Slow Computer

[Guest mare]

Hi

 

I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire computer,

but it is still slow. I have no idea what it could be, I have run my virus

programs, and there was nothing found. Someone suggested I tried to defrag

my computer? I was wondering how I do this?? And will this possibly help?

[Guest Ken Blake, MVP]

Re: Slow Computer

 

On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:08:00 -0700, mare

<mare@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:

> I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

> extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire computer,

> but it is still slow. I have no idea what it could be, I have run my virus

> programs, and there was nothing found. Someone suggested I tried to defrag

> my computer? I was wondering how I do this?? And will this possibly help?

 

 

 

Possibly? Yes. Likely? No.

 

You say you run an anti-virus program, but you don't say which one.

Please tell us.

 

Also, do you run anti-spyware software? If so, which one? If not, my

guess that spyware is your most likely problem.

 

 

 

 

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience

Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[Guest Unknown]

Re: Slow Computer

 

Have you run disc cleanup lately?

"mare" <mare@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:7D67491D-80E6-4D7F-A241-B23877C14C16@microsoft.com...

> Hi

>

> I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

> extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire

> computer,

> but it is still slow. I have no idea what it could be, I have run my virus

> programs, and there was nothing found. Someone suggested I tried to

> defrag

> my computer? I was wondering how I do this?? And will this possibly help?

[Guest mare]

Re: Slow Computer

 

no how do you run it?

[Guest Paul]

Re: Slow Computer

 

mare wrote:

> Hi

>

> I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

> extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire computer,

> but it is still slow. I have no idea what it could be, I have run my virus

> programs, and there was nothing found. Someone suggested I tried to defrag

> my computer? I was wondering how I do this?? And will this possibly help?

 

To get some information about your disk and its performance,

download the free version (2.55, right hand column) of HDTune.

 

http://www.hdtune.com/download.html

 

The active mode for your hard drive, is in the lower right hand

corner of the Info screen.

 

http://www.handtops.com/images/handtops_com-flipstart-report-hdtune1.png

 

If you use the benchmark option, the program will test the transfer

rate of your disk. A typical 7200RPM disk will deliver 60MB/sec

near the beginning of the disk, and about 40MB/sec near the

end of the disk. The graph displays the transfer rate across the

disk surface, and the results should be a curve.

 

This picture is a benchmark of a laptop drive, and this

is slower than a desktop. The desktop disk should be

more than twice as fast as this (and still curved like

this picture).

 

http://www.handtops.com/images/handtops_com-flipstart-bench-hdtune1.png

 

If your benchmark is a flat line, or if the Info screen shows a

very low transfer speed mode is being used, that would explain the

sluggish system performance (at least while programs are loading).

 

You can use the Task Manager (control-alt-delete) and the screens

in there, if the problem happens to be some piece of software that

is using cycles and you don't know it.

 

Defragging is an optimization, but won't boost things to the same

extent, as figuring out what is really wrong. You say "extremely

slow to load", so that sounds more serious.

 

Paul

[Guest PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Re: Slow Computer

 

See http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html

--

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)

MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002

AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net

DTS-L http://dts-l.net/

 

mare wrote:

> I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

> extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire

> computer,

> but it is still slow. I have no idea what it could be, I have run my virus

> programs, and there was nothing found. Someone suggested I tried to

> defrag

> my computer? I was wondering how I do this?? And will this possibly help?

[Guest Gerry]

Re: Slow Computer

 

 

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.

 

Select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk

Defragmenter.

 

--

 

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Gerry

~~~~

FCA

Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

mare wrote:

> no how do you run it?

[Guest Daave]

Re: Slow Computer

 

"mare" <mare@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:7D67491D-80E6-4D7F-A241-B23877C14C16@microsoft.com...

> I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

> extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire

> computer,

> but it is still slow.

 

What exactly do you mean by "I have tried restoring the entire

computer?" Which method did you use?

[Guest Patrick Keenan]

Re: Slow Computer

 

"mare" <mare@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:7D67491D-80E6-4D7F-A241-B23877C14C16@microsoft.com...

> Hi

>

> I am not sure what is wrong with my computer. But everything has been

> extremely slow to load recently. I have tried restoring the entire

> computer,

 

What exactly do you mean by that?

 

If you didn't wipe the drive and start from a clean install, you are using

the same registry, and won't have made much difference.

 

By "slow to load", do you mean that the PC takes a long time to start or

that once started, everything takes longer?

> but it is still slow. I have no idea what it could be, I have run my virus

> programs, and there was nothing found. Someone suggested I tried to

> defrag

> my computer? I was wondering how I do this?? And will this possibly help?

 

Frequently, slowness is caused by either too many processes and programs

loading at startup, or that at least one of those programs or processes take

a long time to initialize. Firewalls, for example, can significantly slow

down the system at startup.

 

Also, if you have Windows Update or Microsoft Update - set to automatically

download and install updates, this can be a problem. If you don't have a

very fast system and connection, letting this run automatically can take

control of the system away from you for varying lengths of time, up to ten

or twenty minutes.

 

There's a program from MS called Process Explorer, which can be very helpful

in figuring out what exactly is taking the CPU cycles. It's worth

downloading and learning about. Make a shortcut to it and run it first

thing at startup, and make notes of what processes take a lot of cycles.

 

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

 

Also, download and run CrapCleaner - ccleaner -

http://www.ccleaner.com/download/builds. Get the Slim build. Install,

run, click Analyze and then let it delete what it finds (the Run Ccleaner

button). Note that this may remove passwords and settings for things like

banking sites.

 

Finally, there is another issue. General slowness can be a symptom of a

failing hard disk.

 

 

HTH

-pk