>to a modified system.
I have an XP system that's LOADED to the hilt with software... it's
been up and running for over 8 years. I only recently added another
256megs of RAM to it. Before that, it ran fine.
RAM is not the problem. The OP needs to follow all the advice in the
URL Bear posted.
David H. Lipman
>>From: "Nate Grossman" <nategr...@stvryn.com>
>>>>What David said.
Since WinXP came out in ~'02 "over 8 years" is an exaggeration.
What you do with your PC, what habits you perform or don't perform, etc. are not really
characteristic of others. You can be loaded to the hilt and the makority may not load as
a NT service or as a stub/TSR.
I don't provide this information based upon my experience with my homebuilt ASUS PC but on
the hundreds of desktops and notebooks that I have maintained over the years.
If I was to take is by my own peronsal experience...
My homebuilt ASUS based system employing wide and narrow SCSI controllers worked just
dandy with 1GB. Then I added Smart Card middleware and there was a marked difference in
startup load time due to the loading of NT Services and programs running throup the
various startup locations.
Now the OP gave much information that was really unneccessary for this discussion. What
was needed was what's beeing loaded. For example is Quicktime, MusicMatch and many other
stubs being loaded ? What daemons are being loaded ?
Without specific information on what is being loaded one must conclude what is being
loaded is desired by the OP and if so then the "Available Physical Memory 90.42 MB" is
insufficient and the memory can and should be beefed-up.
Nate Grossman
>From: "Nate Grossman" <nategr...@stvryn.com>
>
>| "David H. Lipman" <DLipman~nospam~@Verizon.Net> wrote:
>
>>>From: "Nate Grossman" <nategr...@stvryn.com>
>
>>>| "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>>>>What David said.
>
>>>| I don't THINK so. XP should do fine on 521mb of RAM... and that
>>>| amount of RAM wouldn't cause a 15-minute boot to Windows.
>
>>>| C'mon, guys. The computer worked fine at one time.
>
>>>Yes, before he loaded all that software he has on it and moved it from plain Jane
>>>vanilla
>>>to a modified system.
>
>| I have an XP system that's LOADED to the hilt with software... it's
>| been up and running for over 8 years. I only recently added another
>| 256megs of RAM to it. Before that, it ran fine.
>
>| RAM is not the problem. The OP needs to follow all the advice in the
>| URL Bear posted.
>
>Since WinXP came out in ~'02 "over 8 years" is an exaggeration.
You're wrong: it was released in October of '01. And my math sucks
('01 to '09 = 8 years)
Mike Hall - MVP
news:rga115pq4qa0l5dqc...@4ax.com...
Windows XP runs like a Dachshund in 512mb, especially if the RAM is shared
with video..
--
Mike Hall - MVP Windows Experience
http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/
Mike Hall - MVP
news:622348F3-C2CC-4F2D...@microsoft.com...
Go to this website.. www.pcpitstop.com and run the full tests. It may give
some clue as to why your system is slow.. just run the tests.. DO NOT CLICK
ON ANY SOFTWARE ADS WHICH CLAIM TO SPEED UP YOUR SYSTEM..
Leythos
says...
>
> Windows XP runs like a Dachshund in 512mb, especially if the RAM is shared
> with video..
>
Xp with 512MB runs just fine, it's just as fast as with 1GB - it's the
apps that run better with more memory.
I know people that see no difference between using Word 2003 on XP/SP2
with 512MB and 1GB.
Were the felt difference comes is when the used memory, right after
booting XP, shows more than 300MB of used memory. If you've got more
than 300MB of memory in use, before you launch any apps, then you've got
a lot of unnecessary things loaded/running.
--
- Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
- Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a
drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"
spam9...@rrohio.com (remove 999 for proper email address)
Unknown
just finished upgrading such a PC for a friend.
"Mike Hall - MVP" <mike...@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:%23dr$cA21JH...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
Bill in Co.
show noticeable improvement by upgrading it 512 MB.
Unknown
ram (512+256) and a faster hard drive, old drive
had a transfer rate of less than half the speed of a
normal PATA drive.
