Is there a program to do for e-mail what Lazarus does for writing on browsers?

I just experienced one of the most disgusting freezes yet. This time nothing stressful was happening on the system. I had Maxthon open with maybe 7 or 8 tabs, not much of a burden at all. I was scrolling on a page that I don't believe was reloading, and all of a sudden I could no longer scroll. I checked Task Manager, and sure enough Maxthon had gone unresponsive. I tried unsuccessfully to kill it. Then I clicked on Restart on the Shut Down tab of Task manager. But Task Manager utterly failed. Instead of rebooting the system, it went into unresponsiveness itself. I had to hit the power button again, because I can't get rid of the None in the Shortcut Key slot as I described on the other thread. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?p=1833867#post1833867

This is very disheartening. The tweaks brought instant results on your system, but after making them I just had my worst performance yet.

 

conceptualclarity...

Try adding Maxthon.exe to PL. I haven't added browsers to CleanMem, but I finally gave in and added them to PL ProBalance exclude list a couple of months ago. It was an improvement. Just a suspicion, but I think this will help.

I think I mentioned this a few posts back...that I didn't add browsers to CleanMem but finally gave in and added them to the ProBalance exclude list in PL a couple of months ago. I have both Opera.exe and Firefox.exe in there. Those are essentially the only browsers I use. I did notice performance improvement overall when I did this.

You mentioned you use Outlook? If you do, you may choose to add it to the PL ProBalance exclude list too. I use Office Outlook but it's sort of routine open, check, and then close, so I have left Outlook off the PL list for now. Might help in your case, however, not sure.

*****

One good thing coming out of what you are saying. Almost all of your freezes seem to be starting with the browser. If so, that would mean you can start there for the solutions. You mentioned that the normal working functions of Windows have been satisfactory for you (drag and drop, start menu, mouse and keyboard functionality, etc.). That's goal number one.

Hope adding Maxthon to the PL ProBalance exclude list helps with the freezes. I had a PC similar to yours prior to this one, and I could run 8-12 browser tabs or up to maybe 15, depending on the content of the pages, without stressing the hardware too much. With a P4 system in this day and time, unfortunately, the hardware is a limiting factor as to what can normally be done, and I found with a P4 that I really had to regulate my use of the PC to accommodate the hardware limitations. With a core2duo, I still have some limitations, it's just that they are outside of my usage needs for a PC for the time being, so I don't run into them. Just as an example, no way would I try to open more than say 20 browser tabs, even with 4 GB RAM. However, I really just don't need to for now, anyway.

I understand where you are with your PC I think, because what you are doing is exactly what I did on my P4 and have been doing on this PC...looking to squeeze everything possible out of the machine. For me, it's been out of curiosity to see what the various levels of hardware are really capapable of. For you, it's really going to be a big benefit once you are able to move to the next level with a new PC.

On that subject, I was thinking a little bit ago. I know you are still experiencing problems now, but you may want to make a notepad list or something of the programs you would like to add to your next PC, so you don't forget about any of them. I think you will have alot of fun with the next one seeing how much better it performs with all the knowledge you are building up from your 'experimentation' with optimization. Personally, I still think it's critical to have PL and CleanMem on any Windows PC these days, even with advanced equipment. I'm completely convinced of it. I would put GBoost and JetBoost on one too if I had an i5 or i7 PC even...even if it had a great graphics card. All this is because I don't think the MS Windows core is stable without all of them...even the most recent core in Windows 7 and so on.

*****

I think these are cached internet pictures (Temporary Internet Files). If you set CCleaner to clean out the Firefox cache, it will remove them if they are. BTW, if you only use Firefox rarely, you should be fine on your system to have CCleaner clean the Firefox cache. Mainly the cache is useful if you are loading lots of pages when you open the browser...

Good idea. For me a few months ago I turned System Restore down to 6 GB. On my system that's about 5-7 restore points I think. At the time, it had grown to almost 40 restore points, so a few days later I got sort of fed up with 15 GB of used space and shut it off to get rid of all the restore points. Then I turned it back on. I was confident that the PC state was good and that having just the one restore point that is created when System Restore is turned on would be good enough until some new ones were generated by the system. It's a confidence thing, so I understand why you would rather not do this at the present time. However, once you have the confidence to do this, you can count on getting 6 GB back of free space which is nice.

Don't let the setbacks get you down. You're really close. I think adding Maxthon.exe to the exclude list in PL will help alot. Please let me know how it works out...

