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Is my computer dying?
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15-03-2012 6:16pm#1For the last week or so, using my desktop PC has been a chore. Everything takes so long to do. It takes about 10 seconds to bring up the 'are you sure' dialog when deleting a file; Firefox continues to take up resources even after closing it; explorer crashes every few hours and I've done more reboots than ... than ... something.
It's about 4 years old, HP Pavilion AMD 2.2 w/3 gigs of RAM, running Vista Home SP2, and I'm about ready to run a large magnet over it and give PC World some of my cash, but I'm wondering if there's anything I should try first to breath some life back into it. I'm not planning on spending any more money on it, so buying new RAM or h/d is not on my agenda - I'm really looking for free things to try that might just keep this PC ticking over to 2013.
I defrag and scan regularly, and there's plenty of space on the current h/d. I do have a bunch of processes running in the background (dropbox, syncback, utorrent, etc). All AV (MS) and malware (anti-malware) scanners are running and up to date, as is Vista and all other drivers.
I can put up a HJT log, but I don't think I've been hijacked (or if I have it's by a very sophisticated piece of software that just sort of annoys me day in day out
)
PS, I've had Task Manager open for a short while and it looks like my CPU usage never dips below 30% and quite often goes above 60, 70, 80 for extended periods.0
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Backup your data and wipe it. Then install the operating system from scratch (avoid Vista if you can, consider yourself lucky if you find an old XP disk).
Certainly no power house by the latest standards but still good for another few years, depending on your needs.0 -
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Backup your data and wipe it. Then install the operating system from scratch (avoid Vista if you can, consider yourself lucky if you find an old XP disk).
Certainly no power house by the latest standards but still good for another few years, depending on your needs.
I did consider that. I have an even older PC that I use rarely that's running XP, so I figured I'd still have those disks somewhere, but I had a major purge last year, so I must've thrown everything away. I don't even have Vista. I could go out tomorrow and buy Win 7 (the upgrade advisor tells me my h/w is fine for it) but then I feel like I'm spending money without any sort of guarantee that life will be better after it 0 -
I did consider that. I have an even older PC that I use rarely that's running XP, so I figured I'd still have those disks somewhere, but I had a major purge last year, so I must've thrown everything away. I don't even have Vista. I could go out tomorrow and buy Win 7 (the upgrade advisor tells me my h/w is fine for it) but then I feel like I'm spending money without any sort of guarantee that life will be better after it
XP from another computer will not work with this one (it is very likely an OEM copy tied to your other machines particular motherboard). I would first take Standard Toaster's advice and use process explorer/autoruns to try and isolate programs which may be slowing down the system, and killing the processes/preventing them from running at startup.
Formatting the OS is another option, but really allot of hassle so I'd reccomend trying other avenues first
Nick0 -
I did consider that. I have an even older PC that I use rarely that's running XP, so I figured I'd still have those disks somewhere
We won't enter a lengthy public discussion about the legality of using OEM discs from another system.I could go out tomorrow and buy Win 7
Thought you don't want to spend any money on the old clunker?
Contrary to common belief, 7 isn't too far removed from Vista, same kernel, same drivers, same version family (6.x) but MS have fooled the public quite well with their Mojave stunt, I'll give 'em that.
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XP from another computer will not work with this one (it is very likely an OEM copy tied to your other machines particular motherboard). I would first take Standard Toaster's advice and use process explorer/autoruns to try and isolate programs which may be slowing down the system, and killing the processes/preventing them from running at startup.
Formatting the OS is another option, but really allot of hassle so I'd reccomend trying other avenues first
Nick
Tks Nick. I did run the 2 exe's listed above (somewhat nervously) and while I couldn't make head nor tail of what it was showing me, I did kill a few process trees - one was an audiodg.exe that was using up 10-15% of my CPU. It doesn't appear to have affected audio, so I'm not sure what it was doing.Thought you don't want to spend any money on the old clunker?
Well if I thought I'd get another 2 years or more out of this PC with Windows 7 (or indeed 8) installed, I'd much prefer that over shelling out on a new PC. Stick a couple more RAM in it, wipe and install Windows.0 -
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Contrary to common belief, 7 isn't too far removed from Vista, same kernel, same drivers, same version family (6.x) but MS have fooled the public quite well with their Mojave stunt, I'll give 'em that.
Isnt 7 just Vista rehashed minus some clutter and future proofing that dragged it the hell of it. but MS needed a new name because of all the bad press Vista had received?
~Missed the link till I posted my reply~0 -
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Superfetch, indexing/search and automatic defragmentation can turn the user experience into a nightmare, especially on older single core systems with the minimum memory requirements and slow harddrives/controllers.
