Sorry: Slow machine. . .

[Ed H]

My post escaped before I was done:

I know it's been asked a million times but here goes. I used to
format/install regularly to keep everything running tip top. With the
family, it's become more complicated to do that and so I haven't in 3 years.
My machine is about 3/4 full and really slowing down. I'm diligent about
routine maintenance; defrag, disk clean up etc. I'm very cautious in regards
to malware, spyware and viruses and scan with many different tools. I don't
believe that's the problem. I guess I have two questions. Is there anything
else I can do to get my machine running fast and smooth again? Is this just
the way it goes with aging computers that are close to capacity with data?

Thank you.

 

[JS]

Steps 1,2 and possible #3 as you have indicated you
perform whats mentioned in the remaining steps.

#1: A process that's loading down your CPU:
It could be a sub-process or application that's running in the background
and taking all the CPU resources, which could be the cause of your PC
running slow.
To find and display what could be the problem try Process Explorer:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/ProcessExplorer.mspx

Note: 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).
Move the mouse cursor over any process, you should see a popup with some
detailed info.
Then mouse over the process that's using most or all the CPU %.
Then click on that process to 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, System/Services, and
Svchost entries may need to be expanded to show the detail (sub processes),
in this case click on the + located to the left of the entry.

An alternate method using Process Explorer is to double click
on the Graph just below the Menu bar.
This will open the 'System Information' window, which has a larger display
of all three graphs.
Move your mouse over any spike in the CPU Usage graph to see what
process/application or service was the cause of the spike.

#2: Stuff that loads during boot or logon and then is always running in the
background:
If you want to list and explore what may be the cause then:
Try Autoruns from the MS Windows SysInternals site:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/ProcessesAndThreads/Autoruns.mspx

AutoRuns will show/list all apps/etc. that load/run when you first boot
(Boot Execute tab),
when you logon (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 any program
(use with care) 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 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.

#3: Viruses
Viruses and malware can also cause your PC to slowdown or malfunction.
Malke has an excellent set of instructions on what to do:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

#4: To much crap on the 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.
Note: Do not use the registry cleaning option!!!
Also available is customization, see Options/Custom to add any
other/additional folders you want files deleted from.
http://www.ccleaner.com/

#5: Defragment your hard drive.

JS

 

[Big_Al]

My post escaped before I was done:

I know it's been asked a million times but here goes. I used to
format/install regularly to keep everything running tip top. With the
family, it's become more complicated to do that and so I haven't in 3 years.
My machine is about 3/4 full and really slowing down. I'm diligent about
routine maintenance; defrag, disk clean up etc. I'm very cautious in regards
to malware, spyware and viruses and scan with many different tools. I don't
believe that's the problem. I guess I have two questions. Is there anything
else I can do to get my machine running fast and smooth again? Is this just
the way it goes with aging computers that are close to capacity with data?

Thank you.

You can run something like
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx autoruns.
It will show you what is starting up when you boot.

If you load a lot of items and need them, there isn't much you can do.
Memory is a good add-on if you have 1/2 gig or less. If you are
running low on drive space (you only indicate 3/4 full but what is 3/4
of what?) then maybe a larger drive. Its easy to migrate with free
tools to a new HD.

Occasionally you can substitute some programs for others. I've dropped
Adobe Reader for a much smaller footprint and faster running program.
It seems to display just as well. http://www.pdfxviewer.com/

 

[Gerry]

Ed

What tasks are slow?

How much RAM? What is the CPU speed?

Is it a laptop or a desktop?

Mimimise the number of System Restore points. Select Start, All
Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp, More Options, System
Restore and remove all but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk
Defragmenter. The default allocation to System Restore is 12% on your C
partition which is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right
click your My Computer icon on the Desktop and select System Restore.
Place the cursor on your C drive select Settings but this time find the
slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700 mb and exit. When you
get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and exit.

An alternative to Disk CleanUp is cCleaner (freeware) which does a more
thorough job than Disk CleanUp. Disk CleanUp has to be run for each user
profile, whereas cCleaner only needs to be run once.
http://www.ccleaner.com/ccdownload.asp
http://www.ccleaner.com/

With any cleaner you need to proceed with caution. To be safe you
should create a restore point before using cCleaner. cCleaner also
offers backup before removal.

