My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass. The
hard disk rattles on for a good couple of minutes after windows 'looks'
ready and I want to know what is going on!

I don't detect any hardware problems (hence the O/T), but there must be
software that you 'hardware guys' use to diagnose exactly what a PC is doing
during boot. I know that the registry gets clogged up with junk after a lot
of installing and uninstalling, but I want to log what the PC is loading
during boot.

Incidentally, can anyone recommend which of the few thousand software groups
might have been a better place for me to ask this question.

Thanks
GT

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:36:46 -0000 Too Much Ying and you will Pay With
Yang then "GT" <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> sent this :

>My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass. The
>hard disk rattles on for a good couple of minutes after windows 'looks'
>ready and I want to know what is going on!
>
>I don't detect any hardware problems (hence the O/T), but there must be
>software that you 'hardware guys' use to diagnose exactly what a PC is doing
>during boot. I know that the registry gets clogged up with junk after a lot
>of installing and uninstalling, but I want to log what the PC is loading
>during boot.
>
>Incidentally, can anyone recommend which of the few thousand software groups
>might have been a better place for me to ask this question.
>
>Thanks
>GT



http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/startup.html
http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html


HTH




--
Free Windows/PC help,
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...m?bandID=88558

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:36:46 -0000, "GT"
<ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> wrote:

>My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass.

When was the last time you defragmented it?

Also, what percentage of the boot disk is free space?



--

"All men seek to be enlightened. Religion is but the most ancient
and honorable way in which men have striven to make sense out of
God's universe. Scientists seek the lawfulness of events. It is
the task of religion to fit man into this lawfulness. Religion
must remain an outlet for people who say to themsleves, 'I am
not the kind of person I want to be'."
--Frank Herbert, "Dune"

"Citizen Bob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:36:46 -0000, "GT"
> <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass.
>
> When was the last time you defragmented it?
>
> Also, what percentage of the boot disk is free space?
>

Of 20GB, 3GB is free. Defragmentation - I used to use defragmentation tools
fairly regularly, but I don't use them anymore for 2 (linked) reasons:
1. I read that a defrag on the system drive can actually moves files (normal
file, not system files) that the system deliberately places on fast parts of
the drive, thereby reducing performance at boot.
2. I experienced things running slower following a defrag and assumed point
1 above, was correct.

Any comments on this. I can't quote web pages, it was a couple of years ago!

GT

"Shep©" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:36:46 -0000 Too Much Ying and you will Pay With
> Yang then "GT" <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> sent this :
>
>>My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass.
>>The
>>hard disk rattles on for a good couple of minutes after windows 'looks'
>>ready and I want to know what is going on!
>>
>>I don't detect any hardware problems (hence the O/T), but there must be
>>software that you 'hardware guys' use to diagnose exactly what a PC is
>>doing
>>during boot. I know that the registry gets clogged up with junk after a
>>lot
>>of installing and uninstalling, but I want to log what the PC is loading
>>during boot.
>>
>>Incidentally, can anyone recommend which of the few thousand software
>>groups
>>might have been a better place for me to ask this question.
>>
>>Thanks
>>GT
>
>
>
> http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/startup.html
> http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html
>
>
> HTH

Thanks for the links. I tried the first application and unfortunately, there
is nothing listed that I didn't already know about. Perhaps it is a defrag
issue as Citizen Bob has suggested.

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:43:52 -0000 Too Much Ying and you will Pay With
Yang then "GT" <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> sent this :

>"Shep©" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:36:46 -0000 Too Much Ying and you will Pay With
>> Yang then "GT" <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> sent this :
>>
>>>My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass.
>>>The
>>>hard disk rattles on for a good couple of minutes after windows 'looks'
>>>ready and I want to know what is going on!
>>>
>>>I don't detect any hardware problems (hence the O/T), but there must be
>>>software that you 'hardware guys' use to diagnose exactly what a PC is
>>>doing
>>>during boot. I know that the registry gets clogged up with junk after a
>>>lot
>>>of installing and uninstalling, but I want to log what the PC is loading
>>>during boot.
>>>
>>>Incidentally, can anyone recommend which of the few thousand software
>>>groups
>>>might have been a better place for me to ask this question.
>>>
>>>Thanks
>>>GT
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/startup.html
>> http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html
>>
>>
>> HTH
>
>Thanks for the links. I tried the first application and unfortunately, there
>is nothing listed that I didn't already know about. Perhaps it is a defrag
>issue as Citizen Bob has suggested.
>

For Winxp I use AusDefrag,
http://www.auslogics.com/disk-defrag/index.php

free.I do a lot of gaming which fragments the drive a lot so I use
this utility a lot in WinXP.For Win98/SE you can use the faster WinMe
defrag,
http://members.cox.net/scotterpops/e...cements9c.html

I also clean and compact the registry,
http://www.filedudes.com/MISPBO_Free...oad-43275.html

and regularly clean temp files etc,
http://www.ccleaner.com/

all free stuff worth having.

