| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Slow computer Thread poster: Tansy Tazewell
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Tansy Tazewell 
Germany
Local time: 16:17
Member (2008)
German to English
I have noticed my computer slowing down recently. The main things I notice is that it is slow to start up and it can take approx. 30 seconds for the screensaver to disappear when I've been away from my desk and press any key to resume work. This morning I also had problems starting it up at all as not all the icons appeared fully on the desktop and outlook got stuck downloading mails. I had to switch it on and off 3 times before it started up normally. The computer is about 5 years old and has l... See more I have noticed my computer slowing down recently. The main things I notice is that it is slow to start up and it can take approx. 30 seconds for the screensaver to disappear when I've been away from my desk and press any key to resume work. This morning I also had problems starting it up at all as not all the icons appeared fully on the desktop and outlook got stuck downloading mails. I had to switch it on and off 3 times before it started up normally. The computer is about 5 years old and has lots of programs on it but there is plenty of space on the hard disk. I defragment regularly and have an up-to-date virus scanner (Norton 360 which also has automatic PC optimisation functions). Is there anything I can do to generally clean it up a bit? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | ...Probably a virus anyway... | Sep 10, 2009 |
Dear Tansy,
If this problem appeared suddenly, without any drastic changes on your side, then it might still be a virus that somehow managed to slip in. Scan your computer as soon and deep as possible with the maximum sensitivity!
Good luck,
Vlad
[Редактировалось 2009-09-10 06:39 GMT]
[Редактировалось 2009-09-10 06:39 GMT]
| | | | | Try increasing your Memory | Sep 10, 2009 |
Usually, it's the Virus Scan that makes the computer slow, but my guess is the amount of memory on your computer. How many Gigabytes of memory does your computer work on? You wrote that it's 5 years old, maybe your computer does not even have 1 GB. Am I guessing correct? You could upgrade your PC's memory by adding the same amount of memory, which makes the PC operate faster.
HTH
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Hello, you should try them.
Start > run > type " temp" press enter select all and delete.
Start > run > type "%temp%" press enter select all and delete.
my computer >properties > advanced tab > performance > check for best performance
* disable system restore
* disable screen saver (it comsumes cpu recources)
* disable error reporting
finally choose HDD properties at the bottom there is a box uncheck it.
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Tansy Tazewell
Germany
Local time: 16:17
Member (2008)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Many thanks for quick replies so far.
My computer hasn't suddenly got slower - it seems to start up more and more slowly over time, although it's new that the screen saver often takes so long to disappear. It's not so bad that it makes working difficult though.
I have 1 GB RAM.
Without being a computer expert in any way my gut feeling is that there is probably just too much unnecessary "stuff" on there which could probably be deleted.
Thanks to... See more Many thanks for quick replies so far.
My computer hasn't suddenly got slower - it seems to start up more and more slowly over time, although it's new that the screen saver often takes so long to disappear. It's not so bad that it makes working difficult though.
I have 1 GB RAM.
Without being a computer expert in any way my gut feeling is that there is probably just too much unnecessary "stuff" on there which could probably be deleted.
Thanks to Abdullah for the specific advice - I'll try that soon when time permits. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 16:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| When my computer gets slow... | Sep 10, 2009 |
Tansy wrote:
I have noticed my computer slowing down recently. The main things I notice is that it is slow to start up and it can take approx. 30 seconds for the screensaver to disappear when I've been away from my desk and press any key to resume work.
A computer slowing down can be the result of additional tasks running in the background. Many of these tasks are not necessary or even useful (except in the eyes of the vendors). Here's what I would do (but it is not a quick solution):
Get Taskill here:
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nulifetv/freezip/freeware/
Identify (write down) which processes you can kill and which you can't. For the ones you can kill, Google their names to see what they do and whether you can avoid them (if you even want to) from starting up.
There are several ways to stop a process from starting up. Sometimes there is a setting in a program, eg a program checks online for an update, or a program is set to start up when Windows starts. Sometimes you have to set the service to "Manual" in your Windows services viewer. Sometimes you have to rename the file from foo.exe to foo_exe (or delete it) to prevent it from starting up.
My pet peeve are internet programs that start up before my internet connection has been established -- that is just so silly. So I have GoogleTalk, Skype etc as icons on my Desktop that I run *after* I've connected to the internet (not when Windows starts up). I also keep Taskill on my Desktop, in a corner, so that I can easily get to it.
| | | | Tansy Tazewell
Germany
Local time: 16:17
Member (2008)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks very much Samuel. That's the kind of thing I'd be expecting to slow my computer down.
| | | | VERGIS92
Greece
Local time: 17:17
Greek to English
+ ...
| Registry first | Sep 10, 2009 |
Hi, I have a 5 year old PC as well, I noticed defragmentation once in a while helps,
removing background picture, using a stoftware called Registry mechanic made enormous
increase in speed, and I quit using norton in favour of more efficient anti virus, Panda
or the other Russian one are good, Norton takes a huge chunck of performance and delivers little!
