We need a computer help section!!


Anyways, I have Windows XP on my laptop and desk top. For well over a year now (maybe closer to 2 years) both computers can take several minuets to get on the internet. I have cable internet and when both computers were new I remember they both would be connected within 2-3 seconds easily after clicking the icon. Now I will wait easily 2-3 minuets and sometimes even longer. I have done everything I can think of to speed up both computers and nothing has changed. I have heard of people saying to remove the OS and reinstall it.

If I remove XP to do a reinstall, what do I lose? I have upgraded to service pack 3 on both. I just need to know what information I will lose and how big of a pain in the butt it is to do this AND is it even worth the trouble?

 

You probably have allot of other crap opening on startup as well, that will cause it to act stupid. You should be able to fix it without the R&R hassle. Before you do anything, if you're running your own router, unplug the power for about 1 minute, plug it back in and log back onto the internet. I used to have a Linksys router and once a month when my ISP would rotate our IP address, I'd have to power down the router so it could learn the new IP address. Charter would usually change it on a Sunday.

 

Did you try program such as registry clean first? www.pctools.com
If you have the restore disk for your computer would be faster, if you don't you will need to install all the drivers again. Example sound, video, printer , etc. Then after that all the Window xp updates and then your virus protection updates may take a few hours to do depending on internet connection speed. You will loose everything so you will need to backup all your personel files and pictures if you do a complete restore. If just connecting to internet is slow try speedtest to see what connection speed you have. Your modem might be your problem or line noise will slow connection speed way down. http://www.speedtest.net/

 

Click on Start and then on run and type msconfig and enter

When the box comes up open the startup tab and uncheck any start up programs that are not needed at startup, you can search google for the program names you see to find out what they are.

Just about every program wants to put itself on the start up menu but if you are not using that program it does not need to run in the background. If you have any of those "toolbars" like google or yahoo they will also hog resources and slow things down, I run ONLY the essential programs I need on start up.

If I need to make a word document I just click on start and then on word to start the program, same thing can be done with all your other programs as well, start them when YOU need them

Don't forget to run a free version of superantispyware to make sure you do not have crud slowing you down as well

 

I have done the msconfig but did not do the google search. Your right, there are a bunch of programs that are on start up.

I have done the registry cleaner and the new defender virus program has a PC clean up tool that I have run and it also cleaned up a lot of crap. I bet it is the start up programs. I will start with that.

Thanks for the help so far. Any other ideas to look for while I redo my start up programs?

 

Lary, great infos with msconfig

Leave some disk space on your hard drive!
Clean your registry!

If you really want to all way out (new OS), save all your files on an external hard drive (you can even save your favourite pages with Firefox).

As Lary already told you, stop all these programs from your startup first and see how it goes.

Kris

 

You can also click on ctrl alt delete and open the processes tab when the box comes up, it will show you what you have currently running and you can search those via Google as well

My sister in laws pc was REALLY slow and I looked at it, she had 60 some processes running......I shut down a bunch of that stuff and got rid of all kinds of spyware, now it runs really nice.

Oh yeah...don't forget to defrag the hard drive as well after you get finished.

 

OK. I stopped a bunch of crap on the laptop from starting up and it does seem faster now. Not like new but I did not expect it to be like new. It is much more tolerable now. Loads up in under a minuet
I will work on the desktop next.

 

www.ccleaner.com

Great program for cleaning up unneeded files and cleaning up your registry.

Run it and do a good defrag. XP has a decent defrag utility but I suggest Auslogics. www.auslogics.com

 

You beat me too it with the ccleaner program!
Its a great program, free, and easy as heck to use.

I got tired of microsoft, I run Ubuntu now. =D