Computer Performance - SLOW

Newbie Poster

10 posts since Jan 2008

Reputation Points: 10

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Do some basic windows maintenance things to help speed up your computer. Here's a few simple things you can do- though I'm sure you're aware of most of them, it never hurts to reiterate.

--Make sure you're malware free. Sounds like you've done a pretty good job- what applications are you using? If you're using Norton or McAfee, switching to a lighter, more nimble program- AVG, Avast!, NOD32- will likely help you speed up your computer.

Try running some online scans. Here's a list of the ones I know about:

Kaspersky Free Virus Scan http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

Trend Micro HouseCall http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Microsoft Live OneCare Safety Scanner http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

BitDefender Free Online Scanner http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

McAfee FreeScan http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?affid=294

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool http://www.microsoft.com/security/ma...e/default.mspx

Symantec Security Check http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/d...d=ie&venid=sym

Panda ActiveScan http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeuse...ns/activescan/

--Defragment your hard drive. Files get splintered up and spread out over a hard drive. After enough use, your computer can start having files spread all over the hard drive, making recovering each one time-consuming- and slowing down your computer. Disk defragmenter moves the "splinters" into a more consecutive order, helping to speed up your computer.

Start>All programs>Acessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter>Defragment

--Eliminate junk files that clutter up your PC.
These show up through normal use- temporary files from web surfing, installing applications and such. This can slow down your computer if you have too much of it. You can use Disk Cleanup, located at Start>All programs>Acessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup

and/or you can use a third party application. I recommend using both- Disk Cleanup and a program I found called CCleaner. www.ccleaner.com

--Clean up your registry.

CCleaner also has registry cleanup. It will find broken links, leftover entries, and other junk that can accumulate in your registry from poorly written installation/installation routines. This bloated registry can slow down your computer- especially boot times.

--Eliminate unnecessary background and startup processes

This can be done through MSCONFIG (Start>Run>Msconfig) but this can be complicated and tiresome to complete. I found another program, startup inspector http://www.windowsstartup.com/startupinspector.php that will show all the programs that launch on startup, give you a description of each one (if its in its databank- which is remarkably few) or give you a link to a google search that is specified to the process in question. This is invaluable, as the first few links at the top of the page will almost always be very helpful in deciding whether or not to disable the process.

Also, go Start>All Programs>Startup and clear out any programs you don't want to start on startup from there- thought I believe that Startup Inspector will take care of these, too.

Another solution is to delay certain applications. I found a nifty program that lets you specify how long a program waits after startup to start, called Startup Delayer http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?page=2&show=startdelay ( I think its only XP compatible, but since you're running a Pentium 4, I think its a safe bet you are using XP?)

--Run a CHKDSK

Just for good measure, make sure you don't have any corrupted data or bad sectors on your hard drive. This will not likely increase your speed by anything more than a negligible amount, but if you have an important process that is corrupted, it may help.

-- Make sure your version of windows is completely up-to-date

Do so at support.microsoft.com (so you can get optional updates) or by going Start>Control Panel>Security Center>Updates>Update now

Beyond this, I can't think of anything else to help you software-wise. Consider upgrading to 2 GB of RAM or (this will help you more) upgrading your processor to a faster one, or even a dual core. They are fairly inexpensive (I believe that a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor is about $80 on www.newegg.com ) for a fair increase in processor speed. Would you happen to know what type of processor socket your computer has? For a P4, I believe there were only two types of sockets. LGA 775 (which is easiest to upgrade, as Core 2 Duo and even Quad Cores use this socket) and some other one.. I don't remember off the top of my head.

If you have any questions about any of this, don't hesitate to reply with them!

Best of luck!

--The Comodore

//EDIT

I forgot to mention, the scan I bolded- Microsoft SafetyScanner- also cleans up your registry, junk files, defragments your hard drive- if needbe- in addition to checking for malware.

And I can't read the Hijack This log worth anything :p

All the best,

--The Comodore

EDIT//

Junior Poster

110 posts since Dec 2007

Reputation Points: 39

Solved Threads: 12

Thanks for the feedback. I have done many of the things you suggested but certainly not all so I'll tackle some of those online tools. Again, many thanks for taking the time to respond and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some of those tools will help.

Do some basic windows maintenance things to help speed up your computer. Here's a few simple things you can do- though I'm sure you're aware of most of them, it never hurts to reiterate.

--Make sure you're malware free. Sounds like you've done a pretty good job- what applications are you using? If you're using Norton or McAfee, switching to a lighter, more nimble program- AVG, Avast!, NOD32- will likely help you speed up your computer.

