Why is my computer so slow? (1 Viewer)

[me121]

Over the year's my computer seems to be getting slower and slower.. It's using 1/2 of the total ram just after is starts up before i load any programs! (total 1GB). My processor is a P4 (3.2Ghz). I use XP, and my C drive has about 10GB free space.

Should I consider upgrading hardware or are there other things on the software side that i can do to get my computer running faster. I think its not the processor slowing it down, more the HDD, as the light never seems to stop flashing.

How can I speed up my computer. Thanks.

 

[powerdrive]

format

 

[Kirsty Xx]

it's fat. tell it to lose all the junk that's slowin it down.

 

[me121]

u probably have to many start up processes running and heaps of spyware.

i have like 50. but i think most of them are needed like svchost, csrss, smss, alg, spoolsv, lsass, hkcmd, ctfmon, etc, etc, how can i stop the "iPodService.exe" from running and starting on start-up, since i don't have an iPod I don't need it. But whenever i remove it from the registry or wherever its located, whenever i launch iTunes, iTunes puts it back in the start-up list.

 

[hero.]

You should download Spybot Search and Destroy to get rid of the spyware that has been accumulating from your ventures on the internet.

 

[jemsta]

how bigs your HDD? Seems like with only 10GB free space, youve got lots of programs on there, which might be one of the causes for its slowness. Maybe you should contemplate on deleting unnecessary programs.
Run a virus check on your comp too. Spyware/adware/trojans slow down the comp massively too.

 

[me121]

you cant just kill the processes in the task manager. you need to go to start > run > type "msconfig"

In msconfig go to "start up" tab and you can browse all the start up process and unselect the many un-necessary ones.

yeah but that will only kill it once it's already started. i want it to never start in the first place.

how bigs your HDD? Seems like with only 10GB free space, youve got lots of programs on there, which might be one of the causes for its slowness. Maybe you should contemplate on deleting unnecessary programs.
Run a virus check on your comp too. Spyware/adware/trojans slow down the comp massively too.

one is 80GB, the other is 80GB. yeah i don't know. is 10GB free space enough? and yes i've got billions of programs. what is the best free, spyware/adware/tojan removal tool?, Spybot Search and Destroy? I'll try it. Thanks, hero.

 

[(enigma)]

try defragging the hard disc too.

 

[chicky_pie]

download CCleaner, it will remove alot of shit from your comp that you dont need (temp files and stuff).

what solved my computer's slowness.

 

[STx]

I see you're starting comp sci, on a related note give a linux distro ago. probably ubuntu

 

[Azamakumar]

yeah but that will only kill it once it's already started. i want it to never start in the first place.



one is 80GB, the other is 80GB. yeah i don't know. is 10GB free space enough? and yes i've got billions of programs. what is the best free, spyware/adware/tojan removal tool?, Spybot Search and Destroy? I'll try it. Thanks, hero.

Msconfig is a permanent solution to stop shit running @ startup. But with the instance of ipodservice.exe, it's a necessity for itunes to communicate with your ipod, so it will open up every time you run itunes (whether or not your ipod is connected), and you will need to kill it when you're not using it.


And as for 50 processes, I boot with like 24, including MSN and Winamp.

 

[p4e81]

And as for 50 processes, I boot with like 24, including MSN and Winamp.

fark. i have like 70

 

[me121]

Msconfig is a permanent solution to stop shit running @ startup. But with the instance of ipodservice.exe, it's a necessity for itunes to communicate with your ipod, so it will open up every time you run itunes (whether or not your ipod is connected), and you will need to kill it when you're not using it.


And as for 50 processes, I boot with like 24, including MSN and Winamp.

i don't have an ipod, hence i don't need it.

I see you're starting comp sci, on a related note give a linux distro ago. probably ubuntu

I have been trying to do that in the last few weeks. I really want to, but i have no disk space for it, and i don't have a large enough download limit for it. i wasn't going to use ubuntu, i was going to use fedora.

 

[STx]

Oh okay, mm you wont need much space just around 2-3gb for the root partition and whatever you want for /home plus 2*ram atleast for the swap partition. Also I would start out with ubuntu if its a first distro since fedora is more bleeding edge than ubuntu and stuff is easier to break.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

get rid of ur dust and make sure ur computer is not underclocked. That's what was slowing down my comp.

 

[me121]

get rid of ur dust and make sure ur computer is not underclocked. That's what was slowing down my comp.

does removing dust actually improve things? i wouldn't think it would do anything.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Perhaps. If you've got a lot of dust in your CPU fan/heatsink like my old computer did, it can help the heat "absorbtion" of those components. Similarly, cleaning out dust from case fans helps improve air flow which can help cool components (get those wires tucked out of the way too, while you're at it). But yeah, if there's not a lot of dust it won't make a massive difference. It's easy though so meh.

 

[me121]

Oh okay, mm you wont need much space just around 2-3gb for the root partition and whatever you want for /home plus 2*ram atleast for the swap partition. Also I would start out with ubuntu if its a first distro since fedora is more bleeding edge than ubuntu and stuff is easier to break.

i'ld put both on, but until i upgrade to a better computer with physical room for more HDD's, i can't really get it up and running. also what software that is free (PartionMagic is like $70) and runs on windows, can partion drives?

 

[Azamakumar]

i don't have an ipod, hence i don't need it.

Rename the ipodservice.exe program in the itunes folder. If itunes runs fine without it, great. If it doesn't, change hte name back.


But tbh I don't think anything short of a format will do much.

 

[mr_brightside]

i'ld put both on, but until i upgrade to a better computer with physical room for more HDD's, i can't really get it up and running. also what software that is free (PartionMagic is like $70) and runs on windows, can partion drives?

check out Acronis.