I have an aging Toshiba Satellite A15 and need some help diagnosing slow system/hanging programs. I didn't have this problem until repairing Windows XP from the install disc.
I had to reinstall Windows because I was getting blue screen crashes that listed my netgear wireless card(wg511t.dll file) and would say Driver_irql_not_less_or_equal. The support people with the Circuit City extended warranty said I needed to reinstall Windows before moving forward.
Well I reinstalled Windows and then was getting a different blue screen crash that would happen very frequently and now would give a hard disc error.
I ran the chdsk program and it fixed several errors. I then reinstalled XP again and now have not had a crash in over a week but since the first time Windows loaded I have been having problems with the system working slow, here are the symptoms:
When windows first loads up it takes a minute or more before I can click on anything with the mouse, then when I can finally click something, it takes forever to load. Once loaded, programs will function just fine until it hangs again.
Today I had some music running in WMP in the background and noticed when windows would hang or lock up, the song continued playing normally with no interruption when the hang up was taking place.

Any help would be appreciated. Also if you have a good computer forum that would be a better place for this question, feel free to direct me there.

 

how much junk is loading at startup? how much ram do you have vs how much is the system using when it loads what it does on startup? have you ever gone into msconfig and shut down un needed items? most new programs installed will try to set them selves to automatically load on startup, hogging precious resources. Also what virus, spyware, and junk remover are you using? I would highly recommend Avg free antivirus, avg spyware, and crapcleaner. All three are easily found for free download. I run all three, with settings to remove all questionable items, if they can not be healed, they go to the vault. the last one is good for removal of junk from surfing the net, gets rid of history of visited sites, and in the scan for issues mode, it removes a lot of leftover junk from uninstalls. If you are unfamiliar with msconfig, google up some good reading, and if you are unsure what an item does, look it up, most items are well documented if they are essential for windows to run.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.
Physical memory is 768megs. I have disabled all unneeded startup items. The problem continues though and it is not just at startup. It keeps happening at random times when I am trying to surf, trying to open a file and sometimes when I try to open menus/star menu etc. I noticed it also happens when coming out of standby.
I am running AVG, spybot, Adaware, HJT, Rootkit Revealer, and have done a Trojan scan from windowsecurity.com and have not found anything.

 

does your laptop supp9ort motherboard monitor 5 ? it is a free utility that reads mb sensors and reports temps, maybe it is dusty in there and getting hot? MBM5 is a free utility as well.

 

When was the last time you blew all the dust from the CPU's heatsink/fan?

 

I never have cleaned anything. System board was replaced about 6 months ago, before that got 2 new hard discs. I am not sure about the MBM5, but I will check into it.

 

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=311

 

It was compatible.
Case is 120'F, CPU 123'F(max is 140' so far).

 

I have not looked up the specs on an A15 so I cannot speculate on what you could reasonably expect from the computer.If you posted the specs I missed them,if you did not it is always a help in making a diagnosis.
I would be looking for the correct chipset drivers for your motherboard,most computers,especially older laptops ship with a driver cd that must be loaded right after a new install/reinstall of an operating system.
Do NOT trust windows XP to provide the correct drivers,it will not in most cases.You can download them from the mfg. website if you do not have them.
Next I would be looking for overheating as was mentioned above but having the correct chipset drivers will correct a lot of hardware problems because it allows the motherboard to talk to the devices properly.
These drivers have to be installed every time you do a reinstall of an operating system as they get overwritten with incorrect ones.Ron G

 

Here is a LINKto the specs. I have the factory recovery cd which has the driver's and everything else needed to restore the computer to original configuration.
I am at work now,but when I get home I will check for a new chipset driver.
Also, as I said earlier, I have 768mb RAM.

 

You SHOULD have everything you need on your recovery cd but I would be looking at item 17 in the list of 35 files for downloading on the page you linked us to.It is listed as "special" but it refers to the Intel chipset software installation utility and there may be others there that you need.Often times the files listed on the website will be newer and updated versions of the recovery cd files and will perform better than those that shipped with the computer so might be worth a try.
That computer is not that old,that threw me off.LOL
New drivers is worth a shot then take it from there.Ron G

 

I will type up some stuff for you and PM it to you.

Make sure you have done all windows updates, have an AV app. Then call Microsoft at 1800-936-3100 and the router will ask you questions. You want to go to the Setup/Performance team.

Do not tell them you reinstalled right off the bat. Let them do their job.
You should have 1 grace call with XP, meaning a free call.

 

Tried to update the Chipset driver and it says "can not install on this machine, contact manufacturer."
This is for the 82852/82855 Processor/Graphics controller combo. I tried the lastest version and then tried the previous version with same message.

 

I just looked again at Toshibas website and the second file in the list of 35 files deals with the wrong ID string having been programed into the computer when it was built therefore producing the error message that you got when trying to install the correct drivers for your chipset.
This could go on and on.The fix requires you to boot to a DOS prompt with either a floppy or CD to effect the cure.
I would take the time to call tech support and they can walk you through this and will have knowledge of any other wrinkles that need to be ironed out to get you up to speed again.
If you have the time you can go through their FAQ's and file list for your PC to determine what else might need fixing to make it perform as it should but their tech support should make it as painless as it can be if time is an issue.
Unfortunately this is all too common with all the brands but with internet access they will guide you to a solution.
The error message you got was a classic wrong drivers for the chipset you are updating but in your case the computer ID string is corrupt or just plain wrong but the install program does not know that so it spits out that message to protect you from further damage as it sees it.
This is not an XP problem,it is an firmware/hardware problem and it is in the lap of the manufacturer to make it right.Ron G