Try running some online scans. Here's a list of the ones I know about:

Kaspersky Free Virus Scan http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner

Trend Micro HouseCall http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

Microsoft Live OneCare Safety Scanner http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/default.htm

BitDefender Free Online Scanner http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html

McAfee FreeScan http://us.mcafee.com/root/mfs/default.asp?affid=294

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool http://www.microsoft.com/security/ma...e/default.mspx

Symantec Security Check http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/d...d=ie&venid=sym

Panda ActiveScan http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeuse...ns/activescan/

--Defragment your hard drive. Files get splintered up and spread out over a hard drive. After enough use, your computer can start having files spread all over the hard drive, making recovering each one time-consuming- and slowing down your computer. Disk defragmenter moves the "splinters" into a more consecutive order, helping to speed up your computer.

Start>All programs>Acessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter>Defragment

--Eliminate junk files that clutter up your PC.
These show up through normal use- temporary files from web surfing, installing applications and such. This can slow down your computer if you have too much of it. You can use Disk Cleanup, located at Start>All programs>Acessories>System Tools>Disk Cleanup

and/or you can use a third party application. I recommend using both- Disk Cleanup and a program I found called CCleaner. www.ccleaner.com

--Clean up your registry.

CCleaner also has registry cleanup. It will find broken links, leftover entries, and other junk that can accumulate in your registry from poorly written installation/installation routines. This bloated registry can slow down your computer- especially boot times.

--Eliminate unnecessary background and startup processes

This can be done through MSCONFIG (Start>Run>Msconfig) but this can be complicated and tiresome to complete. I found another program, startup inspector http://www.windowsstartup.com/startupinspector.php that will show all the programs that launch on startup, give you a description of each one (if its in its databank- which is remarkably few) or give you a link to a google search that is specified to the process in question. This is invaluable, as the first few links at the top of the page will almost always be very helpful in deciding whether or not to disable the process.

Also, go Start>All Programs>Startup and clear out any programs you don't want to start on startup from there- thought I believe that Startup Inspector will take care of these, too.

Another solution is to delay certain applications. I found a nifty program that lets you specify how long a program waits after startup to start, called Startup Delayer http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?page=2&show=startdelay ( I think its only XP compatible, but since you're running a Pentium 4, I think its a safe bet you are using XP?)

--Run a CHKDSK

Just for good measure, make sure you don't have any corrupted data or bad sectors on your hard drive. This will not likely increase your speed by anything more than a negligible amount, but if you have an important process that is corrupted, it may help.

-- Make sure your version of windows is completely up-to-date

Do so at support.microsoft.com (so you can get optional updates) or by going Start>Control Panel>Security Center>Updates>Update now

Beyond this, I can't think of anything else to help you software-wise. Consider upgrading to 2 GB of RAM or (this will help you more) upgrading your processor to a faster one, or even a dual core. They are fairly inexpensive (I believe that a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor is about $80 on www.newegg.com ) for a fair increase in processor speed. Would you happen to know what type of processor socket your computer has? For a P4, I believe there were only two types of sockets. LGA 775 (which is easiest to upgrade, as Core 2 Duo and even Quad Cores use this socket) and some other one.. I don't remember off the top of my head.

If you have any questions about any of this, don't hesitate to reply with them!

Best of luck!

--The Comodore

//EDIT

I forgot to mention, the scan I bolded- Microsoft SafetyScanner- also cleans up your registry, junk files, defragments your hard drive- if needbe- in addition to checking for malware.

And I can't read the Hijack This log worth anything :p

All the best,

--The Comodore

EDIT//

Newbie Poster

10 posts since Jan 2008

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

Glad I could help. Sorry about the sheer length of my post, but speeding up slow computers is one of my favorite topics (along with fighting viruses/worms/malware/hackers and cradling a new CPU in my palm- I don't know why that last one is so heartwarming, it just is :p )

You *should* notice a pretty good increase in your performance. If not, its most likely hardware related.

Did you manage to find out what socket type your motherboard has? What motherboard is it? (The manufacturer, name, and maybe model number would be very helpful. :) )

Wishing you luck,

--The Comodore

Junior Poster

110 posts since Dec 2007

Reputation Points: 39

Solved Threads: 12

The motherboard is manufactured by PC Chips (Model M963GV) and it uses a 478 Socket.

BTW - I have run the Windows One Care online service and found a bunch of things in the registry (this was after running several other registry cleaners, including CCleaner). I am planning to run another tool tonight to see what happens with it.

