guys i need some help, my specs are: p4 2.93ghz processor 512mb ram primary 160gb hdd(sata) secondary 80gb hdd(ultra ata) 128 graphics card my start up time used to be very quick now the speed has fallen substantially currently it takes me 5-10 mins to fully start up my computer help me out lads!
maybe youve got some spyware / adware slowing it down, any unnessesary programs? not sure. ive seen this before tho.
When my old PC started slowing down like that a friend told me to download ewido anti spy/mal ware, update it completely then reboot into safe mode and do a complete scan. That should remove all the bad spyware and give your PC back some spunk.
Okay guys, First go to this site http://www.larshederer.homepage.t-online.de/erunt/ Download both the optimizer and the emergency recovery utility. Run the emergency recovery utility first. Do not worry about the other yet. now go to http://www.download.com and get the following programs: Ad-Aware (Lavasoft) Spybot Search & Destroy CCleaner A-Squared Free HijackThis Create a folder for this program and then re-name the exe file. It should look like this: c:\HijackThis\HjT.exe It is important to rename the exe file. Some programs have learned to hide from it. Run all of the programs except HjT. Then run a virus scan. Last run HjT [bold]Do Not Remove Anything Unless You Are Experienced![/bold] and copy your log to here. I will look at it and let you know if your system is clean. P.S. Some will not agree, but I believe that running the programs in safe mode is the best option. This allows the programs to see start up items that would not normally register. Run you HjT log there and save the post.
Okay, spyware and adware are likely to be at fault. Here are some other things to check too: Is it dirty inside? Crack it open and vacuum/blow out the dust from the inside, make sure all the ventilation holes are clear of obstructions, and BLOW THE DUST OFF OF THE RAM! Dust carries a static charge, and that can interfere with the RAM working at optimal speed. Are the fans working, and is the processor heatsink seated properly? Excessive heat can cause the computer to start/run slow. Are there any blown capacitors on the motherboard, or ones that have swollen tops? This happened on a whole shipment of caps from one vendor a few years ago, and I'm still replacing motherboards on the Dell machines in our office that were in that batch. Try those as well as checking for spyware/adware, and remember to defrag your hard drive as well!
@ ratbastid Thanks for mentioning that point. Most people don't keep their machines clean and that can cause many problems as well as temperature problems!