True, most new machines (ie dual core, 1 gig ram or better) will be better off with 7 though, my Dell 9400 works miles better on 7 than with XP, it had 1 gig of RAM (recently upped to 2 gig) but even still with 7 and xp running on it with 1gig 7 performed better, in shutting down, boot and app loading times
Nick0 -
I still don't like it.
Unless you need DirectX10/11 for your gaming needs neither Vista nor 7 offer any real advantages and still have too many bugs (file copy to name but one, in fact, very basic task you'd not expect a well developed OS being challenged with). 0 -
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I personally guarantee that life will be better after it.I could go out tomorrow and buy Win 7 (the upgrade advisor tells me my h/w is fine for it) but then I feel like I'm spending money without any sort of guarantee that life will be better after it
A new low-end laptop has similar performance to what you've got, and they're all coming with Win 7.
I'd get professional 32-bit if the price is right, I've found it works better on lower end stuff (a lot lower than yours).0 -
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I personally guarantee that life will be better after it.
A new low-end laptop has similar performance to what you've got, and they're all coming with Win 7.
I'd get professional 32-bit if the price is right, I've found it works better on lower end stuff (a lot lower than yours).
I think Gurgle's money back guarantee has sold it to meThere can be trouble getting 7 drivers for older equipment. so if the op got printer etc. when he got the computer this would need to be checked before considering a 7 upgrade
The only piece of hardware I have would be a fairly old printer/scanner, but if that fails to work on Win7, I can always connect it to the other Win XP machine - I very rarely print slash scan.0 -
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Not anymore, and with support for XP soon to be finishing I would advise against investing in it.
Ah now, that's a bit FUDdy...
XP Pro: April 2014
Windows 7 Home Premium/Ultimate: January 2015
Mind you, the latter has only recently been extended for another year when someone pointed out the embarassment to MS that XP support would outlive support for Windows 7. 0 -
Ah now, that's a bit FUDdy...
XP Pro: April 2014
Windows 7 Home Premium/Ultimate: January 2015
Mind you, the latter has only recently been extended for another year when someone pointed out the embarassment to MS that XP support would outlive support for Windows 7.
Add 5 years on to that: here. Support for XP up to 2014 while 7 is up till 2020, bit of a diffierence there . I really don't see why people are still such a fan of XP, its had its day sure isn't 2k faster than XP, why not all downgrade to that :pac: . Seriously though it wouldn't even be possible for op to get a genuine license for XP for as cheap as 7 more than likely, if at all. Most copies being flogged on ebay are MSDN licenses or cracked copies
Nick0 -
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I wouldnt go back to XP after using vista/win7. Vista only got a bad name due to venders bundling it with hardware that couldnt run it. 512mb of ram isnt enough
Anyway, to get to the point. Hit the windows button and "r" and type msconfig, press enter. Go to the startup tab and disable the mountains of muck you will find in there that you do not require to run at bootup. That usually helps a lot.0 -
Backup your data and wipe it. Then install the operating system from scratch (avoid Vista if you can, consider yourself lucky if you find an old XP disk).
Certainly no power house by the latest standards but still good for another few years, depending on your needs.
This is the best advice you will get. I re-install from the factory image at least once a year and it works a charm.
Don't forget to back up things like internet favorites and emails which I always seem to forget.0 -
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XP isn't great for security (UAC which asks do you want to run this is a good feature at preventing accidental virus/malware infection)
Please, do me one better...
Just because XP doesn't create a limited user accounts by default doesn't mean it can't be done.
And then there is DropMyRights...Memory usage in vista/7 always appears higher due to superfetch, this is a useful and does improve performance.
Superfetch will open a program faster alright (as does XP's prefetcher) but it will not improve its "performance".OP probably has a dual core CPU, which should work better with 7 than XP.
Multi-core support was implemented in Windows with XP SP2, whether or not your software is optimised for it, is a different matter.runawaybishop wrote: »Vista only got a bad name due to venders bundling it with hardware that couldnt run it. 512mb of ram isnt enough
This certainly has contributed to its poor reputation but even 1 GB is just about the bare minimum and hardly enough for either Vista or 7. But again, it's not so much the amount but the speed of memory that is responsible for performance. You can always add more of the same but the speed (or the lack thereof), limited by the board, will remain the same.runawaybishop wrote: »Anyway, to get to the point. Hit the windows button and "r" and type msconfig, press enter. Go to the startup tab and disable the mountains of muck you will find in there that you do not require to run at bootup. That usually helps a lot.
