Hi!
I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back ups
and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I have
taken until now.
In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am trying
to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
experts in these forum.

My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
two internal hard drives on my PC?
I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
require step by step help.
Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to
do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as by
other means.

You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of
knowledge.

Anxiously awaiting reply,
I am InfoHungry
Thanks in advance.

If the bios is 'sick' then the PC probably wont post or boot, it'll be dead

Bios updates are released usually to cure a bug or give greater
functionality ie support more hardware.
Your motherboard web site is the place to look, unless its a large OEM, eg
Dell/HP or Laptop

If you propose formating D, which is your current sys drive, I'd suggest you
disconnected any other hd's first to ensure you finish up with a C sys
drive.
Use the winxp cd to delete partitions/create/format/install
Ensure you install drivers from manufacturers and not winupdate

"InfoHungry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:2B91A479-419E-42E2-AD90-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi!
> I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
> I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
> ups
> and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
> lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
> have
> taken until now.
> In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> trying
> to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
> experts in these forum.
>
> My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
> Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
> two internal hard drives on my PC?
> I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
> and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
> I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
> am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
> with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
> very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> require step by step help.
> Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to
> do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as
> by
> other means.
>
> You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of
> knowledge.
>
> Anxiously awaiting reply,
> I am InfoHungry
> Thanks in advance.
>

First it could be you have too much crap (especially temp files) on your
hard drive. Take a look at CCleaner as a tool to remove Internet history
info, cookies, temp files, auto complete and other junk. In the 'Windows'
tab listing check the item types you want deleted. Also available is
customization, see Options/Custom to add any other/additional folders you
want files deleted from.
http://www.ccleaner.com/

It also could be a specific sub-process or application that's taking all the
CPU resources and slowing down your PC.
To do this try Process Explorer:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sys...sExplorer.mspx

Once you have Process Explorer installed and running:
In the taskbar select View and check 'Show Process Tree' and 'Show Lower
Pane' options.
Then expand the process named 'Explorer' (click on the + sign)
In the column on the left named 'CPU', look for any high CPU usage.
Next click on the CPU column to sort the processes by %CPU usage (Highest to
Lowest).
Then click on the process that's using most or all the CPU % the highlight
it,
Now that it's highlighted, right click and from the options listed select:
Search Online
This should display what out there on the web about that process.
You can also double click on any process to open up a more detailed
'Properties' window.

Note: some entries like Explorer and System/Services may need to be expanded
to show the detail,
(sub processes), in this case click on the + located to the left of the
entry.

JS

"InfoHungry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:2B91A479-419E-42E2-AD90-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi!
> I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
> I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
> ups
> and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
> lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
> have
> taken until now.
> In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> trying
> to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
> experts in these forum.
>
> My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
> Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
> two internal hard drives on my PC?
> I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
> and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
> I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
> am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
> with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
> very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> require step by step help.
> Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to
> do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as
> by
> other means.
>
> You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of
> knowledge.
>
> Anxiously awaiting reply,
> I am InfoHungry
> Thanks in advance.
>

'Ken Blake' wrote, in part:
| That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you
| are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be
| updated unless there is a need to do so, not just because a newer
| version is available.
|
| If you are taking about changing its settings, then I disagree. For
| example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as
| necessary.
..
..
| Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you
| did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the
| behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation.
_____

Nicely presented.

