Computer running slow/locking up at random times

My malware issues were resolved here (minor problems) , but I still experience a slow down at random times like the computer is number crunching. No processes are running high at the time and my page file in Task Manager is never above 50%. Any suggestions will be welcome.

-Rappy

Run through the suggestions in "slow PC?" from my signature. If the problem is still present, we'll have a closer look at it. cheers

Hi your logs indicate your machine had P2P file sharing applications installed… Have ALL these P2P's been unnstalled? eg Limewire/Azuerus/Zure etc etc Regards paws

No they haven't and aren't a cause of the slowdown. They run seldomly. Abydos, I've already run defrag on all drives before coming here for a possible malware problem thinking that could be part of the problem. Evidently it wasn't. Temporary files aren't an issue either as I run a ATF Cleaner quite regularly. C: is a little low on HD space, but has been for several months and this hasn't been an issue. When I noticed the slow down, I reboot a few times in hopes of clearing any TSR-type issues and found that to not be of any help either. Defrag comes up with a pretty clean run. -Rappy

Run CHKDSK in case it is trying to read data off a damaged sector.

http://forums.whatthetech.com/How_run_CHKD…XP_t102348.html

CHKDSK has been run already this morning before the post. Came up clean. -Rappy

Rappy, have you tried in safemode? More so, we could rule software in or out.

Also;

I reboot a few times in hopes of clearing any TSR-type issues

TSR ?

Only TSR I remember is TSR programming used back in the DOS days…..
(Means: Terminate and Stay Resident)

I meant as far as programs that have ended but (because of a bug, etc) may still lie in memory. IE TSR-like =) No, I have not tried SafeMode. Trying SafeMode in what aspect? Seeing if the same slowdown is present there? or running CHKDSK? -Rappy

Safemode usage to try replicate the slowdown. If the slowdown doesn't occur, we are looking at software issues, and not hardware (RAM, HD etc.) Safemode without network would be the one to choose.

What if the issues are with a Internet required software program though? -Rappy

What if the issues are with a Internet required software program though?

Such as?

If it is only with programs requiring Internet Access, we can narrow it down
to your LAN, ISP, NIC or other programs using bandwidth.

I don't have much experience with p2p, but seeing that you have those programs installed,
you are certain that others is not getting files off your computer? The primus motor behind
p2p is to share the workload between many, this could include you.

Perhaps if you tried put the error in context. What are you usually doing when
the slowdown occurs?

It seems random. Sometimes entering text in edit boxes like this. Sometimes trying to type on IRC. Sometimes viewing a webpage. The computer "stalls" for 1-3 seconds, then all of a sudden 2-3 words I typed show up, or the screen scrolls. It shouldn't be an ISP/router/etc problem, as other computers on the network seem unaffected. Like I said, it seems like a program is hanging for a few seconds, then all of a sudden, it's fine (for another minute or so). It seems like a memory issue, but Task Manager shows that everything is A-ok. As far as P2P goes, I never share files, so that's not an issue, and 99% of the time, those programs aren't even running. -Rappy

Ok, fair enough.

There can be many reasons why a computer "lags", "stalls", freezes and whatever people call it.

Wrongly assigned / conflicting IRQ's
Incorrect Drivers
Memory issues (Background services, etc.)
Heat
Incorrect Hardware configuration
Incorrect Software configuration


You state that you think memory is not an issue. We can look at it later if you prefer.
Could you post make/model of your computer?


Heat?

To loosely monitor your heat, you can download this little portable program:
http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php
It can also transfer the reading to text, so you can zip it up, and post it as a attachment here.
Several readings may be needed to give a overall picture. Free version is adequate for this.

Cleaning the inside of your machine may prove valueable if heat is the cause.


Drivers?

Update your drivers. Especially for the graphic-card and your chipset.


Incorrect configured Software?

Start up in safemode with network. Turn on Windows Fw asap. Navigate to a safe site, WTT the obvious choice here.
Make a topic in test, to test if it stalls when typing.

IRQ's?

Open your Device manager, select "View" then "Resources by type"
Expand the IRQ section. Look for any warnings. A screenshot of the
assignments could be useful.

Incorrect Hardware configuration?

I am not a hardware geek, but if there is anything pointing in that direction, there are other
more hardware oriented tech's here, and I could leave a note. One thing I have to ask tho, is
this machine overclocked in any way?

And lastly, lets have a look in eventviewer.

To discover the type of Errors the machine has encountered recently, use Event Viewer.

• Go to Start - Run, type eventvwr.msc, then Press Enter.
• When the Event Viewer opens, there will be two panes.
  The left pane is for event categories (Application, Security, and System).
  The right pane is for event messages (Information, Warning, and Error). (We want to find errors.)
• Left-click the Application category in the left pane and check for any error messages in the right pane.
  You want to find the one(s) that occurred at the same time your system encountered the problem you have posted about.
• Repeat the previous step for each category, or until you find an appropriate error to investigate.
• Double-click the error message to bring up the information.
• Click the third button on the right side of the information window (copies information)
• Paste the information here

Its a long list, but with these kind of "errors" there are hundred+ possibilities, so we need to narrow it down.


Cheers