Re: Help with slow computer
- From: Skip Haberlack <SkipHaberlack@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:57:01 -0800
I changed the registry and checked and it is now set to DMA mode. This seems
to be just what I needed as everything seems to be working fine now. I just
want to give my thanks to you and everybody else that helped out with my
problem. Anyway, I appreciate everything, thank you!
Skip
"Daave" wrote:
"Skip Haberlack" <SkipHaberlack@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in.
message news:BE3A6230-45F2-4006-983B-DDCED292757E@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dave, Thanks for the reply. Here's some answers to your questions.
1. I have 1024MB RAM
Generally, that is more than adequate for most XP users. So, that's
good.
2. Commit Charge -
Total: 674100
Limit: 2517616
Peak: 900388
Physical Memory -
Total: 1046704
This is also good. It means you *do* have enough RAM. There is no need
to purchase more!
3. 60GB Hard Drive, 25GB Free
Also good.
4. I don't remember exactly what I was doing. I know it was around
the
time I got Civilization IV Beyond the Sword. More than likely,
though, it
started after I downloaded a Windows or HP update.
I think we have a winner. Not too long ago, I worked on a laptop that
had similar performance problems. A Windows update turned out to be the
culprit. Why don't you uninstall (via Control Panel | Add or Remove
Programs) *all* the Windows updates since that point in time a few
months ago. You will eventually reinstall them of course. You may also
need to uninstall Civilization IV if no joy. I'm not sure what kind of
HP updates you are talking about. Is it a BIOS update? Or something
else?
Regarding Windows Updates, make sure you only install critical updates.
*Never* install hardware device drivers from the Microsoft site!
Personally, I shut off Automatic Updates and visit the Microsoft site
once a month and manually download the critical updates. If you want to
run Automatic Updates, I would recommend choosing "Notify me but don't
automatically download or install them."
5. I did use to have Norton. After my computer started acting this
way, a
friend of mine told me about Norton being a resource hog and to get
rid of it
so I did. I ran the uninstaller from the Norton website so I would
assume
that it would be uninstalled completely.
Sounds like it is. Good, also!
6. It is a HP Pavilion dv5224nr.
I also checked my hard drive access mode. My Primary IDE Channel
Device 0
is set to Transfer Mode: DMA if available and Current Transfer Mode:
PIO
Mode. The Current Transfer Mode is stuck in PIO Mode and can't be
changed.
I read that link you sent me and although I'm fairly computer literate
user
wise, I don't know how to create registry keys. If there is anything
else
that you need to know or if you have any other suggestions, I would
appreciate it. Thanks for the reply.
PIO mode makes your PC run like a dog! You need to change it back. It's
not hard to create a key in the registry. Open regedit. Navigate to the
locations
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0001]
and
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0002]
Then right-click in a white area in the right window and select New,
then DWORD value. The name of the key will be
ResetErrorCountersOnSuccess. Enter the number 1 in the Value Data box.
Of course, you should always back up the registry before you make any
changes to it.
If you would rather not manually edit the registry, this MVP site has a
very helpful .vbs script that will do the trick:
http://winhlp.com/node/10
Under Quick solution, Step 1 is a link that says "Click here." This is
for resetdma.vbs.
Good luck and remember to let us know how you make out!
"Daave" wrote:
"Skip Haberlack" <Skip Haberlack@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message news:A0040C06-BFEC-409D-8246-B37073FD4DA9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For the past few months my computer has been running very slow and
jerky
whenever I start up any program. It's really bad during Windows
start
up.
Watching the Task Manager, anytime I start up a new program, CPU
usage
shoots
up to 100% causing everything to slow down. I also have problems
streaming
video (movie previews, etc.) without the videos jumping and
skipping
excessively. I've tried defragging, cleaned the hard disk, run
Spybot
and
Adaware as well as Registry cleaners (Registry Mechanic and
CCleaner)
and
searched for viruses with AVG and nothing seems to work. I've also
downloaded and installed all new drivers for everything in my
computer. I'm
currently running on XP Media Center Edition. I just want to be
able
to use
my computer because it's gotten to the point where I am ready to
throw
it out
the window due to frustration. If anybody can assist with this, I
would
greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
We will need some more information:
1. How much RAM do you have?
2. What are your Total, Limit, and Peak values under Commit Charge
(see
number 4 below)?
3. How large is your hard drive and how much free space do you have?
4. What happened a few months ago that may be repsonsible for the
sluggishness? Did you install any programs or updates (especially
Windows updates) at that time?
5. Did you once run either Norton or McAfee products? If not
*completely* uninstalled, the traces left behind can cause problems.
6. What is the make and model of your PC?
Regarding sluggishness in general, here are its usual causes:
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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