Re: Question on XP slow operatoin

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

Terra Prime wrote: 
Don. wrote:

I'm running Win98SE on this machine and it's 10 times faster than on
my wife's machine.  Her XP installation came from a "friend" who
installed it in April.

I just used her computer to write an e-mail and it took most of 5
minutes to bring up 3 applications from a Batch file. When done with
one e-mail I then hung up and closed all 3 applications.  That took
another 5 minutes.  :-(

After my first Defrag took 30 minutes I commented to "friend" who told
me I don't need to Defrag XP.

Is that true?

Thanks...


After reading all of the replies to this thread, I thought I would add my 2 cents.... some parts are just reiterating what Ken Blake and Yabbadoo said, but there are a couple other possible solutions which may or may not help you.

1. Make sure that your fans are working properly. Especially the fan on your processor's heatsink. The fans should also be dust free as well as all peripheral cards and the expansion slots themselves. If necessary, remove the fan and physically clean the blades. The heatsink for your processor (and the one on your video card if you have one) should also be dust free.

2. Make sure your computer is not in a room that is unusually warm during the day. If it is hovering around 30°C (86°F), consider moving it to a different room or find a way to keep the room cooler.

3. Perform a hard drive defrag. (Despite what your friend told you, computers running Windows XP do need to have their hard drives defragged approximately every 3 months or so depending on how much you use your computer. The more you use it, the more often you will need to do a defrag.)

4. Do a full virus scan with your antivirus program. This can be the cause of a slow system (not usually, unless you have a VERY badly virus infested computer) but is never a bad idea.

5. Use these spyware scanners to erraticate your spyware problem:
*Make sure you check for spyware definition updates for all of these scanners before using them.


Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4
http://www.safer-networking.org

Ad-Aware SE 1.06 Personal
http://www.lavasoftusa.com

Spyware Blaster 3.4
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html


Spy Sweeper 4.0.3 Build 405
http://www.webroot.com

XoftSpy 4.15
http://www.paretologic.com

CWShredder 2.15*
http://www.intermute.com/spysubtract/cwshredder_download.html

* = Use the standalone version of CWShredder.


Thanks for the very detailed information. We have SpySweeper and keep it the signature files up to date as well as Zone Alarm Pro and F-Prot.

As noted earlier in this thread I did a Defrag but now can't find the Defrag OR Scandisk on the HD! ??? That system has me running in circles. Luckly about all my wife does with it is play solitare games and work with Word Perfect and occasional e-mail and browsing, but very little of the latter. While on for myself I'm all over the Internet with my genealogy research, process about 20 e-mails a day (guarded with MailWasher) and the same AV & Firewall she has. Here in Coeur d'Alene, ID the house temps haven't reach more than about 80F and her's sits on a desk very much in the open.

I was about to try to find an XP defragger on the Internet for her machine. I use a WindowsME version of it that runs well under Win98, maybe on hers as well, but I hesitate to try it without some reassurance it won't rip her HD to shreads. ;-)

Thanks very much for your 2c worth, it is very much appreciated. Right now I'm also considering tossing that 4 year old 800MHz computer and buying a new one with a CD burner for BU, for me to use. ;-)

Don

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Question on XP slow operatoin
    ... Make sure that your fans are working properly. ... Perform a hard drive defrag. ... >> computers running Windows XP do need to have their hard drives defragged ... Use these spyware scanners to erraticate your spyware problem: ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • Re: explorer.exe going insane
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    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware)
  • Re: Question on XP slow operatoin
    ... more memory will do nothing for you. ... Please reply to the newsgroup ... >> minutes to bring up 3 applications from a Batch file. ... >> told me I don't need to Defrag XP. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • Re: Windows Xp Defragmentation
    ... "Shahzad." ... > responsive and wil not perform a defrag and when I click on Defrag it ... Before you try to remove spyware using any of these programs, ... Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines ...
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