Guest AndyN Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 I'm having trouble even trying any solutions that I've used in the past to resolve performance problems because it runs so slowly that anything I try doesn't repond. Do I need to reinstall?
Guest Daave Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Re: xp taking hours to boot "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:AD727A86-CCCA-4516-9D32-719972FF7804@microsoft.com... > I'm having trouble even trying any solutions that I've used in the > past to > resolve performance problems because it runs so slowly that anything I > try > doesn't repond. Do I need to reinstall? Here are the most common causes for PC slowness: 1. Malicious software (malware) 2. Certain programs that are designed to combat malware (e.g., Norton and McAfee). Ironically, they can slow things down because they simply use way too many resources. Sometime they cause conflicts with other programs. And their default mode is to scan your entire hard drive each time you boot up. 3. Too many of *certain types* of programs always running in the background -- with or without your knowledge. Use these sites to determine what these programs are and to learn how to configure them not to always run at startup: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm Sometimes it is recommended to use msconfig to configure the programs to not run at startup. A better, more thorough program is Autoruns: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx 4. Not enough RAM, which causes the PC to overly rely on the pagefile. A quick way to determine if this is happening is to open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note the three values under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand corner: Total, Limit, and Peak. The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at that very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of memory you used since last bootup. If both these figures are below the value of Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have plenty of RAM. Otherwise, you may want to explore this further by running Page File Monitor for Windows XP: http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm 5. You might also want to check that your hard drive's access mode didn't change from DMA to PIO: http://www.technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/ and http://users.bigpond.net.au/ninjaduck/itserviceduck/udma_fix/
Guest AndyN Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Re: xp taking hours to boot Thanks Daave. My first thought had been malware and then too much stuff running on startup, but whatever the problem I'm having trouble getting anything to work in Windows. Is there any way to try to resolve these issues prior to windows starting? "Daave" wrote: > "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:AD727A86-CCCA-4516-9D32-719972FF7804@microsoft.com... > > I'm having trouble even trying any solutions that I've used in the > > past to > > resolve performance problems because it runs so slowly that anything I > > try > > doesn't repond. Do I need to reinstall? > > Here are the most common causes for PC slowness: > > 1. Malicious software (malware) > > 2. Certain programs that are designed to combat malware (e.g., Norton > and McAfee). Ironically, they can slow things down because they simply > use way too many resources. Sometime they cause conflicts with other > programs. And their default mode is to scan your entire hard drive each > time you boot up. > > 3. Too many of *certain types* of programs always running in the > background -- with or without your knowledge. > > Use these sites to determine what these programs are and to learn how to > configure them not to always run at startup: > > http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS > http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ > http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm > > Sometimes it is recommended to use msconfig to configure the programs to > not run at startup. A better, more thorough program is Autoruns: > > http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx > > 4. Not enough RAM, which causes the PC to overly rely on the pagefile. A > quick way to determine if this is happening is to open Task Manager > (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note the three values > under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand corner: Total, Limit, > and Peak. > > The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at that > very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of memory you > used since last bootup. If both these figures are below the value of > Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have plenty of RAM. > Otherwise, you may want to explore this further by running Page File > Monitor for Windows XP: > > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm > > 5. You might also want to check that your hard drive's access mode > didn't change from DMA to PIO: > > http://www.technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/ > > and > > http://users.bigpond.net.au/ninjaduck/itserviceduck/udma_fix/ > > >
