PC slows down over, say, 7 hours.

I have probably posted this in the wrong forum section, so sorry if I have. However, my gut feeling is that it is OS or software rather than hardware causing it. Has any of the experts got any idea why my PC slows down over a period of say, 7 hours approx? If I then switch off and switch back on, rather than reboot, it is effectively back to how it should be for another period of around 5 - 7 hours. It isn't overheating as far as I can ascertain and if it is any clue at all, I am sometimes getting program hangs (or just slow operation ie in PhotoShop) plus Media Player 10 will not play video. I have checked CPU usage etc and it is minimal. It is currently at 0 - 1% while I am typing this. I also don't think anything nasty has got in, having run several different scans which all show clear. I use ATF Cleaner, CCleaner and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware as stand-alone; Avast Pro Antivirus, plus Prevx2 (have never been a problem in the past). Discs are defragged, plus PageFile Defrag is run at every boot. There are 5 programs in Startup. There are 33 processes running (Task Manager). I would be most grateful if someone could throw some light on this please. Thanks, INC.

[external image: Posted Image] incommunicado,

Slow downs and lags are often caused by the most simple of issues. I would suggest you download this program and make sure you clean out your dust bunnies if you have not attended to them for sometime. Once a month is a good yard stick for doing this.

Following on from the above, you can test your system by downloading HDTune, a free tool that will tell you all you need to know about your systems performance.

Keep us posted with results of the above suggestions.

kind regards,

Thanks for the reply Tallin. With regards to the guts of the PC, I regularly clean them out….about once very two months for a basic clean (I have a compressor nearby, so fast air is not a problem, but I don't use too much pressure) and about every six months I remove the main three fans and actually wipe the vanes down on both sides as well. Even the PSU fan gets done. I have downloaded HDTune and given it a run. As I have two hard discs, I will have to post two sets of results. What do you want to see? PS. I may not reply very quickly as I am long past ZZZs time….dropping off as I type. Regards, INC

So the dust bunnies are not the cause of the slowness after many hours.

You need not post any HDTune results of your system unless you feel there is an issue with your scans. I gave you that tool so you can see what is going on with your system. If it shows the HD x2 are fine, then another volunteer may offer their ideas as to why you have your lag issue.

Frankly re-reading your first post, you seem to be very knowledged regarding running your OS.

If you like, you could run a PCPitstop full scan to let us view just what you have that maybe is causing the problem. You need to register to run the full test, but please do not link to any of the paid offerings, as if you find a problem we here at WTT can guide you to correct them without cost. After you run the full scan, please post the URL back here into this thread for us to view.

kind regards,

Hi incommunicado. What are your system specs: CPU, ram, HD size and HD free space. The PCPitstop full scan that Tallin mentioned would be a great place to start. It would give us all a lot of info to work with.

Hi incommunicado




There are many reasons as for why a reboot will "fix" things. But to try understand
why a problem is fixed when rebooting, one needs to know what happens upon a
reboot. I know you said "switch off / switch on", which I guess is turning it completely
off, then turning it on again (?) Well, I'll spare you the long talk, and present you with
a link instead. It may or may not help you understand your current problem.

Why do so many tech support solutions start with "reboot" or "turn it off"?

However, my gut feeling is that it is OS or software rather than hardware causing it.

Faulty PSU's can cause this behaviour if the voltages fluctuate to much. The more strain
you put on the machine, the more it have to work. If it is faulty or failing, the output's can't
keep up. Thus, not allowing the proper voltage to the various hardware parts. Setting them
on low fire so to speak. If time is a matter, before the slowdown occurs, as stated like 7
hour'ish. It might be because the longer time you have it on, the more heat is generated,
thus kicking fan speed upwards, which require some more power from the PSU. So the
PSU is something I think you should consider as the culprit.

This little freeware program, can show the info needed to locate this. Upon a fresh boot,
take note of the values for your voltages and fan-speeds. You might want to have it turned
off an hour or two before booting, to get the most accurate readings. When it starts to slow
down, take further notes or screenshots every 10 minutes or so, until you have like 5-8
readings. Post your readings in a zipped folder.

CPUID-HWmonitor(download link to the top left)

If you need guidance on how to post a zip-file, let us know.

Tallin's good advice on performing the PcPitstop test will likely also provide some further clues.

Keep us posted

Regards Abydos

Hi Men, Thanks for the tips.

Here is the Pitstop URL. I hope it works, seems to from this end.

http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/sec.asp?c…863&report=

There should also be a current single HWMonitor screenshot attached.

Thanks, INC

Hi incommunicado Impressive PcPitstop test. Not often we see that kind of results. I can tell you take care of your PC Seeing that you have a GF7600GT, I was wondering if you have the silent type? The one with passive cooling. If so, GPU heat could be something to watch for. HW-Monitor can do this as well. Over time heat will build up if you have no extra fans, making performance degrade very rapidly once it hits the red-zone of accepted heat levels. Which brings me to your zipped file. At a glance it looks ok. However, this is only one reading, and we need more readings to conclude something from it. Something to compare when it is doing peak performance, and when it starts to deteriorate. One thing to monitor closely, is how your CPU VCORE performs. 0.07 voltage may not seem like a lot, but when we are reading in parts of hundred's, it is a fluctuation to monitor. Regards

Hi Abydos. I'm pleased you like the PC results. I have used the test before, so I wasn't expecting anything odd to show up, but I accept I don't always know what everything means, but you can see why I am puzzled by my PC's behaviour. The GF7600GT has got it's own fan, so it's definitely not the silent type! However, it rarely kicks in as I don't use much in the way of programs that demand it to any extent. I'll give you some more screenshots later when the PC has been running a while. The first one was after about one to two hours of running. Unfortunately I am rushing about like a madman today (business pressure) so I doubt if I can get any mid-period readings. Thanks again, INC.

