Why is my computer so slow? I'm not infected!

My computer has been really dragging lately, so I was thinking I was infected by something. I ran through the cleaning procedure and Tim helped me out on the malware removal forum, and he determined that there was no malware on my system. Which makes me wonder why my puter is so damn slow.

My main problem is that when I play videos/listen to music, everything is choppy which makes things unwatchable/listenable. I've got a Dell Dimension 3000, Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz, 512MB RAM, running XP. I did a clean reinstall around Christmas time and my system ran great for a week or so, but then it started bogging down. Tim told me that I was using 216MG of RAM according to my log files, but there really wasn't much running on system at the time, so I have to wonder what the resource hog was.

I'd appreciate some help. I know that there are tons of variables, but if someone can help me out, I'll be happy to provide whatever other info is needed.

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi poppasmurf, I would strongly recommend getting more RAM. My sys. had comparable specs. and I had the same problems with gaming and video but after installing 2 one gig mem sticks the issues disappeared and all is good now. Good luck.

 

Hi poppasmurf, You say lately, is this a new development? Have you installed new AV software? Any other new applications running? Are you able to system restore to a time before the "bog down"?

 

I said lately because this is happens every couple of months. I do a new install or restore, things are good for a while, then everything starts running through molasses. After my last XP install, I didn't even reinstall half the stuff I was running before and things still crept down. Someone else recommended more RAM, but I'm curious why things go good for a while before bogging down?

No new AVs, or conflicting firewalls. I've only got one security suite, although it is ZoneLabs, and I've seen enough people complain about it being a hog...I saw the same about Windows Defender, but I got rid of that and still have problems.

I wish I could do a restore to my last fresh install, but the malware cleaning had me reset my restore points, so they all went bye-bye. I've always been hesitant about messing around inside my Dell, but it just occurred to me that my waranty is long past expired, so I can do what I want. I'll look into getting a couple of sticks and putting them in.

I would've thought that my system was sufficient for listening to music and surfing the web simultaneously.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

Absolutely, with 512MB of RAM for Windows XP, listening to music and surfing the web simultaneously should be no problem.

Have you ever cleaned the computer on the inside? Do you any idea what temperature your CPU normally runs at?

 

The answer is no and no. The cleaning is a possibility for today. As for the temp, it runs pretty cool most of the time. Occassionally in the summer it gets a little warm, but my fan keeps things cool otherwise.

 

When you clean it, don't go poking around in there with a vacuum cleaner. That might discharge some static electricity and that's a big no-no. A canister of compressed air works well for this; you can find that at office supply stores or any computer store.

Just because your computer seems to run cool based on touch on the exterior does not mean the processor is not overheating, and overheating can cause performance issues. I'm not saying this is definitely a problem with your computer, but may be an area worth delving into as a troubleshooting measure.

Some computers show temperatures in the BIOS settings screens that can be accessed during startup, before Windows starts to load. Do you know how to access it?

Also, certain software can be installed to provide temperature readings. One such tool I have installed on my Win XP comp is SpeedFan. You might try it.

 

I thought I knew how to get the BIOS settings at start up, but after numerous failed attempts, I guess I don't. I will install SpeedFan and give it a whirl.

Tim - It is the full blown version - AV/AS. I used to run only the ZL firewall along with Panda AV, but I thought that might have been causing conflicts so I went with Panda, but my system slowed almost to a stop, so I switched over to ZL. I've tried disabling it and performance was better, but playback was still choppy. I'm going to be switching to some other firewall/av soon, just haven't decided which one yet. Its okay you missed it...you seem to be a pretty busy chap.

 

Running SpeedFan right now, and apparently my temp is 19C, which doesn't seem that outrageous to me.

CPU usage sure jumps around though!

 

That's wrong, should be at the very least 30C for the CPU, that's even cool for a motherboard which would mean your ambient temp would be at most 65F. The sensor is off, which is a fairly common occurrence.

 

So is there a way I turn the sensor on? There doesn't seem to be anything to do that in the SpeedFan program.

 

Sorry, by 'off' I meant inaccurate. I haven't used speed fan in a while but I think there are options to choose which sensor you want read.

 

Actually, unless this really, really wacky, it might be correct. Neither of my fans are going, and it is pretty cold in my place. I try to keep it chilly on purpose. The temp reading did go up to 20C a minute ago.

 

A new guy to the forum here, but I've been around computers and electronics a LONG time. So let me know if I shouldn't be posting a reply.

20 C is just 68 F.. which would mean you are either running nitrogen through your processor, or it's expired ;-), or the reading is incorrect. The fans are controlled by the temperature "reading".. so no, they won't be running, if they "think" it's cool. So you might want to verify the processor temperature otherwise.

Jerry