"Bill in Co." <not_rea...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:%23$laPO21J...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
Paul
The machine ships with 512MB of DDR RAM (PC3200) in it. It is expandable to 4GB, using 4x1GB
sticks and removing the original stick or sticks. The machine has a 3GHz P4 processor, so
it shouldn't be a slouch.
http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/gateway-838gm-media-center/4507-3118_7-31576776.html?tag=mncol;psum
An upgrade, would be to purchase a kit of two memory sticks. This is a 2x1GB PC3200
kit with low CAS latency. You'd put this in slot 1 and slot 3, leaving the
other two slots empty. Put the original 512MB in an antistatic bag for the
future (if there is ever any trouble with the new memory).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16820227210
One reason for using two sticks, is to leave some room for airflow around
the modules. A second reason, is to take advantage of dual channel memory
operation.
If you were to install a total of four sticks, the computer would only
report somewhere between 3.2GB and 3.5GB free. There is an address
space limitation, that would prevent a total of 4GB from being
usable. The 2x1GB configuration is the best configuration, as
it won't be wasting anything. Adding the original 512MB stick back
into the machine, while it would work, would slow the box down.
Double check the documentation that comes with the computer, regarding
the memory type. In this case, the most trustworthy documentation,
is what came with the computer. The info I can find on the web, wasn't as
useful as I'd hoped.
*******
I think there is something else wrong, and while more memory will help,
it isn't the root of the problem.
You can run HDTune on the disk drive, and see whether it gives a normal
result or not. A 7200RPM drive transfers data at 60MB/sec near the
beginning of the disk, and 35-40MB/sec near the end of the disk. The
transfer rate graph is a curve, which declines as you get further from
the beginning of the disk.
(Your disk should be faster than this example...)
http://images.msiwind.net/albums/userpics/10007/HDTune.jpg
If HDTune has a "flat line" graph, that tells you the interface
to the drive is not running at its normal speed. A slow operating
mode, for example, is called "PIO", instead of "UDMA".
http://www.hdtune.com/hdtune_255.exe
There are plenty of other things that can slow down a computer.
Many of them could be related to some piece of software in use.
One thing that bothers me a bit, about the information you've posted,
is the amount of memory that is being used, at the point you collected
that table of results. I'd open Task Manager, and see what processes
are using all that memory. You can get to Task Manager, by using
control-alt-delete, amongst other ways. For example, on my machine
with 2GB installed, I use maybe 140MB right after the system has
booted and no user programs are running. That number can vary,
depending on options the user has selected. (My "Total Paging"
is set to 2GB and for some reason, I used a custom setting to
do that.)
This is what my Task Manager shows, when I have 10 browser windows
and half a dozen programs running.
Totals Physical Memory (K)
Handles 5617 Total 2096364 <--- I have 2GB of memory sticks
Threads 296 Available 1660316
Processes 26 System Cache 661164
Commit Charge (K)
Total 426268 <---- amount I'm using right now
Limit 4038724 <---- 2GB physical memory plus 2GB paging file
Peak 1141768 <---- biggest "Total" I had today (notice this is
less than my Physical Memory installed)
Another thing you can try, is run this program, and verify your
vital statistics. If Enhanced Intel SpeedStep is enabled,
the processor can alternate between 3GHz and some slower speed.
The slower speed is used to save power when the system is idle.
As long as there is some process, keeping the CPU busy, the
CPU should run at full speed.
Screenshot of CPUZ. A 3GHz processor, with a FSB800 front side bus.
http://www.devhardware.com/administrator/rhinoCms/__UFMPGGat8W/img/cp...@3ghz.gif
HTH,
Paul
PA Bear [MS MVP]
best.
Jon
If the original poster adds extra memory, it probably will speed things up, but I think it's likely
to still be slow.
There another problem that's causing this.
"Mike Hall - MVP" <mike...@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:%23dr$cA21JH...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
Ken Blake, MVP
> I don't agree with that at all. XP boots up quickly and runs well on 512Mb.
> If the original poster adds extra memory, it probably will speed things up, but I think it's likely
> to still be slow.
I agree with you in general, but would like to add some clarifications
here:
1. How quickly XP boots is generally much more related to what
programs start automatically than how much RAM you have.