When using cCleaner think twice before checking Autocomplete Form
History under Internet Explorer. You do get a warning but this one has
irritating consequences. You may need to restore your system's
recollection of passwords after use so keep a record off computer so
that they can easily be re-entered.

Leave the Scan for Issues option alone.

cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk CleanUp
for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
System Restore point.

--



Hope this helps.

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

 

[Sanford Aranoff]

cCleaner does not remove restore points. You need to use Disk CleanUp

for this. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk
CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest
System Restore point.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~

Win XP Pro, SP2
I did not see any option for to remove all but the latest
restore point.

What happens if I reduce the space for restore, and then it
fills up? No more restores? Will I get an error message so
that I can fix it?

Well, my computer is very slow. Shut down is very slow. 1
Gig memory.

 

[Gerry]

Sanford

Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk >> CleanUp,
More Options, System Restore and click on System Restore.

When you accumulate enough restore points to fill the allocated space
the oldest are automatically removed to make room for the new restote
point.

--



Hope this helps.

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

 

[Daave]

My post escaped before I was done:

I know it's been asked a million times but here goes. I used to
format/install regularly to keep everything running tip top. With the
family, it's become more complicated to do that and so I haven't in 3
years. My machine is about 3/4 full and really slowing down. I'm
diligent about routine maintenance; defrag, disk clean up etc. I'm
very cautious in regards to malware, spyware and viruses and scan with
many different tools. I don't believe that's the problem. I guess I
have two questions. Is there anything else I can do to get my machine
running fast and smooth again? Is this just the way it goes with aging
computers that are close to capacity with data?

Thank you.

As a rule, reformatting/reinstalling is not a good idea. Routine
maintenance is a much better way to keep everything running tip top. And
once every three years is not routine.

Assuming you meant that your hard drive is 3/4 full, that's starting to
push it, but it's not to the point yet that your system will slow down.
So there is another culprit. Still, it's a good idea to archive old
files that are hardly used. I suggest using an external USB hard drive,
which are now inexpensive.

First of all, is your RAM seated properly in the motherboard slot(s)?
How much RAM do you see Windows using in the General tab of System
Properties (right-click My Computer and select Properties)?

Second, I am not absolutely convinced you are free of malware (mainly
because you didn't go into detail about your method). So, if you want to
be more thorough, have a look at this page:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Assuming your problem is not malware related, consider the following:

It's possible a read error caused your hard drive access to change from
Ultra DMA to PIO mode. If so, reset it:

http://technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/


Also, one of the things that slows down PCs is unnecessary processes
running in the background. Some of these processes use considerably more
resources/memory than others. Your best bet is to use Google and these
sites to gather information as to what they are and how best to disable
them:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS

http://www.sysinfo.org/startupinfo.html

and

http://www.answersthatwork.com (and click on the Task List button)

Use XP's MSCONFIG to see what is running each time you boot up. Task
Manager (Control + Alt + Delete) will give you information as to which
processes are currently running. Jot down the programs and research them
using the sites above.

Note that even if you are running few programs, it's still possible that
the programs you *are* running are using more memory than your system
can comfortably handle (e.g., video editing, Virtual PC, etc.), thus
resulting in relying far too much on your page file. You can determine
if you have enough RAM by using either of the following two methods:

1. When you are in Task Manager/Performance, look in the lower left-hand
corner. You should see three figures under Commit Charge (K): Total,
Limit, and Peak. What are they? Record these figures shortly after a
reboot and then again, after you have been using the PC for a while and
you notice sluggishness.

I know you have 512 MB of RAM. If your Total or Peak figures exceed
the amount of RAM you have, there is a good chance you are relying too
much on the page file, which will certainly cause sluggishness.

2. Or, for a more accurate assessment, you may run Page File Monitor for
Windows XP:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

Lastly, in the event you have a hardware problem (which I doubt), have a
look here:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_Tshoot