Member Avatar for djm123

Pages sometime hang up., IF I reinstall XP is this a fix for this and if I try to do that, what disk do I use? Only one disk>?

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A focused diagnostic path is the quickest way to stop the occasional spinning hourglass instead of immediately reinstalling. Note when the hang happens (at startup, when a specific program opens, after sleep/resume) and capture evidence: check Event Viewer (eventvwr.msc) for errors at the same timestamps, and observe which process is busy with Task Manager or an advanced viewer such as Process Explorer (Process Explorer). That narrows the cause to CPU, disk I/O, driver/handle leaks, or a particular application.

Hardware checks that often get missed include memory and disk health. Run a memory stress test like MemTest86 from bootable media to rule out bad RAM, and inspect the drive’s SMART status with a utility such as CrystalDiskInfo. A filesystem surface scan is useful: run chkdsk c: /f /r (requires reboot). Corrupted system files can be repaired with sfc /scannow.

Regarding reinstalling XP (the original question from ): a repair install uses the original XP setup CD that exactly matches the installed edition (Home/Pro) and architecture and can preserve programs/settings; a clean install or OEM recovery will erase data. Before any reinstall, backup user files and export product keys or locate the COA sticker on the machine. For OEM systems, manufacturer recovery discs or partition are the correct media. Keep in mind that Windows XP is unsupported and exposes security risks; consider migrating to a supported OS if feasible.

As follow-ups to suggestions from and , perform the evidence-gathering steps above first. If the hang persists with no obvious software cause, a failing disk or intermittent RAM fault is a common root cause and should be addressed before a full reinstall.

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Member Avatar for Andrieux

Wait, what? Hang up as in...slow down? You probably need more RAM, which is Random Access Memory. Do you know how much RAM you have? In WinXP, click Start, then Right Click My Computer. It will be listed under Computer, at the bottom.

In simple terms, how much RAM you have is, essentially, how quick your software will run. Think of it like a comb. The longer ["more"] comb you have, the easier it is to comb your hair [i.e, get the job done]. If you have a little amount of comb, it'll be hard to get the job done. (That explanation isn't great, sorry. But, just remember that more RAM = faster program execution.)

Edit: Also, try a disk cleanup/defragmenter. Reinstalling XP won't do you any good, unless you have an enormous amount of stuff saved on your hard drive, and are willing to erase it all to make your computer more efficient.

Member Avatar for Sapporo

More RAM will always help; upto a max of 4GB if you are running a 32-bit OS.
Aside from that, some general 'cleanup' of Windows might help to restore performance. This is assuming your hardware has no problems:

+Anti-virus scan with a good virus scanner- AVG/Avast/kaspersky.

+Anti-spyware scans with Spybot S&D and malwarebytes.

+Disk cleanup to delete old temp files and other junk.

+ Full disk defrag including defrag of system files like the MFT, if required. Diskeeper 2009 is an excellent utility for this since it's fast and thorough.

+Disable unnecessary background processes and services that take up memory.

+Upto date drivers and Microsoft critical updates.

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