How well XP runs with 512MB depends on what apps you run. How much RAM
you need for good performance is *not* a one-size-fits-all situation.
You get good performance if the amount of RAM you have keeps you from
using the page file significantly, and that depends on what apps you
run. Most people running XP with a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere between 256MB and 512MB works well,
others need more. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less
than 256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things like editing
large photographic images, can see a performance boost by adding even
more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
3. Whether adding more RAM than 512MB will speed things up depends,
once again, on what those things are--what apps you're running. Many
people will see no improvement by going above 512MB.
>
> There another problem that's causing this.
>
>
> "Mike Hall - MVP" <mike...@mvps.org> wrote in message
> news:%23dr$cA21JH...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> "Nate Grossman" <nategr...@stvryn.com> wrote in message
> news:rga115pq4qa0l5dqc...@4ax.com...
> > "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >>What David said.
> >
> > I don't THINK so. XP should do fine on 521mb of RAM... and that
> > amount of RAM wouldn't cause a 15-minute boot to Windows.
> >
> > C'mon, guys. The computer worked fine at one time.
> >
> >>Also see...
> >>
> >>Help! My computer is slow!
> >>http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html
>
>
> Windows XP runs like a Dachshund in 512mb, especially if the RAM is shared
> with video..
>
>
> --
>
> Mike Hall - MVP Windows Experience
> http://msmvps.com/blogs/mikehall/
>
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
Richard
"deejay" <dee...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:622348F3-C2CC-4F2D...@microsoft.com...
> slow?
> I don't know where to begin in solving this as I don't know how to
> determine if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop
> to load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with
> my files, as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture
> editing and that takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on
> something and sit and wait for the screen to change. Pictures is just
> etc.
>
> I have Avast installed and up to date. I've run several other things
> System Care, CCleaner... No problems ever found.
>
> I've run Disk Cleanup and Disk Check and I have Smart Defrag (Iobit)
> installed.
[snip]
> Problem Devices
> 1394 Net Adapter V1394\NIC1394\B64714132000 This device is disabled.
>
> Thanks, in advance, to anyone who can help me!
> dj
I agree with David, Jim, JS and PA Bear, and partly with Nate. Even with
only the minimum 64MB memory for XP, it should not take 15 minutes to
boot. I compared my System Information with yours and it is almost
identical, the only obvious difference is you have 512MB memory, and I
have 1024MB. My cold start up takes less than a minute. My only problem
device was my disabled modem, (which was not active.)
You mentioned "Smart Defrag" - I'm not familiar with that. Is it set to
defrag on startup? or on the fly as files are added or deleted? or what?
My gut instinct, from all I've read, is either a faulty power supply,
fan, or malware.
You're welcome.
--Richard
Unknown
boot can be caused by AV software. Some products
now include "Boot Scans" and "Quick Scans"
(when you log on), compound this with other programs
that load when you first log on and you can see a noticeable
slowdown from a PC that you just re-installed XP to the
same PC after one or more AV products are installed on.
This doesn't explain away excessively long "15 Minute Boot"
times but the more icon you see at the right hand end of the
Taskbar means the longer your left hand has to wait.
--
JS
http://www.pagestart.com
http://pagestart.blogspot.com/
"deejay" <dee...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:622348F3-C2CC-4F2D...@microsoft.com...
> Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so incredibly
> slow?
> I don't know where to begin in solving this as I don't know how to
> determine
> if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
> load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my
> files,
> as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and
> that
> takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and
> wait
> for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
> slow.word, excel, opening/closing programs, etc.
>
> I have Avast installed and up to date. I've run several other things
> looking
> for virus/malware problem.Adaware, Malwarebytes, Advanced System Care,
deejay
First, I want to thank each of you for taking the time to help me. I really
appreciate it!
I spent hours working on this Sunday but wasn’t able to do anything
yesterday. I’m looking at it now for the first time today, so bear with me if
my details are fuzzy. To reiterate, I really think something has happened or
changed to make my computer as slow as it is right now. It definitely was not
always like this. I have some additional information that may, or may not, be
useful and I want to report what I’ve done/found so far. Nothing has helped,
by the way!
