Delays, lock-ups, non responding

Computer PC Clone
OS Win XP Pro w/SP3
ISP AT&T
Email Mozilla T'Bird
Browser Firefox

Booting can take around 10 minutes before computer is loaded and ready.
Logging onto sites often 3 or 4 minutes
Sometimes when typing, there is a delay before that comes up on screen
When moving from web site to web site, computer locks for about a minute, a beep sounds, and then computer unlocks. It can do this for each site I change to. Occasionally when closing a window, the image on the screen does not go out, but rather shrinks. If I close multiple windows, often several are this way. After a few minutes that remedies itself. Or, I get en error message "program not responding" when I try to close and exit.
Ran diagnostic with Advance System care, cleaned/repaired, problem still exists.
Suggestions before I drop back 20 and punt?
Thanks
Sarge

 

Post what is running at startup.
Run CCleaner, click the Tools icon in the left pane. Next click Startup and wait for it to appear. Down towards the bottom right is a button that says "Save to text file". Click that and post the text file as an attachment.

 

Skysarge...

I have XP Pro SP3, and I am running the free version of Process Lasso. It changed everything for me. I use some others like it, too, but PL is the main one to know about. It will give you the breathing room you need with your mouse movements and with all the critical system functions. Also, it will bail you out of trouble spots. Not an optimizer as they are popularly understood as it doesn't turn things off...it restrains things (background processes)...

If you decide to download and try PL, download the most recent Beta. The developer never issues a flawed Beta. Here are the settings I use:

Main settings menu:
Main
1. Gaming/multi-media mode enabled
2. ProBalance Enabled
Options
1. General Settings->refresh interval (governor)->100 ms

I had a great discussion with the developer and talked him into the 100 ms setting in the latest Beta. Prior the fastest refresh interval setting was at 250 ms. However, there is a way he told me to take the setting all the way down to 10 ms. He showed me the trick, and I am using it now at 20 ms. I'll tell you how if you would like to know how to do this. It's not difficult, and it makes a noticeable difference on my PC. The Beta is 6.0.35 here. The refresh rate can't be taken as low on prior versions:

http://bitsum.com/prolasso.php

Just for the record...no temp or any other problems using PL

 

dONE.
I hope.

Sarge

 

Well for starters, you have Advanced System Care 6 "Protects you against viruses, spyware, hackers, phishing, botnets and more"
you have SuperAntiSpyware
you have Avast
you have IOBit malware fighter!
Remove either Advanced Sytem Care or Avast You never run two av programs
It will take me some time to see if any of the others conflict. Let me know which of the two you removed.
I would use AppRemover because security programs are hard to cleanly remove.
http://www.appremover.com/supported-applications looks like it will do Avast but not Iobit software.

You have Windows Messenger running and that has been replaced by Skype.
Disable MSMSGS

Disable Real Player from checking for updates at startup.

I'll need to study the other entries, particulary the DVD ones and Apple ones.

 

Plodr -
I removed Sys Care
Not sure how Win Msgr got loaded, but have not found a way to disable it. It shows I am not signed in.
Working on Real Player. I use VLC anyway. I'll just take it out altogether.

Sarge

 

Once you removed Advanced System Care and rebooted, did you notice any speedup?

Disabling Windows Messenger: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/302089

 

"...In Group Policy, expand Local Computer Policy, expand Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then expand Windows Messenger..."

Expand windows messenger option not listed

 

Windows Messenger was replaced with Skype so who knows what the patches did.
Go back into CCleaner and disable it from there - that's the best we can do in the short term as a fix.

 

In the midst of doing all this, I lost IEx. Tried to download, but it is not loading onto my computer evidently. No icon, and a check of programs does not reveal it.
Taking out Adv Care did stop a lot of the hangups, and delays I've had. Does on occasions still hit a bump and hang up, but that seems to clear itself up fairly soon.

Sarge

 

Look under C:\Windows
is there an ie7 and an ie8 in that list?
If so, open the ie8 folder and in the right pane you should see iexplore.exe
Right click it and send it to the desktop as a shortcut. That should open it for you.

