Slow computer

tugboat

tugboat

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Sorry if this should be in the Lounge but don't know if the computer whizzes go there.
My 7 year old PC has really slowed down a lot this last 12 months such that it is like wading through treacle. I know that other people have found the forums slow but in my case everything, even booting up, is desperate.
I read up on the subject and everyone seemed to say the first step is to increase RAM so I increased from 512MB (yeah I know) to 2GB which the computer seems to recognise has been installed. However it hasn't made a jot of difference. Apparently I can't upgrade the CPU cos my motherboard is the same type that Noah used. Do CPU's get tired over time? I defragged the hard drive and I have 80% odd free. Can I do anything else to clean my system up and get it working like it used to?
I intend to soon get a laptop but don't want to demote the PC to letter writing alone.
Despite my casual use of terms like 'RAM' and 'defrag' I know buggerall about computers so please tender advice in terms suitable for an idiot! Thanks.
 
If it's 7 years old then probably the best thing you could do is format the hard disk (wipe it clean) and re-install the operating system, over time lots of things get added to the registry which will eventually lead to the PC to run slow, just make sure you have the all the licenses and cd’s for the software you want to re-install.
 
Run anti-spy and anti-virus to make sure that there isn't anything running that shouldn't be.

Run CCleaner to clean up the registry (and other parts).
 
tugboat said:
Sorry if this should be in the Lounge but don't know if the computer whizzes go there.
My 7 year old PC has really slowed down a lot this last 12 months such that it is like wading through treacle. I know that other people have found the forums slow but in my case everything, even booting up, is desperate.
I read up on the subject and everyone seemed to say the first step is to increase RAM so I increased from 512MB (yeah I know) to 2GB which the computer seems to recognise has been installed. However it hasn't made a jot of difference. Apparently I can't upgrade the CPU cos my motherboard is the same type that Noah used. Do CPU's get tired over time? I defragged the hard drive and I have 80% odd free. Can I do anything else to clean my system up and get it working like it used to?
I intend to soon get a laptop but don't want to demote the PC to letter writing alone.
Despite my casual use of terms like 'RAM' and 'defrag' I know buggerall about computers so please tender advice in terms suitable for an idiot! Thanks.
Click to expand...
What OS are you running? XP?
Stu
 
Slow computer.....

I'm having exactly the same problem as you ,slow in every way and even starting up,whether on Firefox or I/E or Chrome.
Last year I almost bought a new PC it got so bad. I did a spring clean of the whole of the inside of my PC.Every blade on every cooling fan was clogged with dust, the video card fan too was clogged.After gently cleaning with a natural fibre artists brush and a hoover on low power I cleared it. The difference was amazing,so I did a defragmentation and this seems to have helped too.
Its about time I did another clean after a year,and it costs nothing.

Like you I too have much more memory than the opening screen says, but I believe this is normal with the Bios reporting.

ianat182
 
Since the computer is 7 years old I'm guessing your running XP. There's lots of little things you could do to try and speed the machine up but they're a bit techie, and probably won't make that much difference considering the age of the machine. One thing I would consider is to do a total scan of your hard disc with your virus checker which I'm assuming you're running. A virus checker itself can cause slow downs on a computer and some are better than others. Assuming you're virus free, you're best bet bet, as Andy has already said is to wipe the slate clean and start again. This'll involve knowing you're XP licence number, having the installation CD, and perhaps some more drivers not detected by the system. Sorry I can't be more helpful or specific but the factors that slow a computer down are numerous and that's why it's sometimes better to re-install from scratch. Finally you also need to consider you might have a hard drive problem. If re-installing the operating sytem doesn't do it then you could be looking at a hard drive problem. If you can't swap it out yourself I'd head for a dealer and treat myself to a new machine - dual CPU, 4GB memory running Windows 7.
 