I thought of three things that have changed recently: I didn’t mention these
initially because I haven’t been able to connect any of them directly to this
problem and I figured it would just complicate my question. So, for what it’s
worth:
1. About two months ago, there was an additional laptop added to our
wireless home network. There are now four computers, three laptops and my
problem computer…the only desktop.
2. I bought a new wireless keyboard and wireless mouse…Logitech
3. I upgraded to MS Office 2007
Now, what I’ve done (so far) with your suggestions…
PA Bear’s suggested site…I read everything and did two things:
1. check the IDE channels to see if they are running in PIO or DMA mode.
There were two primary (odd?) …second one did say PIO…changed to DMA. Saw no
difference after this.
2. PC Pitstop Full Tests-- My summary results:
[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/051809pcpitstop.jpg[/IMG]
It was really late when I was reading through all of the stuff associated
with this scan-can’t remember what I fixed/changed…nothing big. There are
things I still want to check with this.
I removed a couple of programs Sunday night and the last thing I did that
night was what JS suggested…
start in a "clean boot" state.
When the computer started up again it was taking a very long time, it was
very late, and I went to bed while it was finishing.
I didn’t make any changes yesterday.
I was going to run the second part of the (start in a "clean boot" state)
instructions tonight…step 4 “Optional step to disable features” (run if the
first part didn’t help)
Went to msconfig to do as instructed but didn’t do anything because it
didn’t look as I was expecting. Some of the boxes I had unchecked previously
were checked again? I can give details but don’t want to go on forever if
it’s meaningless.
In the middle of writing this, I found I could no longer access the
internet. This happens fairly regularly and the solution is to turn the
computer off, (restart does not fix the problem) kill the power to the
computer, modem and router, then turn it back on.
I saved a screen shot of task manager when I turned it back on.
[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051909.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr0519092.jpg[/IMG]
This is from 5-10-09
[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr0510092.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051009.jpg[/IMG]
I'm afraid this is turning out just as I did not want…longwinded, confusing,
and hard to follow. Isn’t there a report or something I can pull from the
computer that might summarize what’s been happening?
Oh no...No preview! Can't check if my pictures are going to show up!
dj
deejay
> dj
No luck...trying something else
> <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/051809pcpitstop.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
deejay
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img
src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/051809pcpitstop.jpg"
border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
task manager 5-19-09
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img
src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051909.jpg"
border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img
src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr0519092.jpg"
border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
task manager 5-10-09
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img
src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr0510092.jpg"
border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img
src="http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051009.jpg"
Johnw
Have you rechecked > Current Transfer Mode: to make sure DMA mode
stuck.
Johnw
> In the middle of writing this, I found I could no longer access the
> internet. This happens fairly regularly and the solution is to turn the
> computer off, (restart does not fix the problem) kill the power to the
> computer, modem and router, then turn it back on.
Try this.
XP TCP/IP Repair
http://www.xp-smoker.com/freeware.html
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357
http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1217734,00.html
Lost Connectivity after Registry or Malware Cleanup
http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=4625
David H. Lipman
| [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051009.jpg[/IMG]
The sysntax...
[IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051009.jpg[/IMG]
Are for http forums, this is a NNTP news group and will NOT work !
Unknown
Try Autoruns from the MS Windows SysInternals site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx
AutoRuns will show/list all apps/etc. that load/run when you first boot ...
(the 'Boot Execute' tab),
when you logon (the 'Logon' tab) and other programs that load
(grouped by labeled tabs) for easy viewing.
It also provides the ability to selectively allows you to stop
(use with care) any program that you don't want to load.
You can undo any changes you have made.
Note: To get additional details on an item in the list you can't
readily identify you may need to highlight the item (right click) and use
the 'Search Online' option to get the details,
especially useful for the more obscure items in the list.
"deejay" <dee...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0252EBD0-792A-422A...@microsoft.com...
> Sorry for the delay in getting back to this.still with me anyone?
>
> First, I want to thank each of you for taking the time to help me. I
> really
> appreciate it!