One note conceptualclarity...do you have a file on your PC in Windows called memory.dmp? It's in the main C:\Windows folder if you have the file. If you have this file, you can remove it. It's a full readout of what was in your 2 GB of RAM memory, and it's created when you have a blue screen failure. I haven't had a blue screen in awhile, but I set CCleaner to automatically remove the file if it is there ever on this PC. Just glad I don't have to think about it anymore. It should be 2 GB (the amount of RAM on your PC) in size if it's there on your PC...

 

conceptualclarity...

Got a new process for you to add to PL ProBalance exceptions list. This one is the absolute most important process in Windows. I just added it a little while ago, and I am noticed processor activity go down immediately. Here is the process:

ntoskrnl.exe

This is the kernel process that is initiated during boot that is responsible for process and memory management, along with some other important tasks. Here is the Wiki on the process:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntoskrnl

I like what I am seeing so far, and I am about to test this on the P4 PC in the other room...

The kernel is the root of Windows...the absolute essential process where optimization happens. I can say this is not dangerous only based on my experience with PL, so far, but I would have expected a blue screen event if this were going to cause a conflict. I would say that I am about 98% sure this is fully safe to do. As for the 2% unsureness, I'm not too worried about it on this PC.

If you are comfortable trying this, let me know if it helps. Going to test the P4 now...

 

I did this morning.

What has perplexed me about adding this to the exclusion list is, how then is it different from if had never had PL in the first place if I'm excluding the most burdensome processes?

I use the old Outlook Express that came with Internet Explorer 6. I prefer it greatly over Windows Live Mail because more of the interface is actually devoted to the e-mail itself. Are there other e-mail programs that are more like OE than WL in this respect? I am not able to use spellcheck in OE, but I am mostly well-satisfied with it.

I set it to 6.9 GB. I didn't realize even that was enough apparently to wipe out any possibility to restoring to a healthier earlier stage.

Had another fatal freeze tonight. And I still can't shut down from the keyboard rather than the power button.

I did a search and confirmed that is not on my computer.

I added that a short while ago, after tonight's freeze.

 

Yes, I am wresting with the same question. The only thing I can think of is that there is something natively in the Windows restraint mechanisms that causes especially the system processes to access the processor all at once, crowding the processor and leading to the crashes.

Sort of like this. Windows shuts down traffic on the highway for an hour at 6 AM...then at 7 AM it opens the highway and there is a sudden rush to get to work and a huge traffic jam. Now add traffic from some special festival occurring downtown (you using your browser or another program). The result is a crash.

For sure, PL speeds up the timings of optimization, challenging Windows to adapt more quickly to user usage patterns. Apparently, it also causes Windows to adjust how it restrains system processes when they are added to the exception list. This seems to be leading to manageable processor activity which happens from the system in a perpetual but very small amount...not all at once.

For me, this whole process is like finding a balance of restraint in the PC. PL has no boundaries when it comes to what it will restrain until they are added by adding processes to the PL PB exclude list. Anyway, adding processes to the PL ProBalance exclude list is not like turning off ProBalance. So it seems to me that adding the correct processes to the PL PB exclude list leads to a balance with the CORRECT things being restrained instead of just everything. The net effect is that PL does more than just restrain. It also corrects what I perceive is a flaw in the timings of optimization in Windows. I would say that the exclusions are simply a necessary part of achieving a harmonious balance in the PC. Anyway, it's working for me.

Right now, I have 8 browser tabs open and in one of them is a streaming live video stream of some guys playing a video game. The processor is running at between 11% and about 25%. Most notably missing though are the huge spikes that would make operations choppy on the PC...and sometimes lead to freezes. PC isn't spiking up to like 60% or 70% like it used to sometimes. This is even with the exclusions.

Another unusual thing. Even with all the processes I have added to the ignore list in CleanMem, memory is still starting off at about 25% usage. Before using CleanMem, it was up to right around 36%. The strange part is that even after adding the system processes I have added to the ignore list (just the same ones I mentioned to you to add to CM ignore), starting/idle memory usage has stayed at 25%. I believe this is happening largely because PL is causing Windows to make adjustments faster, leading to major improvements in performance. The stats are important only because they speak of the improvements.

One last thing about all of this as it pertains to your situation. Your P4 is not going to adjust as fast as this PC I am using, obviously. I see the same thing in the P4 I have been experimenting with. That is because the equipment in your P4 and in my P4 just simply is not as capable as what's in the core 2 duo machine I have. In that light, I think you would be best off expecting improvements to take a while to really show on your P4. If you could start from a fresh installation of Windows, that would help some I think, but, short of that, it's a battle to find the best a P4 PC has to offer...and it's not much compared to the newer PCs. To make an analogy. Your situation is like calling your military to arms after the enemy already has moved into your territory. You have to put up with the woes and troubles until the PC finally comes around. Again, this is magnified by the fact that a P4 PC just will not heal itself as fast as newer and much faster and more powerful PCs.