PC Support

For those who wish to retain an old system:

As already mentioned:
A clean with an artist brush or SWMBO’s makeup brush…..(but don’t let on):D
Look on the manufacturer’s web site and find out the maximum RAM for your specific MB and apply the upgrade.
Also download and flash the BIOS to the latest release (get this one right or you destroy the MB).
Back up all your important data on to a network or external drive (you will be doing this already).
Know what you have in your system and have all the drivers downloaded backed-up and available for reinstallation.
Have good AV, and firewall + the OS with correct licenses available.
Fully format you HD and re-install OS, then AV and update immediately.
Install all other system software and when happy create an image on a separate partition or drive so that when you next have any performance or corruption issue you can re-apply your image, re-boot and be up and running in around 20 minutes rather than the two ish days it will take you to install everything separately back to an all singing & dancing system + ALL the updates from Microsoft.

Not too sure about Windows 7 yet due to the question of support for all peripherals etc....sorry but I still like XP:)

Oh! Just one more thing:

The best hardware site on the web (now there’s a bold statement / challenge) is:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/

Have a look…..you will not be disappointed…..the good old learning curve yet again!
 
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ianat182 said:
Like you I too have much more memory than the opening screen says, but I believe this is normal with the Bios reporting.

ianat182
Click to expand...

That's not normal I would check if there is an update for your BIOS. If the BIOS can not see all of the memory then it can cause problms for the OS. As part of the POST the BIOS will do a memory check and should see all the installed memory.

Not trying to teach you to suck eggs but for those that don't know
BIOS (Basic In Out System)
POST (Power On Self Test)
 
Well thanks a lot for all that advice, I'll need to print it all out and take time to understand it all, being a numpty! If I wipe the hard drive and reinstall the OS (XP as already guessed) I presume I lose all my files and photos etc. I have Norton 360 installed which I have a feeling might be part of the problem. I have tried to do a backup procedure with Norton but it won't work for some reason. I can save photos onto disc, but what about favourites lists, letters, other files etc? It's scary to think how much info we have in our computers, how much we take them for granted, and how screwed up we would be if it crashed. Thanks again.
 
Another bit more:

I ran ccleaner on the registry and lost access to a program which I use frequently. But its certainly worthwhile for removing temporary files etc.

It would be worth investing £50 - £80 on an external hard drive. It just plugs in and you can easily back up your valuable data and photos. I use a Western Digital 500 Gb box from Amazon.

Many people think Norton is the work of the devil, thought the latest version is supposed to be an improvement.
 
Skysail said:
Many people think Norton is the work of the devil, thought the latest version is supposed to be an improvement.
Click to expand...


Agree with you on that. Three computers from extended family have had problems with norton.

Always backup registry with cc cleaner easy to reload and check and get back prog usage.Not very often that happens tho.
 
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tugboat said:
If I wipe the hard drive and reinstall the OS (XP as already guessed) I presume I lose all my files and photos etc.
Click to expand...
Yes you will unless you save them somewhere else first, the best bet is to get a USB memory stick and copy all your photos, letters, word docs etc.... to it. If you use Firefox you can also backup your favorites to a file on the memory stick as well. The best place to start is the My Documents folder as unless you've changed it most files will be in there.
 
Try a different OS

Being an uber nerd myself. So long as you don't have lots of software that is MS only you could do a lot worse than install linux. Ubuntu is probably the best - I am running it on this laptop though we use Red Hat at work. It has a lot of geeky stuff that makes it run better on older hardware. Also, there is much less of an issue with security such as viruses.

Open Office has all the functionality for Office and of course Firefox and Thunderbird are available along with all sorts of other apps to do what you need including a very good DTP package if you really need such a thing.
 
fergie_mac66 said:
Agree with you on that. Three computers from extended family have had problems with norton.

Always backup registry with cc cleaner easy to reload and check and get back prog usage.Not very often that happens tho.
Click to expand...

Norton was great back in DOS days, when Norton himself actually wrote the software. Since then it has gone very far downhill - to the extent that a product of theirs called "Crashguard", which was supposed to protect against BSOD crashes actually CAUSED them! I automatically uninstall all Norton software whenever I get a machine on which it has been installed.
 
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