Billy
[email]bvick@nc.rr.com[/email]

QUOTE=Comodore;502525]Glad I could help. Sorry about the sheer length of my post, but speeding up slow computers is one of my favorite topics (along with fighting viruses/worms/malware/hackers and cradling a new CPU in my palm- I don't know why that last one is so heartwarming, it just is :p )

You *should* notice a pretty good increase in your performance. If not, its most likely hardware related.

Did you manage to find out what socket type your motherboard has? What motherboard is it? (The manufacturer, name, and maybe model number would be very helpful. :) )

Wishing you luck,

--The Comodore[/QUOTE]

Newbie Poster

10 posts since Jan 2008

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2+50001157+40000343+1050706985+1051707443&name=Socket+478

Show Comments

Alright, so your options are a bit limited for upgrading your processor, but lets see what I can find- This is only if you are still slow after all this stuff.

What do you do with your computer, usually, anyways? 1.8 should be fine for most things, but for gaming and other computer-intensive things, you may want to upgrade.

Looks like you can upgrade to a 2.4 GHz P4 in the same socket (OEM meaning you'll only get the processor, no cooler and no thermal paste- but your cooler should be fine, and you can buy thermal paste for about $6) for about $65- and thats the slowest that is offered.

Thats a nice sum of money, so you might want to check Ebay or your favorite discount site for cheaper- I like Newegg, as they are really fast for shipping and I haven't had any problems with the products they carry.

Remember, though, don't upgrade unless you have to or want to. Its your prerogative :)

All the best, and Godspeed (for you and your computer!)

--The Comodore

Junior Poster

110 posts since Dec 2007

Reputation Points: 39

Solved Threads: 12

One other note. The hard drive seems to churn a whole lot. I have disabled Network Magic and it seems to have cured that somewhat (although for some reason it still shows on the HJT report). When I boot in Safe Mode the disk activity is much less (I know, not as much stuff runs under Safe Mode) so I don't know if something that is starting up automatically is causing unnecessary work for my drive.

Billy

Alright, so your options are a bit limited for upgrading your processor, but lets see what I can find- This is only if you are still slow after all this stuff.

What do you do with your computer, usually, anyways? 1.8 should be fine for most things, but for gaming and other computer-intensive things, you may want to upgrade.

Looks like you can upgrade to a 2.4 GHz P4 in the same socket (OEM meaning you'll only get the processor, no cooler and no thermal paste- but your cooler should be fine, and you can buy thermal paste for about $6) for about $65- and thats the slowest that is offered.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2+50001157+40000343+1050706985+1051707443&name=Socket+478

Thats a nice sum of money, so you might want to check Ebay or your favorite discount site for cheaper- I like Newegg, as they are really fast for shipping and I haven't had any problems with the products they carry.

Remember, though, don't upgrade unless you have to or want to. Its your prerogative :)

All the best, and Godspeed (for you and your computer!)

--The Comodore

Newbie Poster

10 posts since Jan 2008

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

Well, that is usually a sign of spyware- but if you scanned it with everything you've got, then you're probably clean.

Use Startup inspector (as I listed above) http://www.windowsstartup.com/download.php to see all the programs that load on startup and decide which ones to remove- each one has a link to a google search for it in its info pannel.

A disk defragment could help you too.

All of these things have been mentioned before, so try everything and see weather or not your problem continues. :)

All the best,

--The Comodore

Junior Poster

110 posts since Dec 2007

Reputation Points: 39

Solved Threads: 12

Well, I have tried The Comodore's suggestions and the machine is running much, much faster. I have another problem now though. After running all of these utilities, my CD/DVD drives will no longer read and/or write any CD/DVD's. The drives are there but when I put my CD in a drive, it won't Autorun and when I open the drive, it shows me nothing is there. The really strange things though are 1) I can see and access the drives in Safe Mode and 2) NERO utilities will test the drives and give me the names of the CD's when Windows is running in Normal mode.

I have done a lot of research on this and tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drives. Uninstalling, physically disconnecting and reconnecting the drives. The drives get reinstalled apparently fine but I cannot read anything on any disc. I have also run the registry fix that I read about removing the Upper and Lower levels on the CD/DVD.

Any clues, ideas, suggestions?

Billy

Newbie Poster

10 posts since Jan 2008

Reputation Points: 10

Solved Threads: 0

You should start a new thread for this I think- just post everything you did and give it a title describing the problem. I don't have time right now to post some help, but I should be free soon.

Good luck!

--The Comodore

Junior Poster

110 posts since Dec 2007

Reputation Points: 39

Solved Threads: 12

New thread started under Windows XP / NT / 2000.