On PC usage limits. Not that there's anything wrong with experimenting...I do it, too, but I think you might be expecting more from your P4 than it is capable of in some senses. Your freezing episodes happen at least partly because you challenge the limits of the usability of the P4. But I mean I really think you are making progress. Maybe the problem is partly that there are just bad programs out there. IE8 is just a horrible program. It's not only useless as a browser for the most part, it also horribly optimized and sends completely the wrong messages to the optimization core, messing up timings there horribly. I know you don't use IE8, but if you could factor in that occasionally programs are just dangerously inefficient, perhaps that would help. Mostly I am referring to browsers. I think Chrome (even though it's aggressive on RAM), Opera, and Firefox are fine. You say Maxthon is working for you. I haven't tried it, so I can't say. I have tried some like Element browser and Browzar that are just as bad as IE. O/C, as you probably know, some browsers are built on the IE engine. Probably the biggest problem browsers would be those.

Anyway, I knew you were in for a battle. EVERYTHING happens more slowly on a P4 in comparison to new machines. I mean, you aren't going to fix the core of the OS and just have a sleek optimized P4 machine. All the instructions that reside in Windows from the times when you used the PC in an unoptimized state are still in there. They have to be corrected. It's like a healing process that must take place...

Don't know of any free ones off hand...

Are you saying that turning down System Restore disk access limits has disabled SR on your PC? This isn't what happened for me. It simply lowered the frequency of system created restore points. There are still plenty enough of them for me.

Yeah, not sure why the keyboard option isn't working for you. Just another thing to keep searching for the answer to I suppose. Eventually, someone will come up with the answer for you.

This really added some noticeable stability to my PC. Please let me know how it works out for you...

 

I haven't paid attention to where it's starting off. But now with Maxthon and Outlook Express open, it's stable at around 38% usage. I keep my e-mail open because I'm constantly receiving links to open, such as MajorGeeks links.

No, I simply did not realize that chopping off what came before 6.9 GB would mean my Restore archive would no longer go back very far. I didn't realize SR files were so gargantuan.

Looking at the Actions Log, PL has not been restraining many Windows processes. The only one lately was svchost.exe (rpcss). I added it to PL exclude this morning. All the action on Actions log now is with what I might call elective programs, programs I've chosen to run. Ironically the reason I have more programs running than a lot of people is because of the concerns that system performance and infections including Babylon Toolbar and Delta Search have ignited in me. Is it good that only these sort of programs are being restrained? The green bands are pretty wide on the graph, and the Actions log is still moving briskly.

I have had two more freezes today, the second one with no apparent stress. And I have only been having single digits tabs up, so tabs aren't the problem.

Today avast! told me it had found a virus, Infection : Win32:Evo-gen [Susp]. It said the Object was a certain temporary file. It listed as the Process the Program File for Advanced System Care Ultimate. I was running an anti-virus scan with Advanced System Care Ultimate. At first I thought it was calling Advanced System Care Ultimate (new on my system) malware. I didn't make any decision on it before the freeze. After the freeze avast! seems to have forgotten it; it's not in the virus chest. The file is still there in Explorer. I just checked it with my Jotti desktop app. 3 out of 22 detections. AntiVir calls it TR/Crypt.XPACK.Gen. ClamAV calls it PUA.Win32.Packer.SetupExeSec. Sophos calls it Mal/Behav-320. (On the ClamWin forum, one of its own people said to disregard ClamWin PUA detections.) Spybot, Iobit Malware Fighter, and Malwarebytes called it clean.

Can you explain to me what you think is going on here?

Also, avast! has flagged a lot of system restore files, and so did Comodo Cleaning Essentials in a freeze-aborted scan. Do you have any insight on that?

 

conceptualclarity...

As many browser tabs as you have worked with in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if you do have some malware problems. Personally, I have always stuck by a simple Malwarebytes/SuperAntiSpyware combination when I suspect things might be going wrong someplace. Based on my experiences, I would say Malwarebytes' is the best hands down of the malware detectors. With SuperAntiSpyware I've just always had luck finding little things here or there like tracking cookies or whatever that are basically just a nuisance.

Don't know if you were aware, but Iobit was in a big controversy last year when it was discovered they had stolen anti-virus definitions from Malwarebytes...read this for more information:

http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=29681

This was sort of a bombshell in the A-V community, and I think it cast a negative light on what else might be happening at Iobit. Personally, I haven't ever used Iobit software until recently when I installed SmartDefrag 2. I did this because it defrags silently in the background...a feature I was looking for from a defragmenter. I did make the decision to try it with a little trepidation though. At any rate, when I saw you are using Advanced System Care, I just thought you should know.

