5 replies to this topic

[free]

Hey There, Most times when i start up my computer it runs very slow. It takes at least 15 minutes before it runs reasonable. But during that time my browsers run very sluggish, I have Mozilla Firefox 4 and internet 8 which both run slow. Any comments or help to get this problem resolved. Cheers Free

[Lee]

Hi Free,

It might be a good idea to run an "Overdrive" test scan so we can get a complete overview of what is happening on your PC.

PC Pitstop's 'OVERDRIVE'
http://www.pcpitstop.com/betapit/

Fast, Comprehensive, and Free.
In just a few minutes OverDrive creates an extensive report of your PC's performance, security, software, drivers, and more.

Note: Vista or W7 users with UAC must first Right-click IE - Select "Run as Administrator"
Register and create a password

Accept the ActiveX component to allow your machine to run the Full Tests
Registering and accepting the ActiveX is both SAFE and FREE.
There is a lot of stuff on that site that WTT does not endorse, so just be careful that you zero in on the "Overdrive" test only.

Before running the test, make sure all applications are closed except for the one instance of IE8.
When the test results are displayed, copy the URL from your address bar and post it here.

Note: PCPitStop may recommend that you use certain utilities to fix problems on your computer.
At WhatTheTech, the help we provide is free. We do not endorse or recommend the use of any products PCPitStop may suggest.

Cheers,
Lee

[free]

Hey Lee

sorry for the late reply. Here is the link for the overdrive scan result!

My system is running a bit better, due to adding some cleanning programs other than that see what you think on the scan??

http://www.pcpitstop...?conid=24312453

Cheers

Free

[paws]

Hi free, just to interject for a moment, before Lee steps in with a more fulsome answer, the main things that jump out at me are: 1 You have only 256 Mb or memory (RAM) in your computer and 32Mb is already being used to drive your video, so leaving only 224Mb for Windows and all your processes..... this amount may have been just Ok a few years ago (when the computer was new,)but is now crippling performance and I would guess making the machine very slow and unresponsive. Your use of the swop file (paging) is probably quite heavy and compared with actual RAM, virtual RAM is very very slow. (You will not be able to get back to satisfactory performance with 224MB of RAM on a Win XP SP3 system) It would be wise to upgrade to the maximum that your machine cvan take...take a look here for details of the memory you can fit and the approx costs: www.crucial.com Its Ok to accept the Active X control from them and let Crucial scan your system to come up with recommendations. You don't have to buy from them if you have a preferred alternative supplier, but they have a good reputation and I've never been dissatisfied with them. (Aim for 1 Gb, or more if your machine will take it) 2 You currently have "System Restore" turned off.... for a lot of folks System Restore has proved a bit of a "life saver" and It is recommended that you switch it back on for your C drive (note this will take up even more of your hard drive capacity, and it's already getting pretty full, so maybe it's a good time to take a long hard look at anything that you can uninstall from your computer, by way of applications, and any data files that maybe you could archive to a removable USB drive? If you switch it back on, the default setting is for it to use 12.5% of your hard drive to house the System Restore Points etc.... you could perhaps reduce this to 2% or 3% and still have a worthwhile facility. 3 Before you turn on System Restore for your C drive it would be wise to perform a "disc clean" and then defrag your system. when its done, reboot and then turn on your System Restore and adjust the Hard drive space to be used for this. 4 Note you will find it difficult to defrag completely unless you have about 15% of free space on your hard drive (Windows needs "elbow room" to move files around) and performance may start to suffer when you have less than 20-25% space free. Regards paws

[Lee]

Hi Free,

Paws has pretty much nailed the main problem areas (thanks Paws)

To free up a bit more space these programs could all be safely removed:

*Wise Registry Cleaner (all auto.registry cleaners are snake oil and can cause serious problems).

*Microsoft Silverlight (useless and takes up space)

*Adobe Reader (A space and resource hog). Replace with Foxit Reader

*Adobe Download Manager

*CPUID CPU-Z

Abode can prove difficult to remove, so I'd recommend using Revo Uninstaller program remover (free version).to do all uninstalls.

Another thing you could do to save some resources is to disable the "Indexing Service". It a resource waster and is not needed for general PC use. Right click on Computer / manage / open Services / scroll down to Indexing Service and right click it / stop service / now set it from automatic to disabled.

Don't forget to defrag. your PC after all of the above.


Cheers,
Lee

[Ztruker]

I don't remember which ones, but some software does require Microsoft Silverlight to function. Still a good idea to get rid of it, then if you need it you can reinstall it later.