Phil Weldon

"Ken Blake, MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news(E-Mail Removed)...
| On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:00:01 -0700, InfoHungry
| <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
|
|
| > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
| > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
|
|
|
| That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you
| are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be
| updated unless there is a need to do so, not just because a newer
| version is available.
|
| If you are taking about changing its settings, then I disagree. For
| example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as
| necessary.
|
|
| > I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
ups
| > and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still
have
| > lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
have
| > taken until now.
| > In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
trying
| > to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of
the
| > experts in these forum.
| >
| > My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
| > BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
|
|
| There's no such thing as a sick BIOS, and BIOSs don't develop
| problems. The reason for updating the BIOS is to provide additional
| support for something not in the earlier version.
|
| Your problem with running slowly has nothing to do with the BIOS. Post
| back with information about how long you've had the problem, what did
| you do or install shortly before it began, what your hardware is
| (especially CPU and RAM), what programs start automatically, and most
| important, what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs you run, and how
| often you update them.
|
|
|
| > Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of
the
| > two internal hard drives on my PC?
|
|
|
| No.
|
|
| > I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot
drive
| > and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
| > slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system
drive.
| > I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but
I
| > am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help
me
| > with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do
my
| > very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
| > require step by step help.
|
|
|
| Assuming that your problem is not hardware-related, then reformatting
| and reinstalling will almost certainly solve it. But in general I
| think that doing what you propose is a poor choice, and shouldn't be a
| substitute for troubleshooting the problem.
|
| This notion stems from the technical support people at many of the
| larger OEMs. Their solution to almost any problem they don't quickly
| know the answer to is "reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect
| solution for them. It gets you off the phone quickly, it almost always
| works, and it doesn't require them to do any real troubleshooting (a
| skill that most of them obviously don't possess in any great degree).
|
| But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You have to
| restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all your
| programs, you have to reinstall all the Windows and application
| updates,you have to locate and install all the needed drivers for your
| system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your apps to work the
| way you're comfortable with.
|
| Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
| have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
| Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
| backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and
| tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you
| like? Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to solve
| that Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are few and far
| between; reinstallation should not be a substitute for
| troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done only after all
| other attempts at troubleshooting by a qualified person have failed.
|
| Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you
| did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the
| behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation.
|
| --
| Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
| Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:00:01 -0700, InfoHungry
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


> I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.



That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you
are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be
updated unless there is a need to do so, not just because a newer
version is available.

If you are taking about changing its settings, then I disagree. For
example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as
necessary.


> I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back ups
> and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
> lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I have
> taken until now.
> In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am trying
> to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
> experts in these forum.
>
> My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?


There's no such thing as a sick BIOS, and BIOSs don't develop
problems. The reason for updating the BIOS is to provide additional
support for something not in the earlier version.

Your problem with running slowly has nothing to do with the BIOS. Post
back with information about how long you've had the problem, what did
you do or install shortly before it began, what your hardware is
(especially CPU and RAM), what programs start automatically, and most
important, what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs you run, and how
often you update them.



> Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
> two internal hard drives on my PC?



No.


> I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
> and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
> I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
> am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
> with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
> very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> require step by step help.



Assuming that your problem is not hardware-related, then reformatting
and reinstalling will almost certainly solve it. But in general I
think that doing what you propose is a poor choice, and shouldn't be a
substitute for troubleshooting the problem.

This notion stems from the technical support people at many of the
larger OEMs. Their solution to almost any problem they don't quickly
know the answer to is "reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect
solution for them. It gets you off the phone quickly, it almost always
works, and it doesn't require them to do any real troubleshooting (a
skill that most of them obviously don't possess in any great degree).

But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You have to
restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all your
programs, you have to reinstall all the Windows and application
updates,you have to locate and install all the needed drivers for your
system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your apps to work the
way you're comfortable with.

Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and
tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you
like? Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to solve
that Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are few and far
between; reinstallation should not be a substitute for
troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done only after all
other attempts at troubleshooting by a qualified person have failed.

Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you
did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the
behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 18:07:42 -0300, "Phil Weldon"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> 'Ken Blake' wrote, in part:
> | That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you
> | are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be
> | updated unless there is a need to do so, not just because a newer
> | version is available.
> |
> | If you are taking about changing its settings, then I disagree. For
> | example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as
> | necessary.
> .
> .
> | Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you
> | did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the
> | behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation.
> _____
>
> Nicely presented.


Thanks very much, Phil.