That brings up the topic of cleaning. I get concerned when I see users using anything to clean their registry (don't know if you have been doing this). To date, there is just no such thing as a safe registry cleaner. Anyway, this is not necessary as the registry takes care of itself over time. Whatever you are using as a cleaner, I would advise to stay away from cleaning the registry. That practice can only do harm. Again, I use CCleaner and only to remove temporary internet files from the browser caches and a few select files that tend to pop up in a specific place. Hard drive space has stayed on 60% free for about the last month using this cleaning methodology. The thing to focus on is having a good program uninstaller as you do with Revo. That will do more than anything else to keep your PC clean.

On the freezes...hang in there. I think the way you have things set up will eventually heal the core of your OS. Until then, I am certain you will still have problems along the way.

Thanks for letting me know about this. I just read a little bit on the program...sounds important. I might add it myself. BTW, that's a good tactic for adding processes to the exclude list in PL. If a process shows up in the PL log, and if it's a Windows process, just look it up and if it's important enough add it to the PL exclude list if so.

Are Babylon Toolbar and Delta search showing up in PL actions log? I know Babylon has always had a very bad reputation as malware. I have heard it's tough to get rid of too. I would say that it's bad that anything is triggering PL governor more than every once in awhile. On the P4 PC I have here, PL is restaining a process around once every 20 seconds. The PC has far fewer programs than you have running, but I have excluded the system processes discussed in earlier posts and the browser and a few other unimportant and light on the processor processes that have shown up like GoogleToolbarNotifyer.

Just a question. Do you have alot of these toolbars. If so, you should think about going to the malware board and ask for help removing them. They are a mess.

If you get a chance, could you put together a list of the processes showing up in the actions log of PL (not at boot time but during normal operation)? Maybe you could start a notepad and just collect them over a couple of days. I'd like to see what's showing up. Also, I'd like to see what you have set to run on startup. If you could take a screenshot of your startup list in WinPatrol, that would work. If you have to get 2 screenshots to get them all that's fine. Anyway, you might be able to come up with a better strategy for startup that doesn't cost you anything with regards to security, etc. I really think we can clean up the PL restraints too...

 

Yes, I've heard all about that. I understand they are a Communist China firm, and they got caught acting like Communist Chinese tend to act, LOL.

In spite of that, you may have noticed that Major Geeks strongly promotes Iobit. And I think there is no doubt that Advanced System Care is the most popular and prestigious toolbox program. I've thought about posing a question on MG about this paradox.

My experience is different from many others. I have 4 on demand scanners I run at least once a month. For me the most effective one is Spybot free. I have been told on this site that Spybot is crap, and I'm shoddy for saying it works for me, but how can I ignore my own results? After Spybot are SUPERAntiSpyware free and Iobit Malware Fighter free. They do find some stuff for me. Malwarebytes finds less on my computer than those three, and it greatly annoys me because it takes over 20 hours to run a full scan on my old computer, vastly longer than the other three. Once every now and then I run Dr. Web CureIt! as well.

I take it that because of your misgivings about Iobit you think the file may well be malware? Maybe so, but based on my recent experience this looks a lot like another false positive to me. Pack(er) I have particularly come to associate with false positives. Please let me know if you ever come across a really good article on discerning false positives and real malware.

[QUOTErecently when I installed SmartDefrag 2. I did this because it defrags silently in the background...a feature I was looking for from a defragmenter.][/QUOTE]

I used to have SmartDefrag. I run into a problem when after an update the previous version hung around on my computer and on autostart always gave me a burdensome prompt to update to 2.0. I uninstalled to try to get rid of that, but only got rid of the updated version. That was probably before I got Revo.

I read recently someone who suggested only defragging once a month, and someone else who suggested always Chkdsking before defragging. Obviously you have the opposite philosophy. I would be interested in hearing your view articulated. In my case, every time I check fragmentation, it is found to be minor. So I don't feel that my system's problems lie there.