The GF7600GT has got it's own fan, so it's definitely not the silent type! However, it rarely kicks in as I don't use much in the way of programs that demand it to any extent.

You could still keep an eye on the heat, wouldn't hurt when you're there anyways

I'll give you some more screenshots later when the PC has been running a while. The first one was after about one to two hours of running. Unfortunately I am rushing about like a madman today (business pressure) so I doubt if I can get any mid-period readings.

No problem. I'll probably won't be online for a day or so. Have some upcoming duties to attend.
But I am sure that Tallin and Ztruker will provide any necessary assistance. So no worries there,
you're in good hands. And don't get to stressed over business pressure, its not healthy for your
heart

Have a nice day (Hopefully)

Regards

Hi incomunicado,

A good result, but work to do as you can see when reading the recommended fixes. I would correct the suggested fixes first before worrying about other items. I am sure you know how (as you have remarked that you have run PCPitistop tests before) to click on the underlined fixes and follow the instructions.

Regarding your drivers, please use DriverMax to update any drivers that need to be corrected. This is a free tool. If you go through PCPitstop you will find it is not free.

HERE is an alternative site for DriverMax download for you to choose from.

Keep us posted, don't stress with your business commitments, take life slowly as Rome was not built in a day so they tell me.

A very impressive system you have.

kind regards,

Hi y'all. Back now. I hate working under this sort of pressure, but the economic situation means I have to keep a roof over my head. Only a short time ago I had a much less than average mortgage, but the way the industry fell apart that I consult in now effectively means I'm sub-prime!!! Anyway, enough of that. Here is a second HWMonitor zip. The PC has definitely slowed although today is not as bad as some. I will post another in a short while. Regarding the PCPitstop recommended fixes, I can deal with the System Restore ones, I think. The Browser Page update thing is normally disabled (purely because I didn't want pages updating, as I sometimes save a whole webpage purely to retain the info on that actual page as it is; if that makes sense?) The Drivers I guess can be done with the DriverMax program that I have downloaded, but I have noticed that it has already dumped another item in Startup. Is this normal? It doesn't actually give a description in Startup or Defender (in fact it hasn't registered itself in Defender at all). With regard to the first fix, this is obviously a Registry / Regedit item. I assume it is a matter of just copying the instructions from the PCPitstop fix instructions? Thanks, INC

Here are two more HWMonitor screenshots. I suspect the temps have gone up a bit because I am using the PC rather than letting it idle. However it has definitely become slower since I posted the first screenshot, which is what it seems to do each day, even if it has been idle. An acquaintance of mine running similar AntiVirus set-ups on a small network of PCs tells me he is getting the same thing happening. He thought it started after a Microsoft security update or SP3 caused it, if in fact a hacker isn't causing him problems. My PC goes slow regardless of Internet being connected or not, it seems. Thanks again for the attention. INC.

Your latest Hardware Monitor logs don't look bad. All the temps seem well within working range and have changed very little from your earlier log.

I looked through your PCPitStop Software list and it looks like you have many versions of Java installed but not the latest one. You should uninstall ALL of them then download and install the latest which is JRE 6 Update 12. This might be a good time to use one of Tallin's favorite programs, JavaRA. It will remove all the old, outdated versions and point you to the latest one to install. Info on it is available here: http://raproducts.org/

One thing you can try is run your system with the absolute minumum software running and see if the slowdown still occurs. You said being connected to the internet or not does not make any difference, so try this:

Use msconfig to determine what is causing the problem.

These are good tutorials on using msconfig in XP or Vista:
How to use msconfig in Windows XP
How to use msconfig in Windows Vista

First, open Control Panel and click on Windows Firewall. If it's Off, turn it on because you will be disabling any other Firewall and Anti-virus in the following steps.

Click on Start then Run, type msconfig and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab and record everything that is currently enabled, then click the Disable All button.
Next, click on the Services tab.
Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box and record everything left that is currently enabled, then click the Disable All button.
Reboot and run for 10 or 12 hours, see if the slowdown occurs or not.
If not, then use msconfig to enable Services and Startup items till you find the culprit.

Once you've found the culprit, uninstall it or find out how to eliminate it from your system. Simply disabling it in msconfig is a temporary fix at best. Enable everything else you disabled.

Disable Windows Firewall if you enabled it at the start of this process.

For additional safety, you could physically disconnect from the internet for the duration of this test.

Hi Ztruker. 'Java' done, thanks. That seems to have made a slight improvement, even though it has added an extra one or two processes to Task Manager. I obviously somehow previously had Java turned off or on Manual, I guess. I have stopped it from auto-starting at Startup using Defender, so if I reboot now, it may stop those other two processes from running. I have reduced System Restore capacity, but maybe not far enough according to another Pitstop test (I'm a bit nervous of losing anything just in case I set it too low). I don't like DriverMax that much - confusing choices and pop-ups everywhere. It also tells me that I need far more updated drivers than Pitstop suggests, so how safe is it? Thanks, INC.