 

Not there. Found a lot of updates.
Sarge

 

Since IE can not be removed from the OS, it has to be in there somewhere.

Do a sfc /scannow
there should be iexplore in the dll cache so it would repair what is needed and hopefully put it back in its proper place.

 

Or look under c:\Program FIles\Internet Explorer
There should be a file called iexplore.exe

That is Internet Explorer.

 

In Post #10, Skysarge said

I assume from that it is not listed under his programs that's why I had him looking elsewhere for IE.

 

Found it. Thanks TF
Was able to open it.
How do I get a shortcut set up for it?

I think this unit suffers from chronic fatigue. I am still 5 - 10 minutes to boot up, 3 or more minutes to go from web site to web site, have had it lock up twice today requiring rebooting, still has delays displaying what I am typing, And, I am getting error messages about programs not responding. Am giving consideration to taking one of the dustcover screws to a computer tech and have him build a computer around it. The screws are about the only thing that works like it should.
I'll check back tomorrow
Thank you all

Sarge

 

Right click it and send it to the desktop as a shortcut.

I haven't had time to do research on some of your startup programs.
I might get to it next week - too many critical things at the moment.

 

We can put this on hold, if wanted, or on a very back burner.
Did some reading, browsed through what is on computer, did some house cleaning, etc.
Did learn that part of the problem may be in the "operator" system, piling on tasks too fast. overloading the system.
It is still slow from boot, but much faster that it has been for sometime. Moving from program to program, site to site much improved.
Allowing it time to process seems to be the key.
Will try this for a bit, if problems reoccur, will recontact this site.
Thanks

Sarge

 

Okay. Instead of looking forward to an easier week, the problems have multiplied!

I do have your startup list on my desktop and if I get some time, I'll go searching around.

 

Not trying to take anything over here, but StartupCPL is the best way to manage startup items. CCleaner's great for seeing what's there, but StartupCPL is the best way to disable or remove startup items.

My recommendations are to DISABLE the following (you can delete them completely, later, as long as you don't run into issues):

APSDaemon Apple
ISUSPM Macrovision Corporation
Microsoft Default Manager
Spigot Search Settings
Intervideo WinCinema

You CAN also disable the following (though if you use the tray applets, you won't want to):

ATT-SST_McciTrayApp
DVD@ccess

The DVD@ccess is likely a DVD management console, which I'm sure people use... I never used apps like that.

How much RAM does your computer have? Is it able to be upgraded? If you aren't positive of the answers, you can go to www.crucial.com and use their system scanner. It will also tell you the specific RAM you can use to upgrade your system (I'm a Crucial RAM fan anyway, but the scanner will let you know model types as well so you can use the results to buy any brand).

StartupCPL:

www.majorgeeks.com/Startup_CPL_d619.html

 

Decided last time, after deleting Sys care program, all seemed to return to something akin to normal. So, I stopped there with TS.
Regretfully, that return did not last long.
Delays again abound, and when I cue from Icons on Desktop I do not know if there is tardy response, or it simply did not cue. When I cue I see a small hour glass appear next to the mouse arrow. Then, the hour glass goes off, and I cannot tell if the program is still being accessed. I use Task Manager, which itself is slow to load. Interestingly it is showing "My Documents" as piggybacking on the start up commands. I can cue ay icon and My Documents will load. More often than not, Task Manager shows it not responding
I gave serious thought to simply reloading XP Pro completely. However my disc is damaged, and will not load.
Researching Win 7 does not convince me I can gain much upgrading to it. I do a lot of multitasking, nearly all just jumping back and forth between selected net sites, researching. Not uncommon to have three, four sometimes more open at once. (I publish newsletters for several groups using MS Publisher). I basically work under the KISS principle.
So, I thought about purchasing another XP disc. After looking back over my postings here, I seem to be having chronic problems of all kinds.
I Found there are still a goodly number of XP Pro disc's out there, and at a decent price.
Though I'd run this idea through MG and see what that brings.
Thanks,

Sarge