[QUOTEThat brings up the topic of cleaning. I get concerned when I see users using anything to clean their registry (don't know if you have been doing this). To date, there is just no such thing as a safe registry cleaner. Anyway, this is not necessary as the registry takes care of itself over time. Whatever you are using as a cleaner, I would advise to stay away from cleaning the registry. That practice can only do harm. Again, I use CCleaner and only to remove temporary internet files from the browser caches and a few select files that tend to pop up in a specific place. Hard drive space has stayed on 60% free for about the last month using this cleaning methodology.][/QUOTE]

I have heeded such warnings, intending not to even consider it till I know what I'm doing. As I mentioned above in the thread, I've never used the registry cleaner on CCleaner. Back in late 2011, I experienced a crisis with this computer that forced me to take it to the shop. No blue screen of death, but I did lose the ability to log on. The manager told me my problem was a conflict between AVG and Lavasoft AdAware and said he removed some viruses as well. Back then AdAware was anti-spyware and not anti-virus. My understanding is anti-spyware is not supposed to conflict with AV. I wonder if the viruses were the real problem; I don't know. He disabled both AdAware and AVG and installed Microsoft Security Essentials. I really liked AdAware.

But what actually sent my computer over the cliff then was fooling around with tools on Advanced System Care that I really had no knowledge of. It might well have been registry cleaning that broke the camels' back. I will not repeat that mistake. I have several toolbox programs, but I resist any compulsion to use the tools for the sake of using them without truly understanding them.

Actually I have three good free ones : Revo, Iobit Uninstaller, and Advanced Uninstaller PRO. But there is so much in my directories I want to get rid of that does not show up in those programs, and, of course in that sorry Add and Remove Programs feature. That's why I asked two of the questions I asked this week on Major Geeks.

No.

There is no bottom for my detesting of Babylon Toolbar. One of my most-read stories on the Experience Project was about it. http://www.experienceproject.com/st...fo-On-Computers-Browsers-Software-Etc/2060841.
See also http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Hate-Adobe-Flash/2263199

Programs like Babylon Toolbar and Delta Search get on your computer without your having a box for them checked. I will not download anything that offers Babylon as an option since my experience shows that unchecking it may not work.

There are a few minor fragments of Delta left on my computer. I don't think it's serious enough to go on the malware board. Getting the information on proper removal of files that aren't on one's uninstaller through the questions I have posted is key on this. As for toolbars, I have several on IE that I have consciously chosen : Crawler Toolbar, AVG, and Panda. I have ShopatHome toolbar disabled when I'm not using it on Pale Moon. I have VirusTotal toolbar on a few browsers, mostly disabled.

I have put up screenshots from WinPatrol. But it would be better for me to show Process Explorer from the next bootup, because I have a lot of services that autostart that don't show up on these lists. Every time I start up, I delete some processes like ITuneHelper and diagent.

Tonight I had a really bad freeze. I clicked on an e-mail and suffered instant freeze of not just a process, but the whole system. It is from a vendor that mails me several times a day. Avast! flags it as malware. I don't know what to do. I am told you must not click on the unsubscribe link. It seldom lands in my spam folder. When it did, I tried to add it to the excluded list, but the address was a phony truncated address that the spam folder wouldn't recognize. When I rebooted I was able to examine the e-mail and see what it was without having that over-the-top reaction by my system repeat. I would be happy to get any advice for being rid of that vendor. My spam folder seldom fails to sniff out spammers as it does in this case.

That was the third freeze of the day. Twice earlier I had to restart from Task Manager. It does not quickly shut down, so I try to help it along by manually clicking out processes one by one. Of course that only works when the unresponsiveness cascade has not spread to Task Manager, as it often has.

 

coceptualclarity...

Here are some thoughts on your most recent post. I will start a new post after this one on your start up items, and I have some general questions I would like to ask you on various topics associated with that and on some other topics...

I understand where you are coming from on this. I have 3 cleaning programs. They are CCleaner, Comodo System Utilities, and Ashampoo WinOptimizer 2012. CCleaner is nicely configurable, and I like the features to select what I would like to remove and also to remove specifically named files in a specific location. I also like the startup list in CCleaner and that I can change what starts up from there. Comodo SU and Ashampoo WO I use more to see what they are recommending I remove, especially when it comes to the registry. I also do this with CCleaner from time to time. I guess every 4-5 months I will fire them up and check to see which registry entries (and other files) they recommend removing. This gives me sort of an idea of what's down in the registry a little bit. Still I don't bother with removing anything, even though I know some of it is good to get rid of like references to start menu items that I have removed and registry keys linked to a missing .exe from programs I have deleted. Basically, on this topic, I have decided to focus on the essential run-time functionality of Windows rather than on being all spik and span clean down in the registry. I have a hunch that will take care of itself over time...not sure how, but it's something I am confident is true. I guess this is sort of like "clean the heart and the body will clean itself" philosophy.

I don't have any recent experience with Revo and none with Iobit. Wish I could help you with them. I have used Advanced Unistaller Pro, and I found that there were some elements of danger in the program. That's what pushed me over to Comodo Programs Manager. Don't know about Revo and AUP, but CPM monitors installations and changes made by programs. During the removal process, it's very thorough but for my purposes, I have also found it as very stable and reliable. Curious to know...do you know if Revo monitors installations? I suppose it must.

