slow computer

youve previously helped me sort problems out with my own pc, and ive worked thru some of the solutions on my mums pc to try to speed it up but it doesnt seem to have made much difference. for eg if she is typing something into facebook the letters dont show for a good 30secs or so after shes typed them. if shes scrolling down a page nothing happens for a short while until it scrolls all at once. she is finding it very problematic. she is a total novice so i would like to get the pc running easily with minimal effort for her longterm and she doesnt really understand even when i try to explain things to her. i have her pc while she is away so i can spend the time to sort it. please advise what info u need from the machine to help deal with its effeciency. ive added auslogics defrag and run it but its not made any difference, ive done disk clean up, disabled some programs from start up, ive removed spyware, ive tried to download pitstop but it the pc wont accept active x and ive no idea how to get it to do this. i was about to download foxit and swap it for adobe reader but not sure if its necessary on here, also im about to follow instructions to limit shadowstorage space please advise further. many thanks

i just did the steps below on my mums pc (which i was told was ok to do as long as she had vista). 1-4 was ok but after rebooting and typing WinDirStat i was told it was not found, have i done something i shouldnt have or is something missing on mums pc? 1. Make sure you have Admin. rights and then go to 'Run'. Type in cmd 2. Type in the following command prompt where the blinking icon is vssadmin list shadowstorage Look for User Shadow Copy Storage Space which will tell you how much space in GB it is useing. 3. Now you want to change that max. allowed space. 4.Type in exactly as shown and note Upper and lower case letters. Also note spaces or lack of them: vssadmin Resize ShadowStorage /For=C: /On=C: /Maxsize=2GB 5. Reboot and go to Start / run and type in WinDirStat and check out the file size now. It should be 2GB.

How does it behave if you boot to Safe Mode with Networking? Do you still see the lag in typing? If not then this may be cause by programs starting at boot time or Add-ons to Internet Explorer.

See if running IE without Add-ons gets things working.

Boot normally. Click on Start, type iexplore -extoff and press Enter. This will start IE and give you a page saying

Internet Explorer is currently running without add-ons

All Internet Explorer add-ons, such as ActiveX controls or toolbars, are turned off. Some webpages might not display correctly.
To continue to your home page, click the Home button.
To browse using add-ons, close Internet Explorer and then start it again.
Check for the latest Windows updates.

How do browser add-ons affect my browsing experience?

Click on the Home icon then try Facebook, see what happens. If better then one or more of the Add-ons is causing the problem.
In IE, click on Tools then Manage Add-ons. Start disabling any that are enabled a few at a time until you find the one causing the problem. Leave it disabled then check Programs and Features in Control Panel to see if it can be removed.

If running IE without Add-ons does not make any different, use msconfig to determine what is causing the problem.

These are good tutorials on using msconfig in XP, Vista or Windows 7:
How to use msconfig in Windows XP
How to use msconfig in Windows Vista
How to use msconfig in Windows 7

Click on Start then Run, type msconfig and press Enter.
Click on the Startup tab, record what is currently starting then click the Disable All button.
Reboot and see if it runs better.
If yes then use msconfig to enable several items at a time till you find the culprit.

If no, start msconfig and click on the Services tab.
Check the Hide All Microsoft Services box, record what is currently starting then click the Disable All button.
Again, do a regular boot, see if it runs normal.
If yes then use msconfig to enable services 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.

youve totally lost me with your reply, im not a novice but im not a computer wizz either! i doubt there are many add-ons on her computer as ive always told her not to accept anything just in case it has a virus but i will check. as for active x, i did mention in my query that i couldnt download a tech product because it wouldnt accept an active x, so pls advise on that also and on my 2nd posting about windirstat. thanks

Hi pulsebabe,

If you were confused about running msconfig or Safe Mode with Networking, the quickest way home might be to run an Overdrive test so we can see what is happening to your Mother's PC.

*Make sure you use Internet Explorer

PC Pitstop's 'OVERDRIVE'
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 except the Overdrive test.

Cheers,
Lee

.

lee, ive already stated that ive tried to run the pitstop and the pc wont accept an active x, it doesnt even bring up the strip across the top to click on, otherwise ud have had that report to begin with!

When you click on to the Overdrive link I supplied, your not getting this opening page (part of page only displayed) ? [attachment removed] Make sure you are using Internet Explorer. If you are arriving at that page click on "create free account" If you are not getting that page, tell me exactly what you are getting please. Cheers, Lee

yes i get the page, but when i click on the section i need to run it anonymously it doesnt bring the active x band up to accept to continue and the pitstop wont go any further

yes i get the page, but when i click on the section i need to run it anonymously it doesnt bring the active x band up to accept to continue and the pitstop wont go any further.

Please note the section at the bottom of this page;
[attachment removed]

We need saved results. Do not click on "test anonymously".
No information you supply to create the account is available to us or anyone else. NO information the test results supply can identify the PC or who own it and nor does the test results display ANY other personal data stored on the PC, to us or anybody else, including PC Pitsdtop site operators.

What the test displays is completely anonymous technical info. That is why we use Overdrive rather than any other test.

Cheers,
Lee

im using exactly what i used when u all talked me thru it on my own system…

im using exactly what i used when u all talked me thru it on my own system…

You are using a different computer, nothing is exactly the same.

If you don't wish to run the Overdrive test (or any other test we suggest), that is up to you of course. The help we provide here is free and there is no pressure to follow the instruction we provide to help you.

Cheers,
Lee

ac tually it is the same computer just a smaller memory, as ive previously stated quite a few times now, i have tried to do the overdrive test even before i asked for anyones help on here and it will not open up on her computer as it wont do anything about the active x that overdrive wants to run. if you wont help me then please ask one of the other tech support to help. thank you

This thread is visible to all Techs here at WTT and of course they are free to post more suitable help that (unfortunately) I have not been able to provide.

Cheers,
Lee

PS Edit: Link to previous thread http://forums.whatthetech.com/index.php?sh…t=0&start=0

What exactly did you not understand about my instructions? I re-read them and they are very explicit. If you tell me what you don't understand I'll try to help. Have you tried booting to Safe Mode with Networking and run the PCPitStop Overdrive test there? You should register first. I don't know if that makes a difference but it's worth trying.

well for a start whats safe mode with networking?