>
> I spent hours working on this Sunday but wasn't able to do anything
> yesterday. I'm looking at it now for the first time today, so bear with me
> if
> my details are fuzzy. To reiterate, I really think something has happened
> or
> changed to make my computer as slow as it is right now. It definitely was
> not
> always like this. I have some additional information that may, or may not,
> be
> useful and I want to report what I've done/found so far. Nothing has
> helped,
> by the way!
>
> I thought of three things that have changed recently: I didn't mention
> these
> initially because I haven't been able to connect any of them directly to
> this
> problem and I figured it would just complicate my question. So, for what
> it's
> worth:
>
> 1. About two months ago, there was an additional laptop added to our
> wireless home network. There are now four computers, three laptops and my
> problem computer.the only desktop.
> 2. I bought a new wireless keyboard and wireless mouse.Logitech
> 3. I upgraded to MS Office 2007
>
>
> Now, what I've done (so far) with your suggestions.
>
> PA Bear's suggested site.I read everything and did two things:
>
> 1. check the IDE channels to see if they are running in PIO or DMA mode.
> There were two primary (odd?) .second one did say PIO.changed to DMA. Saw
> no
> difference after this.
>
> 2. PC Pitstop Full Tests-- My summary results:
>
> [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/051809pcpitstop.jpg[/IMG]
>
> It was really late when I was reading through all of the stuff associated
> with this scan-can't remember what I fixed/changed.nothing big. There are
> things I still want to check with this.
>
> I removed a couple of programs Sunday night and the last thing I did that
> night was what JS suggested.
> start in a "clean boot" state.
> When the computer started up again it was taking a very long time, it was
> very late, and I went to bed while it was finishing.
> I didn't make any changes yesterday.
> I was going to run the second part of the (start in a "clean boot" state)
> instructions tonight.step 4 "Optional step to disable features" (run if
> the
> first part didn't help)
> Went to msconfig to do as instructed but didn't do anything because it
> didn't look as I was expecting. Some of the boxes I had unchecked
> previously
> were checked again? I can give details but don't want to go on forever if
> it's meaningless.
>
> In the middle of writing this, I found I could no longer access the
> internet. This happens fairly regularly and the solution is to turn the
> computer off, (restart does not fix the problem) kill the power to the
> computer, modem and router, then turn it back on.
> I saved a screen shot of task manager when I turned it back on.
> [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051909.jpg[/IMG]
>
> [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr0519092.jpg[/IMG]
>
> This is from 5-10-09
> [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr0510092.jpg[/IMG]
>
> [IMG]http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r276/deejay1029/tskmgr051009.jpg[/IMG]
>
> I'm afraid this is turning out just as I did not want.longwinded,
PA Bear [MS MVP]
There is a very good chance that you are seeing the effects of a hijackware
infection!
NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!
1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx
NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.
2. [WinXP ONLY!! =>] Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan
(only!) in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm
3. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.
Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
**Seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?board=10.0,
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup, http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30
or other appropriate forums.**
If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
deejay wrote:
<snip>
> PA Bear’s suggested site…I read everything and did two things...
Plugger
system slows. E.g., when I added a second anti-virus program, and sloppily
to get them both running at the same time, it would take Control Panel two
minutes to start after I double-clicked its desktop icon.
Help and Support advised setting irpstacksize to 15, and increasing it in
steps of 5 until problems go away. I set mine to 48.
Registry:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters\IrpStackSize
"deejay" wrote:
> Can anyone help me figure out why my computer has become so incredibly slow?
> I don’t know where to begin in solving this as I don’t know how to determine
> if the problem is hardware vs. software.
>
> When starting the computer, it takes about 15 minutes for the desktop to
> load. It seems the problem is most evident when trying to work with my files,
> as opposed to working on the internet. I do a lot of picture editing and that
> takes an incredible amount of time now. I click on something and sit and wait
> for the screen to change. Pictures is just one example, everything is
> slow…word, excel, opening/closing programs, etc.
>
> I have Avast installed and up to date. I’ve run several other things looking
> for virus/malware problem…Adaware, Malwarebytes, Advanced System Care,