Sounds like you are OK with the toolbars situation. I have seen complaints about the AVG toolbar, but I think most of that had to do with removing it. Anyway sounds like a good situation.

Your startup list is actually I think longer than mine. I am kind of shocked to see how many Microsoft associated processes are in your list that I don't recognize. One thing I notice you have ctfmon.exe disabled. From what I understand, it is associated with MS Office XP. I have MS Office 2007, and I have never noticed a problem with ctfmon.exe. One thing...you may try enabling this to see if it brings back your keyboard options for setting a hotkey for your shutdown shortcut. The article I read on the process mentions that ctfmon.exe has something to do with keyboard translation.

In a few posts from now, I will post my startup list and some explanations of why I have the things on there that I do and so on. I have a few questions on your program choices and your startups first that I will put in the next post...

 

Some questions I have about your system?

1. How many programs do you have installed on your PC (not start up items...I mean overall programs)? I get this info from Comodo Programs Manager. Maybe you can find it in Revo or one of your other uninstallers?

2. How many security type programs do you have installed on your PC (not start up items...I mean overall)? Examples...WinPatrol, SuperAntiSpyware, Adblocker, Avast, Iobit Malware Fighter, etc.

Sounds like you have gotten your problem toolbars off the PC. That's really good. With only a few remnants you should be good.

I have been where you are now. You have been testing numerous programs...I have tested hundreds, honestly, so I really do know. For me, just like you when I was doing alot of testing, clutter was really a concern for me. Now I am confident I have that under control. I am sure you will get there too...

One thing I can recommend is Toolwiz TimeFreeze. This program gives you the ability to turn on TimeFreeze and then install a program to test it. When you are done, you simply turn off TF and decide if you want to keep or do away with the changes. This would be the purest form of uninstalling a program as your entire PC state goes back to as if you never added the program. The only drawback is that you can't boot the PC and then restore if you decide you would like to test the program over several days or what not. I think of TF as something I can use to spend an hour with a program. If you ask around, I think there is a system sandboxer that you can reboot with, but I don't know the name of the program...just recall seeing something here at MG in a post about one. TF is a small app and good enough for my purposes, so I didn't try it whatever it was...

On small programs...I have tried to focus on simple apps as much as possible. I guess my thinking is that they are easiest to update for the developer and that there are likely fewer potential errors in the program. In that light I have some pretty simple programs I use like CPU-Z, Everything, TreeSize Free, CPU-Z, XPSysPad, EruntGUI (auto save a copy of the registry on boot), Toolwiz TimeFreeze, ActivePorts & CPorts (check to see what's connected to the PC), Irfanview (picture viewer), PL (amazingly light and well designed for the impact it has on a PC) and CleanMem (same as PL...size and impact). There are others, but these are some nice apps to build around I think. Because they are simple, I find myself relying on them when I can. They open fast and things are easy to find inside the program...

On overall programs...I have 370 programs installed (according to Comodo Programs Manager...not sure if this includes Windows updates). Don't know what would be the ideal, but I do use them all at least from time to time. It all adds up to I think 6 GB. Don't know what you think about this, but on your P4 system, I wonder if it might help a little bit if you trim down the number of programs you have and try to seek out a bare minimum approach. This would help with disk space (not much but a little bit) and perhaps it would sort of give you a little bit of space to breathe. I sense you do have some duplication of features in your programs (I do too o/c), so idk...maybe a little uncluttering would help. Then you could develop a procedure for testing programs perhaps and make your decisions based on keeping the number of programs down as much as possible, etc.

I'll put together some info on my PC and what I have in startups and their purpose. Perhaps you will get some ideas there. You may find that it will be necessary to research your start up processes to determine what they are associated with. This has helped me tremendously. Thank goodness for Google and all the info out there on processes...

I think with a little manual house cleaning (going with fewer/lighter programs, going with the minimum of start up items, etc.), you can then start to get really serious about those freezes...

 

conceptualclarity...

Some pics at the bottom. The long list is the startup items that start when Windows starts. The dark ones are the ones that start. The desktop screenshot is to show the system tray icons and how I have moved the start menu. The Windows 8 style start screen is a program called Newgen I use when I want to get away from the desktop. I click on the right side of the screen to bring up the bar to the right, then click start and the screen slides over the desktop. You might have noticed that I have the desktop icons hidden. That's an easy setting in XP. I don't need them, as I can open the desktop folder from a Rainmeter tile. Anyway, I everything is close to the system tray on a Rainmeter tile or in the start menu. The docks are bottom: ObjectDock and right: RocketDock. I used Rainmeter and the docks to try to get everything close to the system tray, since there are so many program settings there. Also, I have a 22" monitor which is a little bit big, so I like having the start button over there close to system tray and I can start MS Office programs over there...

