FASTER PERFORMANCE

[pikespeak]

Okay,

My computer runs really slow. I have a good harddrive and memory. I delete
all my cookies and everything else, but opening simple programs like Outlook
takes forever.

I have no idea what to do.

I have plenty of drive space, but I'm still scratching my head as to why
programs open slow. Could it be adware? Doubt it.

Thanks for all your help.

Pikey

 

[Chuck]

How much RAM memory ?
Have you checked for malware?
What is running in background?
Have you defragged the hard drive lately?
How about cleaning up temp files and temp internet files?
How about compressing folders in outlook, etc.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Okay,

My computer runs really slow. I have a good harddrive and memory. I delete
all my cookies and everything else, but opening simple programs like Outlook
takes forever.

I have no idea what to do.

I have plenty of drive space, but I'm still scratching my head as to why
programs open slow. Could it be adware? Doubt it.

Of course it could be adware or other malware. It's a common cause of
poor performance these days.

Why do you doubt it? You haven't said anything about what protection
you have in place.

Now much memory do you have? How slow is "really slow"? How long is
"forever"?

I recommend that you begin troubleshooting by going to MVP Malke's
malware removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and
following the instructions there.

 

[Curt Christianson]

pikespeak,

AS Ken so aptly put it, malware can turn a blazing fast computer into an old
386. Malkes site is a great place to start.

--
HTH,

Curt

http://dundats.mvps.org/
http://www.aumha.org/

 

[pikespeak]

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

Of course it could be adware or other malware. It's a common cause of
poor performance these days.

Why do you doubt it? You haven't said anything about what protection
you have in place.

Now much memory do you have? How slow is "really slow"? How long is
"forever"?

I recommend that you begin troubleshooting by going to MVP Malke's
malware removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and
following the instructions there.

 

[Noozer]

My computer runs really slow. I have a good harddrive and memory. I
Not trying to flame you, but learn to ask questions properly.

What is "good" hard drive and memory? My first PC had 256KILObytes of
memory and NO hard drive ... it was "good".

Forever is a very long time... Longer than Windows has been around. Could
you be a bit more specific?

What else is the computer doing? Stuff in your taskbar and system tray? How
much junk have you got installed?

Also, UNINSTALL your NORTON software.

 

[pikespeak]

Sorry Noozer, I usually ask questions properly and but I was in a rush. I
probably should have waited until I got back and done it properly. LOL

Here are my stats:

It's a Pentium 4 CPU 2.53 GHz
504MB of Ram

When I said forever, I mean, it's like a minute or two for some programs. I
don't have too much stuff installed. Just the usual programs. I have
Firefox and that really bites into things, but I think it might be something
else.

I uploaded the Microsoft Office updates today. That's a real problem.
Word, Outlook, etc take forever to load. Hopefully the updates will change
that. I still haven't checked.

Cheers

 

[pikespeak]

Hi,

So far I have AVG 7.5 as my antivirus and I also have AD aware--which I just
downloaded a few seconds ago. MSN.com had this list of things to download
and this was one of them.

I also have Windows Defender...I'm still haven't seen it do anything
worthwhile.

Sorry for being so vague.

 

[Onsokumaru]

It's a Pentium 4 CPU 2.53 GHz
504MB of Ram

When I said forever, I mean, it's like a minute or two for some programs.
I
don't have too much stuff installed. Just the usual programs. I have
Firefox and that really bites into things, but I think it might be
something
else.

I uploaded the Microsoft Office updates today. That's a real problem.
Word, Outlook, etc take forever to load. Hopefully the updates will
change
that. I still haven't checked.

Cheers

You really need more RAM. 1 GB would be the way to go.

How much hard disk space do you have?

How many programs start up with Windows, messenger, etc

After you boot your computer, right click on the task bar and choose "task
manager", (or CTRL+ALT+DEL).

Check the "Performance" tab, how much CPU time is being used when the system
is idle.
Under the "Processes" tab make a note of how many processes are running,
(bottom left of window will tell you), and see if any of them are using a
lot of CPU time.

NOTE - "System Idle process" is not a program! So ignore it.

<snip>

 

[Gerry]

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?

Do you leave your computer on 24/7?

Open Disk Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and
click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents
Folder and post a copy. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it
is more informative.

Any memory optimisers installed?

Please post copies of all Error and Warning Reports appearing in
the System and Application logs in Event Viewer for the last boot. No
Information Reports or Duplicates please. Indicate which also appear in
a previous boot.

You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer.

A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
Event Viewer.

--



Hope this helps.

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

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi,

So far I have AVG 7.5 as my antivirus and I also have AD aware--which I just
downloaded a few seconds ago.

If you've had no spyware protection until a few minutes ago, it's
extremely likely that that's your problem. Go to Malke's site I
recommended below.

Also note that although Adaware is a good program, it's not
sufficient. Note what Eric Howes, who has done extensive testing on
Anti-Spyware products, states:

"No single anti-spyware scanner removes everything. Even the
best-performing anti-spyware scanner in these tests missed fully one
quarter of the "critical" files and Registry entries" See
http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm

So given that a single product is not enough for good protection, two
are better than one, three are better than two, and so on.