> "Ken Blake, MVP" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news(E-Mail Removed)...
> | On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:00:01 -0700, InfoHungry
> | <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> |
> |
> | > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> | > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
> |
> |
> |
> | That depends on what you mean by "absolutely not be touched." If you
> | are talking about updating it, I'd prefer to say that it should not be
> | updated unless there is a need to do so, not just because a newer
> | version is available.
> |
> | If you are taking about changing its settings, then I disagree. For
> | example, there's nothing wrong with changing the boot order, as
> | necessary.
> |
> |
> | > I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
> ups
> | > and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still
> have
> | > lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
> have
> | > taken until now.
> | > In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> trying
> | > to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of
> the
> | > experts in these forum.
> | >
> | > My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> | > BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
> |
> |
> | There's no such thing as a sick BIOS, and BIOSs don't develop
> | problems. The reason for updating the BIOS is to provide additional
> | support for something not in the earlier version.
> |
> | Your problem with running slowly has nothing to do with the BIOS. Post
> | back with information about how long you've had the problem, what did
> | you do or install shortly before it began, what your hardware is
> | (especially CPU and RAM), what programs start automatically, and most
> | important, what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs you run, and how
> | often you update them.
> |
> |
> |
> | > Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of
> the
> | > two internal hard drives on my PC?
> |
> |
> |
> | No.
> |
> |
> | > I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot
> drive
> | > and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> | > slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system
> drive.
> | > I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but
> I
> | > am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help
> me
> | > with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do
> my
> | > very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> | > require step by step help.
> |
> |
> |
> | Assuming that your problem is not hardware-related, then reformatting
> | and reinstalling will almost certainly solve it. But in general I
> | think that doing what you propose is a poor choice, and shouldn't be a
> | substitute for troubleshooting the problem.
> |
> | This notion stems from the technical support people at many of the
> | larger OEMs. Their solution to almost any problem they don't quickly
> | know the answer to is "reformat and reinstall." That's the perfect
> | solution for them. It gets you off the phone quickly, it almost always
> | works, and it doesn't require them to do any real troubleshooting (a
> | skill that most of them obviously don't possess in any great degree).
> |
> | But it leaves you with all the work and all the problems. You have to
> | restore all your data backups, you have to reinstall all your
> | programs, you have to reinstall all the Windows and application
> | updates,you have to locate and install all the needed drivers for your
> | system, you have to recustomize Windows and all your apps to work the
> | way you're comfortable with.
> |
> | Besides all those things being time-consuming and troublesome, you may
> | have trouble with some of them: can you find all your application CDs?
> | Can you find all the needed installation codes? Do you have data
> | backups to restore? Do you even remember all the customizations and
> | tweaks you may have installed to make everything work the way you
> | like? Occasionally there are problems that are so difficult to solve
> | that Windows should be reinstalled cleanly. But they are few and far
> | between; reinstallation should not be a substitute for
> | troubleshooting; it should be a last resort, to be done only after all
> | other attempts at troubleshooting by a qualified person have failed.
> |
> | Over and above all that, if you reinstall without finding out what you
> | did to cause the problem, you will probably quickly repeat the
> | behavior that caused it, and find yourself in the same situation.
> |
> | --
> | Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
> | Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Forget the BIOS. You are barking up the wrong tree! I also think you
need to deal with one issue at a time. Your computer skills are most
likely not up to multi-tasking.

You say you your computer is running extremely slowly. What do you mean?
Is it slower than it has been? Does it take a long time to boot? If yes
how long? Is it slower running any particular operations. If yes what
operations?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

How much RAM memory?

How large is your hard disk and how much free space.

What are your anti-virus and anti-spyware arrangements?

--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

InfoHungry wrote:
> Hi!
> I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS
> should absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
> I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about
> back ups and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home
> but still have lots of questions because I have been finding
> obstacles at every step I have taken until now.
> In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> trying to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the
> help of the experts in these forum.
>
> My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with
> the BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
> Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one
> of the two internal hard drives on my PC?
> I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot
> drive and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to
> solve its slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the
> system drive.
> I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me
> but I am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing
> to help me with my questions please let me know what info you need
> and I shall do my very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic
> knowledge and normaly require step by step help.
> Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I
> continue to do so by looking into other posts and websites provided
> in them as well as by other means.
>
> You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing
> of knowledge.
>
> Anxiously awaiting reply,
> I am InfoHungry
> Thanks in advance.

"InfoHungry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:2B91A479-419E-42E2-AD90-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi!
> I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
Only update the BIOS if there is a reason to do so.
> I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
> ups
> and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
> lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
> have
> taken until now.
> In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> trying
> to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
> experts in these forum.
>
> My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
The computer will not complete the POST routing. This is a self test of the
BIOS.
> Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
> two internal hard drives on my PC?
Only to change the boot device.
> I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
> and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
> I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
> am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
> with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
> very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> require step by step help.
> Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to
> do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as
> by
> other means.
>
> You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of
> knowledge.
>
> Anxiously awaiting reply,
> I am InfoHungry
> Thanks in advance.
>
I am sorry, but you really haven't told me much about your computer except
that it seems slow to you.
Jim

Hi DL, Thank you for your advice. I am definitely only look at the
motherboard website to see if the updates they have are indeed needed so to
fix any previous edition bugs. I can still boot from any of my two drives
iven though the process can take up to 40 minutes. I will take your advice
and put it to good use. Much appreciated.
IH

"DL" wrote:

> If the bios is 'sick' then the PC probably wont post or boot, it'll be dead
>
> Bios updates are released usually to cure a bug or give greater
> functionality ie support more hardware.
> Your motherboard web site is the place to look, unless its a large OEM, eg
> Dell/HP or Laptop
>
> If you propose formating D, which is your current sys drive, I'd suggest you
> disconnected any other hd's first to ensure you finish up with a C sys
> drive.
> Use the winxp cd to delete partitions/create/format/install
> Ensure you install drivers from manufacturers and not winupdate
>
> "InfoHungry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:2B91A479-419E-42E2-AD90-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi!
> > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
> > I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
> > ups
> > and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
> > lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
> > have
> > taken until now.
> > In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> > trying
> > to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
> > experts in these forum.
> >
> > My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> > BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
> > Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
> > two internal hard drives on my PC?
> > I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
> > and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> > slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
> > I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
> > am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
> > with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
> > very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> > require step by step help.
> > Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to
> > do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as
> > by
> > other means.
> >
> > You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of
> > knowledge.
> >
> > Anxiously awaiting reply,
> > I am InfoHungry
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
>
>
>

Hi JS.
Greatly appreciate your advice. You are 100% correct in saying that there is
too much crap in my hard drive. I know that much. I DO delete history,
cookies, and temporary files in IE but I am not sure how to clean windows
temporay files. I run Disc Cleanup every now and then since I found out about
it not long ago, I defrag every few months too. I think that there are too
many processes running but had no idea how to sort through them and stop what
is not needed. my Task Manager tells me that the are 40 +- processes running
and lately CPU Usage has been reaching 100% at times. So I am going to the
sites you have indicated and will learn about Process Explorer.

Thank you very much
IH

"JS" wrote:

> First it could be you have too much crap (especially temp files) on your
> hard drive. Take a look at CCleaner as a tool to remove Internet history
> info, cookies, temp files, auto complete and other junk. In the 'Windows'
> tab listing check the item types you want deleted. Also available is
> customization, see Options/Custom to add any other/additional folders you
> want files deleted from.
> http://www.ccleaner.com/
>
> It also could be a specific sub-process or application that's taking all the
> CPU resources and slowing down your PC.
> To do this try Process Explorer:
> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sys...sExplorer.mspx
>
> Once you have Process Explorer installed and running:
> In the taskbar select View and check 'Show Process Tree' and 'Show Lower
> Pane' options.
> Then expand the process named 'Explorer' (click on the + sign)
> In the column on the left named 'CPU', look for any high CPU usage.
> Next click on the CPU column to sort the processes by %CPU usage (Highest to
> Lowest).
> Then click on the process that's using most or all the CPU % the highlight
> it,
> Now that it's highlighted, right click and from the options listed select:
> Search Online
> This should display what out there on the web about that process.
> You can also double click on any process to open up a more detailed
> 'Properties' window.
>
> Note: some entries like Explorer and System/Services may need to be expanded
> to show the detail,
> (sub processes), in this case click on the + located to the left of the
> entry.
>
> JS
>
> "InfoHungry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:2B91A479-419E-42E2-AD90-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Hi!
> > I understand from the many posts in in the forums, that the BIOS should
> > absolutely not be touched unless there is a problem.
> > I have posted two questions in under a couple of groups- one about back
> > ups
> > and one about formatting PC and installing Windows XP Home but still have
> > lots of questions because I have been finding obstacles at every step I
> > have
> > taken until now.
> > In short, I have a computer that is running extremely slowly and I am
> > trying
> > to "FIX" with the help of the help articles I can find and the help of the
> > experts in these forum.
> >
> > My first question is how do I know if there IS OR NOT a problem with the
> > BIOS? What are the simptoms of a sick BIOS?
> > Also, do I have to do anything at all in the BIOS when I format one of the
> > two internal hard drives on my PC?
> > I am preparing and planning to format the d drive which is the boot drive
> > and which also happens to have been added to my PC to try to solve its
> > slowness. The c drive is the original drive and that is the system drive.
> > I am sorry if there is not enough info here to enable you to help me but I
> > am just not sure what is needed, so please, if you are willing to help me
> > with my questions please let me know what info you need and I shall do my
> > very best to gather it and supply it. I have basic knowledge and normaly
> > require step by step help.
> > Since my first post a few weeks ago, I have learnt a lot and I continue to
> > do so by looking into other posts and websites provided in them as well as
> > by
> > other means.
> >
> > You guys are absolutely fantastic. I greatly appreciate your sharing of
> > knowledge.
> >
> > Anxiously awaiting reply,
> > I am InfoHungry
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
>
>
>