I hope maybe the information here might give you some ideas about how to trim processes from your system tray and from your startup list...

Some stats

Overall start up processes running on startup (Task Manager for this info)...75
Number of items in the system tray at startup...22
-Avast
-HP Embedded Security (Not essential but I like it here...reminds me of the office/keeps me focused)
-HP Credentials Manager (Support software)
-Iobit Smart Defrag 2 (Background defragger)
-Process Lasso (System optimization interface)
-CleanMem (Memory optimization)
-Kiwi Applications Manager (Process memory management)
-Webmon (Checks user designated websites hourly for changes)
-Rainmeter (Desktop organization utility)
-Windows search 4.0 indexer (Better than the standard Windows XP search tool)
-Internet Connection
-Volume^2 (Volume Squared...Volume2) (Heavily featured volume control program)
-Speedfan (Must be on to feed temperatures to Rainmeter tiles)
-JetBoost (System "noise" restrainer)
-GBoost (System "noise" restrainer)
-RealTek Audio (System Audio adjustments)
-Wakeonstandby (Wakes PC at user set time...I use to start backup and cleaning)
-Sofonica Folder Soldier (Folder locker)
-Remove hardware safely
-Styler (Program for customizing visual styles of Windows XP like Window trim and custom start menu)
-Start Killer (Remove start button...I have moved the start button to ObjectDock)
Number of disabled processes at startup...44 (installed programs that I have disabled at start up)

On the P4 I had before this one, I had at the maximum of my use on the PC I believe 15 system tray items in the system tray on boot. That number or less would be ideal I think for system tray icons. Can't speak for overall processes. I think 50-60 would be a good target number for a P4 with 2 GB RAM.

Trimming the number of startups was not something I looked at as something to do all at once when I got serious about it on my previous P4 PC. I took my time and investigated all the processes and then looked around to see if I could find programs to replace 2 or 3 in the system tray, etc. Over time I think I was able to trim 4-5 processes from the system tray. Wish I could remember some examples, but I've got a mind block at the current time on this for some reason...

Let me know if you need any help with trimming your system processes or anything else...

 

conceptualclarity...

I contribute on a bulletin board on another site in the Windows XP forum, sometimes, and I noticed this today:

http://forums.techguy.org/windows-xp/1106333-extremely-slow-compter-2.html

If you have a few minutes to look over the thread, you can see how much they can help. This person's system is equipped similarly to yours although he does have less RAM than you. At any rate, I think you might benefit by joining the site (if you aren't already a member) and posting a similar thread. Something along the lines of "Constant Freezes/Slow PC".

If you do, they will probably make some recommendations about your startups. If they ask you about Process Lasso (ProcessGovernor.exe specifically), just explain it as something you would rather keep as a startup program and that it's definitely not the problem.

I think I noticed in your list of startups that you aren't using GBoost and JetBoost. If you decide to go through the process they have at the above site to clean out all the junk you may have on board, once the process is finished, give them a try. Good chance your PC will be running much better, and they could make a big difference in the performance. Again, they work wonders on my P4 1.5 GHz with 1.125 GB RAM.

Also, if you put up a thread there, please let me know. I will look in and follow along. I honestly think you may have an adware problem, especially. Some adware creates nightmare loops in the registry that can cause the kinds of freezes you are experiencing. The tools used by the site will really help with these types of adware problems. I've seen it over and over. As much as you have used your browser in the past, I wouldn't be at all surprised if you have quite a bit of adware lurking on the PC...

 

Tonight I had a spontaneous reboot, the first time that has happened in a long time. So I'm definitely going to be running my security scanners while I sleep in days to come. Then I had a really bad power button freeze where the taskbar went white while Maxthon was up. Subsequently I have had so much trouble trying to download on Maxthon at http://www.av-comparatives.org/retrospective-test/ that I decided to give it up for now. The browser also went into unresponsiveness when I just tried to bring up its download feature, but it recovered.

I got an app called ProcessKO to try to cope with the unresponsiveness cascade. But I'm finding this lightweight app is quick to jpin the cascade.

In the last fews days I ran chkdsk twice, and it failed. I tried running it through ASCU. It deleted an index entry. It finally said:
"Index verification completed.
Errors found. CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode"
What does that mean? It appears it did not get to Stage 3.

Does it let you highlight text on the screenshot?