Do you "need" more than two? There's no clear answer to those
questions. My own practice is very conservative, and I
personally run

Spybot Search and Destroy
Adaware
Spyware Blaster
Windows Defender
Super-Antispyware

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Sorry Noozer, I usually ask questions properly and but I was in a rush. I
probably should have waited until I got back and done it properly. LOL

Here are my stats:

It's a Pentium 4 CPU 2.53 GHz
504MB of Ram

It depends on what apps you run, but that's enough for most people.
Beware the person who will tell you that you need more, without even
knowing what apps you run. How much RAM you need is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of
RAM you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends on
what apps you run. Most people running a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere around 256-384MB works well, others
need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less than
256MB. Some people, particularly those doing things like editing large
photographic images, can see a performance boost by adding even more
than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes_public/winxp_tweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.

 

[Daave]

Okay,

My computer runs really slow. I have a good harddrive and memory. I
delete all my cookies and everything else, but opening simple
programs like Outlook takes forever.

I have no idea what to do.

I have plenty of drive space, but I'm still scratching my head as to
why programs open slow. Could it be adware? Doubt it.

It could always be adware.

Do your programs *always* open slow? Or do they open slow only when you
first boot up? Once your programs are up and running, what is your
performance like? The more details you provide, the more focused
responses you will receive.

 

[Uncle Grumpy]

You really need more RAM. 1 GB would be the way to go.

Bullshit.

The OP has enough.

 

[pikespeak]

Hi Daave,

I just uploaded adware, and this problem has been going on for a while.
Yes, some programs always open slowly. Performance is okay, but I think it
could be better. Even Internet Explorer just lingers for 20 seconds before
opening. I find it strange.

 

[pikespeak]

Thank you, Ken. I will do as you said, without fail.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thank you, Ken. I will do as you said, without fail.

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[pikespeak]

Hi Gerry,

Sorry for the late reply. Party party.

Let me see, under Commit Charge:

Total: 861408
Limit: 1258108
Peak: 895756

Sometimes, I leave my computer on for days at a time. Is that not a good
idea?

Here is what the Disk Fragmenter gave me:
Volume HP_PAVILION (C
Volume size = 69.27 GB
Cluster size = 4 KB
Used space = 65.60 GB
Free space = 3.67 GB
Percent free space = 5 %

Volume fragmentation
Total fragmentation = 27 %
File fragmentation = 43 %
Free space fragmentation = 11 %

File fragmentation
Total files = 97,353
Average file size = 868 KB
Total fragmented files = 17,816
Total excess fragments = 158,229
Average fragments per file = 2.62

Pagefile fragmentation
Pagefile size = 756 MB
Total fragments = 1

Folder fragmentation
Total folders = 6,102
Fragmented folders = 410
Excess folder fragments = 3,013

Master File Table (MFT) fragmentation
Total MFT size = 110 MB
MFT record count = 104,407
Percent MFT in use = 92 %
Total MFT fragments = 4

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fragments File Size Most fragmented files
16,654 1.46 GB \Program
Files\eMule\Incoming\RoboCop.3.1993.DVDRip.XviD.AC3.[Eng.PtBr]-CST.avi
6,085 1.03 GB \Documents and
Settings\Owner\Desktop\P\Bback Aud 4-PProductions.wmv
1,476 785 MB \Program Files\eMule\Temp\005.part
1,057 20 MB \Program Files\Common Files\Wise
Installation Wizard\WISDED53B0BB67C4244AE6AD6FD3C28D1EF_7_0_2_6.MSI
787 50 MB \Documents and Settings\Owner\My
Documents\My Music\Beyonce Knowles Feat Sugarland - Irreplaceable.mpg
739 5 MB \Documents and Settings\Owner\Local
Settings\Temp\dd_netfx20MSI37BA.txt
378 11 MB \Documents and
Settings\Owner\Desktop\VS\CBS_Promo_Commercial_11-26-07_logo.avi
376 273 MB \Documents and Settings\Owner\Desktop\P\Laid
In San Juan.wmv
305 22 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP135\A0016692.exe
285 18 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP145\A0017432.exe
274 17 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP130\A0016459.msi
267 1 MB \WINDOWS\I386
262 20 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP157\A0018016.msi
259 17 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP158\A0018487.rbf
257 17 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP158\A0018466.rbf
254 16 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP158\A0018581.rbf
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP113\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP112\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP100\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP99\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP98\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP97\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP96\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP95\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP94\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP93\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP92\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP91\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP90\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
246 15 MB \System Volume
Information\_restore{6CD01810-EFB9-4AF0-A405-DE07EB8CD51D}\RP89\snapshot\_REGISTRY_MACHINE_SOFTWARE
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

BTW, forgive me, I don't know what memory optimisers are? What should I do
about that?

Oh, I also notice that I have to clean out my hard-drive. I'm doing that as
I speak. I only have 3-5 GB left, but the computer is still slow whether I
have 3GB or 10GB, or so it seems. Firefox really uses a lot of space. It's
207,000k of CPU usage. Also there are 48 processes running. Most I have no
idea what they are, lol.


Thank you, Gerry.

Pikey

 

[pikespeak]

I just ran Adware and it removed 144 items.

Wow, I'm still amazed you need more than one Spyware program.

Adding all those won't clutter my system right? They don't have to be
running all the time, just run them every once and a while?

Thanks again, Ken.

Pikey