My 3.2 ghz cpu HP a1410y stock PC with 2G RAM is having problems:
1) streaming Netflix (Video too fast or stops altogether….audio out of sync)
2) the D drive doesn't have enough free space (only 4%) to run a defrag proper.
3) And it's still full of bloatware.
Netflix Customer Service told me I had to talk to HP support. HP told me my machine was obsolete. "What kind of a deal do you have to offer a loyal customer … ? The best deal: $586- for a Pentium 2.33 ghz dual core w/2 gigs RAM & 250gb HD. "Goodbye."
Celeron D for Dimwitted, Dull, Dumb, Decrepit
I'm a sentimental guy but I never thought I'd get so attached to a machine. When I worked (before the only jobs available involved torture & murder) I thought to replace it & as if sensing its time running out the thing slowed to a snail's pace in no more than 5 or 6 days…before the next round of weekend ads for $399 PCs made of recycled beer & Clorox bottles & mannikin heads.
"There's a spark inside you yet.," I said. Surprised by this act of obstinate defiance. That same day I had a visit from my friend the freeware fiend. With missionary zeal he preached about the evils of Apple+Microsoft while removing Word, Excel, Outlook and leaving all of the bloatware & advertising. Finally it would shut off and back on. I paid someone $65 and it came back to life.
Celeron D for Dauntless
in short I believe it has one life left…like a cat who's used up 8
It doesn't look like much but it's got it where it counts …
Thanks Lee. That PC Decrapifier is great! I feel as if I've relieved myself after
being constipated. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone … after it suggests
files for deletion you can check each one's "Help" file on the site against the percentage
of users before you who have erased it + comments which often provide the tie-breaking vote
when the number is small. Unless it's too new (or rare) to have made it into the sites
database yet & a message recommends erring on the side of caution. It must be pretty
new since only about half the help links have comments… the more tech savvy folks who
use it (it's super fast) & add comments the better the site will become.
Back to my computer. Despite freeing up 3 gigs I'm still struggling with HPs "Support Files"
to learn how to increase my hard disks free space. I've got an 80 gig HD and no Federal Reserve
notes to buy another. Plenty of room on my C Partition. But a pathetically small amount (fragmented,
no less) on the D part of the disk. I'm not sure how much that will improve things. But after spending
2 hours fiddling with tiny little 36K disk cleanings, compressing and/or backing up the D-Recovery Drive
(which I cancelled with another 6 hours to go) and the final straw: tightening up my system so it doesn't
save as much of my Web history only to discover it applied only to MS Internet Explorer which I'd flushed
earlier in the day down the decrapifier….
And then there's Netflix: so smooth and polite as they insisted that I have to provide them with a Credit or
Debit card to redeem my 2 month free gift, my system struggles to playback all video and audio including
YouTube, Google Video & Vimeo.
Grateful for any help … for now I'm going back to drowning my sorrows watching a Noam Chomsky talk that looks like a Hong Kong Kung Fu movie
–Un.Emp.
* * *
Download and run PC Decrapifier to help you identify and remove Junkware.
Back to my computer. Despite freeing up 3 gigs I'm still struggling with HPs "Support Files"
to learn how to increase my hard disks free space. I've got an 80 gig HD and no Federal Reserve
notes to buy another. Plenty of room on my C Partition. But a pathetically small amount (fragmented,
no less) on the D part of the disk
If you are running an XP OS (XP operating system), it should take up about 10-12 GB including your updates and programs.
If you have an 80GB HDD with 2 partitions and you are not a gamer, your C drive (OS) should be no more than 30GB which leaves you with 50G(a bit less in reality) for your D drive.
D drive should only be used for personal data, not programs. To free up space on D is quite simple, just remove some private data to CD or DVD disk or USB thumb drive or USB hard drive.
Yoiu should have plenty of space on C as it should only contain your OS and programs. If not, move what should not be there to D or USB media storage.
Let me know the size of your C and D drives as these can be adjusted without having to re-install your operating system.
If you are running an XP OS (XP operating system), it should take up about 10-12 GB including your updates and programs.
If you have an 80GB HDD with 2 partitions and you are not a gamer, your C drive (OS) should be no more than 30GB which leaves you with 50G(a bit less in reality) for your D drive.
D drive should only be used for personal data, not programs. To free up space on D is quite simple, just remove some private data to CD or DVD disk or USB thumb drive or USB hard drive.
Yoiu should have plenty of space on C as it should only contain your OS and programs. If not, move what should not be there to D or USB media storage.
Let me know the size of your C and D drives as these can be adjusted without having to re-install your operating system.
C drive: ~60GB of which 32% is free
D drive: ~7GB with only 4% free space, not enough for disk defragment
after running the usual programs: disk cleanup, error check, add/remove programs
I've freed up 9GB in my C drive, while the D drive has gained 38KB…
true I'm not a gamer apart from having set the world record on Tempest in 1982
This may not solve my original problem with Netflix instant movies streaming properly:
the audio de-synced from the video which slowed down-sped up-crashed, even after I'd
closed every task but firefox & netflix. I checked and my CPU was still hitting 100% usage.
If your D drive is only 7% it is obviously a recovery partition containing an ISO image of your original factory OS set-up. Leave it alone.
Do not try to add or remove any data to that drive or try to defrag. it.
It might be a good idea to un-install Netflix and then upgrade your sound and video drivers (you need to go to your PCs manufacturing support site to do that) and then re-install Netflix. If your not sure which drivers you need, what is your computer brand and model number?
If you are then still crashing, please download WhoCrashed (scroll down to Crash Analysis Tool) to your desktop.
1) Click on the file you just downloaded and run it.
2) Put a tick in Accept then click on Next
3) Tick Don't create a start menu folder / click Next
4) Tick Create a Desktop Icon / click on Install / tick Launch Whocrashed / click Finish
5) Click Analyze
It will want to download the Debugger and install it / Yes
WhoCrashed will create report /.scroll down to see it.
Copy and paste it into your next reply.
If your D drive is only 7% it is obviously a recovery partition containing an ISO image of your original factory OS set-up. Leave it alone.
Do not try to add or remove any data to that drive or try to defrag. it.
It might be a good idea to un-install Netflix and then upgrade your sound and video drivers (you need to go to your PCs manufacturing support site to do that) and then re-install Netflix. If your not sure which drivers you need, what is your computer brand and model number?
If you are then still crashing, please download WhoCrashed (scroll down to Crash Analysis Tool) to your desktop.
1) Click on the file you just downloaded and run it.
2) Put a tick in Accept then click on Next
3) Tick Don't create a start menu folder / click Next
4) Tick Create a Desktop Icon / click on Install / tick Launch Whocrashed / click Finish
5) Click Analyze
It will want to download the Debugger and install it / Yes
WhoCrashed will create report /.scroll down to see it.
Copy and paste it into your next reply.
Cheers,
Lee
Many thanks! This site is great. I'll try all that.
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