Guest Patrick Keenan Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Re: xp taking hours to boot "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:4AB34FE5-4326-411E-858D-2E43B9468D20@microsoft.com... > Thanks Daave. My first thought had been malware and then too much stuff > running on startup, but whatever the problem I'm having trouble getting > anything to work in Windows. Is there any way to try to resolve these > issues > prior to windows starting? Unplug the network cable. Start in Safe Mode, and use MSCONFIG to examine and disable whatever isn't needed. Many apps and services won't start in Safe Mode so you can get more control of the system. But, If there is malware, and it's a possibility, it's helpful to remove the drive, attach it to another system - I use USB2 drive cases and adapters for this - and do a virus and malware scan. This can be extremely beneficial; since the drive didn't boot, the malware didn't launch and isn't trying to evade the scans. While you have the drive out, clear out all the temp and temporary internet files folders. Empty the recycle bin and defragment the drive. Put the drive back in and boot. If you suddenly get "cannot find file" messages, it's very likely that the system was infected, you've cleared most of it out, and now have to remove the launcher references. Again msconfig is a big help here. HTH -pk > > "Daave" wrote: > >> "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:AD727A86-CCCA-4516-9D32-719972FF7804@microsoft.com... >> > I'm having trouble even trying any solutions that I've used in the >> > past to >> > resolve performance problems because it runs so slowly that anything I >> > try >> > doesn't repond. Do I need to reinstall? >> >> Here are the most common causes for PC slowness: >> >> 1. Malicious software (malware) >> >> 2. Certain programs that are designed to combat malware (e.g., Norton >> and McAfee). Ironically, they can slow things down because they simply >> use way too many resources. Sometime they cause conflicts with other >> programs. And their default mode is to scan your entire hard drive each >> time you boot up. >> >> 3. Too many of *certain types* of programs always running in the >> background -- with or without your knowledge. >> >> Use these sites to determine what these programs are and to learn how to >> configure them not to always run at startup: >> >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm >> >> Sometimes it is recommended to use msconfig to configure the programs to >> not run at startup. A better, more thorough program is Autoruns: >> >> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx >> >> 4. Not enough RAM, which causes the PC to overly rely on the pagefile. A >> quick way to determine if this is happening is to open Task Manager >> (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note the three values >> under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand corner: Total, Limit, >> and Peak. >> >> The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at that >> very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of memory you >> used since last bootup. If both these figures are below the value of >> Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have plenty of RAM. >> Otherwise, you may want to explore this further by running Page File >> Monitor for Windows XP: >> >> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm >> >> 5. You might also want to check that your hard drive's access mode >> didn't change from DMA to PIO: >> >> http://www.technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/ >> >> and >> >> http://users.bigpond.net.au/ninjaduck/itserviceduck/udma_fix/ >> >> >>
Guest Daave Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Re: xp taking hours to boot I like Patrick's answer. The Sysytem Configuration Utility can be very helpful. Follow the directions here to try a "clean boot": http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353 By using process of elimination, you should be able to determine any problematic resource hogs. Of course, you need to rule out malware first. Here's a great guide: http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Viruses_Malware "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:4AB34FE5-4326-411E-858D-2E43B9468D20@microsoft.com... > Thanks Daave. My first thought had been malware and then too much > stuff > running on startup, but whatever the problem I'm having trouble > getting > anything to work in Windows. Is there any way to try to resolve these > issues > prior to windows starting? > > "Daave" wrote: > >> "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:AD727A86-CCCA-4516-9D32-719972FF7804@microsoft.com... >> > I'm having trouble even trying any solutions that I've used in the >> > past to >> > resolve performance problems because it runs so slowly that >> > anything I >> > try >> > doesn't repond. Do I need to reinstall? >> >> Here are the most common causes for PC slowness: >> >> 1. Malicious software (malware) >> >> 2. Certain programs that are designed to combat malware (e.g., Norton >> and McAfee). Ironically, they can slow things down because they >> simply >> use way too many resources. Sometime they cause conflicts with other >> programs. And their default mode is to scan your entire hard drive >> each >> time you boot up. >> >> 3. Too many of *certain types* of programs always running in the >> background -- with or without your knowledge. >> >> Use these sites to determine what these programs are and to learn how >> to >> configure them not to always run at startup: >> >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm >> >> Sometimes it is recommended to use msconfig to configure the programs >> to >> not run at startup. A better, more thorough program is Autoruns: >> >> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx >> >> 4. Not enough RAM, which causes the PC to overly rely on the >> pagefile. A >> quick way to determine if this is happening is to open Task Manager >> (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note the three >> values >> under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand corner: Total, Limit, >> and Peak. >> >> The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at >> that >> very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of memory >> you >> used since last bootup. If both these figures are below the value of >> Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have plenty of RAM. >> Otherwise, you may want to explore this further by running Page File >> Monitor for Windows XP: >> >> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm >> >> 5. You might also want to check that your hard drive's access mode >> didn't change from DMA to PIO: >> >> http://www.technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/ >> >> and >> >> http://users.bigpond.net.au/ninjaduck/itserviceduck/udma_fix/ >> >> >>
Guest Gerry Posted October 15, 2008 Posted October 15, 2008 Re: xp taking hours to boot Andy Are there any problems indicated in the System and Application logs? Please post copies of all Error and Warning Reports appearing in the System and Application logs in Event Viewer relating to the last boot in normal mode . No Information Reports or Duplicates please. Indicate which also appear in a previous boot. You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description are important. A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from Event Viewer. Is the problem the time to boot to desktop or lack of responsiveness after the deskstop has loaded? I would be interested in seeing a Disk Defragmenter report . Open Disk Defragmenter and click on Analyse. Select View Report and click on Save As and Save. Now find VolumeC.txt in your My Documents Folder and post a copy. Do this before running Disk Defragmenter as it is more informative. Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp to Empty your Recycle Bin and Remove Temporary Internet Files. Also select Start, All Programs, accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp, More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest System Restore point. Run Disk Defragmenter. Otherwise Daave has given you an excellent list of points to work through. -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AndyN wrote: > Thanks Daave. My first thought had been malware and then too much > stuff running on startup, but whatever the problem I'm having trouble > getting anything to work in Windows. Is there any way to try to > resolve these issues prior to windows starting? > > "Daave" wrote: > >> "AndyN" <AndyN@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:AD727A86-CCCA-4516-9D32-719972FF7804@microsoft.com... >>> I'm having trouble even trying any solutions that I've used in the >>> past to >>> resolve performance problems because it runs so slowly that >>> anything I try >>> doesn't repond. Do I need to reinstall? >> >> Here are the most common causes for PC slowness: >> >> 1. Malicious software (malware) >> >> 2. Certain programs that are designed to combat malware (e.g., Norton >> and McAfee). Ironically, they can slow things down because they >> simply use way too many resources. Sometime they cause conflicts >> with other programs. And their default mode is to scan your entire >> hard drive each time you boot up. >> >> 3. Too many of *certain types* of programs always running in the >> background -- with or without your knowledge. >> >> Use these sites to determine what these programs are and to learn >> how to configure them not to always run at startup: >> >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm >> >> Sometimes it is recommended to use msconfig to configure the >> programs to not run at startup. A better, more thorough program is >> Autoruns: >> >> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx >> >> 4. Not enough RAM, which causes the PC to overly rely on the >> pagefile. A quick way to determine if this is happening is to open >> Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) and click the Performance tab. Then note >> the three values under Commit Charge (K): in the lower left-hand >> corner: Total, Limit, and Peak. >> >> The Total figure represents the amount of memory you are using at >> that very moment. The Peak figure represents the highest amount of >> memory you used since last bootup. If both these figures are below >> the value of Physical Memory (K) Total, then you probably have >> plenty of RAM. Otherwise, you may want to explore this further by >> running Page File Monitor for Windows XP: >> >> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm >> >> 5. You might also want to check that your hard drive's access mode >> didn't change from DMA to PIO: >> >> http://www.technize.com/2007/08/02/is-your-hard-disk-cddvd-drives-too-slow-while-copying/ >> >> and >> >> http://users.bigpond.net.au/ninjaduck/itserviceduck/udma_fix/
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