Computer Check Up

[GGorman04]

Can someone help me with my computer?
I have a 6 year old toshiba laptop. It works great, except it is really slow. I have tried the basics, deleting certain programs that are no longer used, and I have stopzilla and malware for protection.

IS there other things I can do to speed it up before I buy another computer?
Thanks in advance

 

[Rand]

what operating system?
what is really slow?
what do you use it for?
what is the exact model?
(and current specs if you upgraded memory etc)


answer these completely and you will get good responses..


you didnt provide enough info to get a good answer.

 

[azjake]

How much memory does it have? Memory is cheap and one of the first things you should look at in upgrading a laptop or PC. I run XP on an inexpensive emachines I bought about 18 months ago, and one of the first things I did was upgrade the memory from 1GB to 2GB. If you're not at the max memory your laptop can support look into what it would cost to upgrade.

 

[2004tdigls]

do you have an antivirus program running, is it up to date and what program is it??

 

[berniedd]

First, check and fix your hard drive for errors. Then download Ccleaner and use it to remove your old junk files, clean up the Registry, and remove unused programs. Finally defragment your hard drive.

Of course I presume you've already scanned your hard drive with a good antivirus (such as Avast Free)?

 

[GGorman04]

Thanks I use Stopzilla and Malware for the protection.
Anything better?
Regarding memory, on the hard drive I have a good amount of BG left on the hard drive. Any other memory check?
Anything else?

 

[GGorman04]

I just noticed now that both my programs (stopzilla and malware)
are not for viruses. Is avast free good for anti-viruses?

 

[2004tdigls]

uninstall the stopzilla and other malware programs

install mse and do a full scan and get back to us

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/products/security-essentials

 

[SLCraig]

On the hardware side, you could buy a small solid state drive and upgrade your memory a bit it if allows.

I upgraded my 6 year old Lenovo with a solid state drive, more memory, and Windows 7 and it feels LITERALLY like a brand new machine. The term night and day does not do the speed difference justice.

 

[GGorman04]

Alright guys, here is more info:
Toshiba laptop satellite M60
Windows XP
1024 MB Intel Pentium 2.26
100 GB

I basically use this computer to surf the web, and the speed is very slow. I have VZ high speed interet at 35-35, which should be very fast.

I deleted stopzilla and malware, and ran the microsoft free anti virus. No virused with the microsoft.

I was told to use the following:
symantec anti virus
spybot for spyware

Any suggestions, or should I keep the microsoft version?

Thanks
George

 

[2004tdigls]

it almost sounds like a hardware problem,is the cpu fan clear and running?

also schedule a checkdisk and restart the computer, perhaps the hard disk is starting to fail (bad clusters)

 

[DragRace]

1)Download,run CCleaner

2)Download and run avast free,do a boot time scan.

3)Run free version of Malwarebytes free

See if anyone thing is found,report back,etc.

 

[demarpaint]

Give this a try for finding viruses that many programs miss. It bailed me out.

http://en.kioskea.net/download/download-14877-roguekiller

 

[sleddriver]

Start > Run > type 'msconfig'; Click 'boot.ini' tab; What number is next to 'timeout= '?

Under the 'startup' tab, how many of the boxes are checked? If it's old and you've used it a lot and loaded many things on it, you could have LOTS of start-up items loading which will really slow your boot time, take up memory & cpu time.

Right click on the taskbar, select 'task manager'. Click the 'performance' tab; in the lower bottom corner what is the number next to Processes? To the right of that, what's the number next to CPU Usage with the desktop open? Under 'physical memory', what's the total and available?

Under the Processes tab, you can sort the columns to find out what's using the most CPU cycles and Memory. You can also select additional columns to view under the View Menu at the top.

 

[nleksan]

When I can get to my PC I will give you a list of what I use for malware protection as well as "system maintenance". Been at this a long time, used hundreds of programs, and I have it narrowed down to those that actually work and do not cause any harm.
Microsoft Security Essentials = best free AV program IMO.

Backup and update all drivers, too.

 

[GGorman04]

Sled Driver,
When I did the start run config test the number 30 was next to timeout

Under ste startup tab they are about 30 items checked.
How do I know which ones to un-check?

When I right clicked taksbar there are 75 processes
CPU usage has number 10

Physical memory total is 1046960 available is 373632

Since I use this computer mainly to surf the web, what can I do?

Thanks
George

 

[GGorman04]

Also, I guess everyone has their preference in regards to anti virus and spyware programs?

I was told to use symantec for anti virus and spyot for spyware.

Are there better ones to use?

 

[Rand]

yes,

do you want free or pay?

 

[Warstud]

I had Stopzilla and it's great for finding viruses but once it deletes them...remove it. Otherwise your computer will run slow. Downloaded Microsoft Security Essentials.

 

[sleddriver]

You've got a lot going on in the background and a lot of items starting up, that explains the slow response time.

1. 30 is standard, but this can be reduced to 3 or even 0 on some machines.
2. 30 start-up items is quite a bit. All kinds of SW over the years has set itself up in this folder, gradually slowing it down.
3. 75 processes running in the background also indicates lots things downloaded over the years.
4. 64% of your memory is (already) occupied at idle. No doubt due to the processes above.

You can save your data, and reinstall the OS from scratch would be the best and fastest thing to do. Or take it somewhere and pay them to do it. Or if you want to learn how to do this yourself and have the time you can go through it and get rid of the junk. Here's a good guide to follow. You'll also find excellent directions on how to reinstall XP from scratch.