Make sure you are not running out of disk space as well just in case
there's no room for the swapfile/pagefilsys to work.
HTH



--
Free Windows/PC help,
http://www.geocities.com/sheppola/trouble.html
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page...m?bandID=88558

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 15:39:11 -0000, "GT"
<ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Of 20GB, 3GB is free.

Try cleaning some of the unused stuff off. You may not have enough
free space to support the pagefile if it expands.

Defragmentation - I used to use defragmentation tools
>fairly regularly, but I don't use them anymore for 2 (linked) reasons:
>1. I read that a defrag on the system drive can actually moves files (normal
>file, not system files) that the system deliberately places on fast parts of
>the drive, thereby reducing performance at boot.
>2. I experienced things running slower following a defrag and assumed point
>1 above, was correct.

Defrag the hard disk. Use the defragger that comes with Windows.


--

"All men seek to be enlightened. Religion is but the most ancient
and honorable way in which men have striven to make sense out of
God's universe. Scientists seek the lawfulness of events. It is
the task of religion to fit man into this lawfulness. Religion
must remain an outlet for people who say to themsleves, 'I am
not the kind of person I want to be'."
--Frank Herbert, "Dune"

Citizen Bob <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
> GT <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> wrote

>> My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the
>> months pass. The hard disk rattles on for a good couple of minutes
>> after windows 'looks' ready and I want to know what is going on!

> When was the last time you defragmented it?

Wont be what produces that rattles on effect, and
is unlikely to be the cause of the slowdown either.

That rattles on effect is MUCH more likely to be the antivirus.

> Also, what percentage of the boot disk is free space?

Wont be that either.

GT <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> wrote
> Citizen Bob <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
>> GT <ContactGT_remove_@hotmail.com> wrote

>>> My computer is getting slower and slower to start up as the months pass.

>> When was the last time you defragmented it?

>> Also, what percentage of the boot disk is free space?

> Of 20GB, 3GB is free.

That wont be what produces the rattles on effect.

> Defragmentation - I used to use defragmentation tools fairly regularly, but I don't use them
> anymore for 2 (linked) reasons: 1. I read that a defrag on the system drive can actually moves
> files
> (normal file, not system files) that the system deliberately places
> on fast parts of the drive, thereby reducing performance at boot.

That can certainly happen.

> 2. I experienced things running slower following a defrag and assumed point 1 above, was correct.

> Any comments on this.

Defragging isnt necessary with modern systems except in a
very few specialised situations with personal desktop systems.

> I can't quote web pages, it was a couple of years ago!

The problem is more likely to be your anti virus with that rattles on effect.

GT wrote:
> "Citizen Bob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>
.... snip ...
>>
>> When was the last time you defragmented it?
>>
>> Also, what percentage of the boot disk is free space?
>
> Of 20GB, 3GB is free. Defragmentation - I used to use
> defragmentation tools fairly regularly, but I don't use them
> anymore for 2 (linked) reasons:
>
> 1. I read that a defrag on the system drive can actually moves
> files (normal file, not system files) that the system deliberately
> places on fast parts of the drive, thereby reducing performance at
> boot.
>
> 2. I experienced things running slower following a defrag and
> assumed point 1 above, was correct.
>
> Any comments on this. I can't quote web pages, it was a couple of
> years ago!

If you don't have ECC memory the defrag process can also destroy
arbitrary files as it moves them through a memory buffer. This
could be caused by a stray cosmic ray, and the memory will always
check as perfectly good. The results of the error may not show up
for months or years, if ever. By that time all your backups are
also faulty.

The only reasonable check (without ECC) is to have and use a MD5sum
check (or equivalent) on all the files, and to backup everything
before doing a defrag. This is the sort of thing my validate.exe
was designed to catch, but only the executable remains (source lost
in a disk crash). See my site, download section. However MD5sum
is a more modern equivalent, without some of the gotchas of
validate (which lengthens a file by two bytes, possibly three for
text files).

--
Chuck F (cbfalconer at maineline dot net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home.att.net>