My old PC still runs faster than many others, never had to pay for a repair
Tansy wrote:
I have noticed my computer slowing down recently. The main things I notice is that it is slow to start up and it can take approx. 30 seconds for the screensaver to disappear when I've been away from my desk and press any key to resume work. This morning I also had problems starting it up at all as not all the icons appeared fully on the desktop and outlook got stuck downloading mails. I had to switch it on and off 3 times before it started up normally. The computer is about 5 years old and has lots of programs on it but there is plenty of space on the hard disk. I defragment regularly and have an up-to-date virus scanner (Norton 360 which also has automatic PC optimisation functions). Is there anything I can do to generally clean it up a bit?
[Edited at 2009-09-10 08:06 GMT]
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JPW (X)
Local time: 15:17
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Also clean your registry | Sep 10, 2009 |
Especially if you haven't done this before: a computer that is 5 years old will have a lot of redundant registry entries, for programs that you installed, uninstalled and then perhaps re-installed over its life cycle.
http://www.ccleaner.com/
You can try out this software, which can also help identify programs you don't need at startup, a... See more Especially if you haven't done this before: a computer that is 5 years old will have a lot of redundant registry entries, for programs that you installed, uninstalled and then perhaps re-installed over its life cycle.
http://www.ccleaner.com/
You can try out this software, which can also help identify programs you don't need at startup, and disable them. All you need is a little well spent time sussing out how to use it (which isn't rocket science anyway).
HTH. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Grace Horsley
Spain
Local time: 16:17
Member (2008)
Spanish to English
| More useful software (free) for cleaning your computer | Sep 10, 2009 |
A while ago I found a free program called Advanced SystemCare which you can use to clean up your computer from time to time and make it run faster. I cleans up your registry and gets rid of temporary files, spyware, etc. Maybe worth taking a look...
| | | | Textklick
Local time: 15:17
German to English
+ ...
In memoriam | Painless RAM check | Sep 10, 2009 |
My initial take is insufficent RAM, an issue that I resolved recently.
To check what you have and what you could fit quickly and simply, run this online test http://www.crucial.com/uk/?cpe=pd_google_uk&gclid=CPai4_7d5pwCFYIA4wodixoUEg (it will identify your computer model etc. - and don't worry, no danger. This is a serious vendor.
I a... See more My initial take is insufficent RAM, an issue that I resolved recently.
To check what you have and what you could fit quickly and simply, run this online test http://www.crucial.com/uk/?cpe=pd_google_uk&gclid=CPai4_7d5pwCFYIA4wodixoUEg (it will identify your computer model etc. - and don't worry, no danger. This is a serious vendor.
I agree with Sam. The more apps you have kicking in on start up or running in the background, the more RAM is required.
Some of these apps need a kick. I use a program called Startup Fixer to bully them into staying quiet.
With Abdullah, but I would not recommend disabling system restore, as it might be vital.
Certainly don't use a screen saver. Years ago, I asked the elec. provider why my bill had gone up and they asked - inter alia - whether I had a screen saver.
Good luck
Chris ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 16:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| More programs | Sep 10, 2009 |
Textklick wrote:
Some of these apps need a kick. I use a program called Startup Fixer to bully them into staying quiet.
Two apps from http://www.malwarebytes.org/ might be useful. The program Anti-Malware picked up some stuff that my antivirus program didn't. And StartupLite can be used to disable certain programs that start up when Windows starts.
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Aside from the registry cleaning and temporary files deletion (achieved by using any of the suggested software), there's nothing like formatting your hard drive to speed things up and have a "fresh start".
I personally format my hard drive every six months.
| | | | Tansy Tazewell
Germany
Local time: 16:17
Member (2008)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks again! | Sep 10, 2009 |
Many thanks again to all those who replied. I'm sure I'll achieve some results with those ideas.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:17
Member (2008)
Italian to English
If your computer is slowing down, it's possible that your hard drive is too full and the operating system is having trouble finding the free space it needs in order to perform its millions of read/write tasks every second.
The first thing you should do., if you have not already done it, is create a full bootable clone of your entire hard drive to an external hard drive.
I.E. an exact copy of everything that's on your main computer, so that if your main computer crashes... See more If your computer is slowing down, it's possible that your hard drive is too full and the operating system is having trouble finding the free space it needs in order to perform its millions of read/write tasks every second.
The first thing you should do., if you have not already done it, is create a full bootable clone of your entire hard drive to an external hard drive.
I.E. an exact copy of everything that's on your main computer, so that if your main computer crashes, you will have a recent backup that will save your life
The second thing you should do is to check the size of your hard drive, in Gb, and compare it with the total size, also in Gb, of everything that's on the drive.
You should have at *least* 20% of your drive as free, unused space.
If you haven't, there's a risk that at some point soon, your hard drive will crash.
I don't think I need to add what the consequences of that would be. ▲ Collapse
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