It should be noted that MSCONFIG is a troubleshooting utility, not a startup manager and therefore better be left alone. Besides, Autoruns does a much better job in this regard.0 -
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Didn't say MSCONFIG isn't useful or complicated or dangerous. Only said that startup management is not its purpose.
Russinovich's Autoruns is far more comprehensive, as there is a lot more to it than meets the eye (in MSCONFIG). Probably the best startup manager there is.
And if you don't want something knocked off completely but delay the start then there is Startup Delayer which does exactly that.0 -
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I don't have the Vista disks and I certainly ain't gonna buy it :P so that's off the table. I think it comes down to buying Win 7 (poss Professional) vs buying a whole new PC. In PC World, these 2 options are frighteningly close in cost (ok, so the new PC wouldn't come with Professional, just Home Premium, and Win7 is a lot cheaper on Amazon).
TBH I'm leaning towards the new PC as I suspect the hardware itself is starting to creak (despite a good clean a few weeks ago, the fans are still very very loud). On top of that I'll get a bit more RAM and a bit more space, I don't need to faff around with installation disks or what have you and I'll have the current PC on standby in case I forget to keep anything important (ie, I wipe it, then discover that I should have kept licenses or drivers or somesuch).
Thanks for the advice, y'all. Now, what PC should I get :P;)
You can get OEM versions of Windows cheaper. Here is Windows 7 HP on elara for e.g, €106 I think elara do free shipping. Look at scan, dabs, komplett etc for the best price. A new computer would probably be an overkill reaction
Nick0 -
Here is Windows 7 HP on elara for e.g, €106
64 bit? Better make sure the processor supports 64-bit technology before spending more than 100 Euro. Besides, with only 3 GB RAM, there is certainly no need for it, much better of with the 32-bit variant.
XP SP3 OEM is a lot cheaper too, from 47 Sterling here. 0 -
64 bit? Better make sure the processor supports 64-bit technology before spending more than 100 Euro. Besides, with only 3 GB RAM, there is certainly no need for it, much better of with the 32-bit variant.
XP SP3 OEM is a lot cheaper too, from 47 Sterling here.
A Dell disc won't work on a HP (legally). Afaik those discs may not even install on non Dell hardware (or have incorrect drivers integrated). The £80+ ones should work, but can't vouch for that company or if their legit or not.
Before someone says why can't a Dell disc work on any other machine legally, Dell OEM stickers (which I assume will be the serial code you will be provided, or a MSDN code) are tied to the Dell machine they are affixed to, regardless of wheather that machine won't be used anymore. An OEM license always remains tied to the original motherboard.
You can get Windows 7 32 bit hp from here. If you ever decided you wanted the 64bit version your 32Bit license would work with a version you can download from the net, so you also have that as an option.
At nearly €70 for a version of XP that may be a headache to activate I'd go with Windows 7, while some may still prefare XP, that does not mean Windows 7 is not as good. An AMD CPU from 4 years will likely be 64Bit complient though, unless a really low end sempron
Nick0 -
A Dell disc won't work on a HP (legally).
The medium is from Dell alright, the OEM license key, however, is from Microsoft and works legally with any OEM Version of Windows XP Home SP3 (following your logic, you could only install from a HP OEM disc on a HP computer). Twas only them old Win98 CDs from Dell that checked the BIOS and refused to install on non-Dell machines.
You don't need a medium at all anymore, you can "borrow"/copy the disk, as long as you have a legitimate COA sticker and the corresponding EULA leaflet. (Just as they sell Office 2010 license cards and you download the software from Microsoft).
Some years ago, those OEM disks were sold bundled with some cheap piece of hardware (usually an IDE cable) as they were intended to be used by people/small companies who built their own machines. Then they introduced the Sytem Builder's versions.
Technically, OEMs are not supposed to be sold to end users, may that be XP, Vista or 7. And yet they are still very popular because of the reduced price.
And Microsoft doesn't mind either, as they're not obliged to provide any technical support for this product, unlike with retail versions, hence the difference in price.0 -
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XP Home was always very limited when it came to needing to do basics like rdc, security permissions (having to go into safe mode just to change permissions on folders via GUI?) and I can't remember the other limitations but do remember them being great.
I believe there is a wee registry hack that will turn Home into Pro with all the bells 'n' whistles, incl. the Group Policy Editor, but I could be wrong of course.
Edit: turned out I was wrong, sort of: the registry hack will turn Home into Pro alright (which is perfectly legal if you upgrade your license but don't want to reinstall the OS and inject the appropriate key instead), but RDS and GPE have been removed and they will thus not be available, but file encryption, RAID support and joining a domain will be enabled then.
Not being able to join a domain was quite a big deal for many companies who ordered workstations with Home rather than Pro and they needed to upgrade then.0
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