I forgot. Actually I have done cleaning every few months with 3B Windows Registry Repair Pro. Maybe I shouldn't have till l I know the registry better. It will typically find a very large number of files with things like path no longer found. One time it found a thousand Silverlight entries to get rid of, and I let it. It does back everything up. I review what it has brought up, and when I feel uncertainty I uncheck and don't let it act on things.

Could you be more specific? I think there are elements of danger in all three of mine. I had a trial program called Boost. I noticed that in the secondary cleaning phases these programs were going after all sorts of things other than Boost itself. So I always carefully examine just what files and registry keys the program is nominating for removal.

I have it too, but I have been avoiding using it for uninstallation because when I did, it did not give me the readout I desired of what it was removing beyond the basic uninstallation phase. Perhaps you can reassure me on this.

Well, with CPM and AUP you have to activate that. The lack of an activation option (last I'm aware of) on Revo suugests not. I found AUP's conditions for monitoring installations far too bothersome and dispensed with that.

Last night I checked out Junkware Removal Tool to get rid of the last Delta Search bits. I rejected it because of cleaning without user discretion, for me a totally unacceptable feature in a security program. Do you know if AdwCleaner is that way?

It will relentlessly try to autostart its mere updating function. I believe it usurped IE search and maybe homepage. I fixed that. Since I don't use IE much I forgave. I've gotten grief here For the ShopAtHome Toolbar, but it is a gentleman compared to AVG.

Yea, I've said prevbiously I think MS has burdened me with a lot of stuff, and so far I haven't had time to educate myself on what can be dispensed with.

This is what I've been doing. My startup is so bad, I basically have to otherwise occupy myself and leave it alone for quite some time. When it becomes reposnzive, I bring up Process Explorer and start clicking out some processes, and I summon GBoost, JetBoost, and Process Lasso. I don't see any advantage in having them autostart rather than waiting till Windows has recovered from the trauma of startup. But I will hear you out if you disagree.

So far I am not finding a way to re-enable it. It's not listed in Services.

Revo counts 247. Wise Program Uninstaller counts 427 (6.8 GB), with lots of Windows/ microsoft updates & patches. (it sems to not work as well as the 3 I mentioned.) Iobit counts 263. Comodo counts 276 (3.78 GB). AUP doesn't tell me a count. SuMo updater counts 398, but that is swollen by the counting of programs with the AV Uninstall Tools Pack, which I'll probably unload soon.

I inherited the computer from a relation, so a lot of what's on it predates my usage.

I have added the Process explorer screenshots. Two Crawler processes necessary for the screenshot are not autostart. A number of these I click out after they appear.

Please see the screenshots I have included from Kingsoft PC Doctor offering to revamp my autostart.

I have Windows XP firewall and Comodo DNS. On my right-click menu I have Virus Total Scanner, JottiQ, avast!, Malwarebytes, Iobit Malware Fighter, SUPERANTISpyWare free (if it's running), and Spybot. With Spybot I get besides on-demand scanning, immunization and apparently direct malware site blocking functionality. Also new there is Advanced System Care Ultimate anti-virus. I allowed ASCU to piggyback on an IMF update a few days ago. It must be one of those compatible anti-viruses; it didn't tell me I needed to get rid of my existing AV. I assume this is a trial and liable to be gone soon.

I have Bitdefender Safego for Facebook (doesn't show up on uninstallers). I have lots of security browser extensions and plug-ins. Some are to block bad websites, including Norton's browser tool. Scanners are disabled till I use them. I have AdBlock Plus, and am thinking about getting NoScript.

I have a number of scanners on my desktop, some that I've never run. I have run Dr. WebCureIt!, Comodo Cleaning Essentials, Emsisoft MalAware, Panda Cloud Cleaner, and EMCO Malware Destroyer. I have downloaded some security programs I haven't installed, includin the last ThreatFire.

I have Norton PC Checkup, which I need to get rid of, its having never demonstrated value to me. I discovered I have huge Norton defintion files on my computer.

Yes, that's why I asked the two questions on MG this week. The Glary file analysis shows my biggest unwanted programs are not showing up on the uninstallers.

I will get to more of what you've raised tomorrow. Thanks.

 

Forgot to put the screenshots with that post.

 

More.

 

This weekend I continued to have the usual freezes, but something different and unprecedented in my current crisishappened. I am getting better at quickly detecting the unreponsiveness cascade. In the course of trying to get a clean shutdown, I started throwing processes overboard, clicking them out on Task Manager. What has ended up happening is that four times I have been able to reverse an unresponsiveness cascade by clicking out processes, in place of focusing on too many vain efforts to close out the unresponsive programs. What has evidently happened is that when I clicked out enough processes, the command to terminate the offending processes eventually went through.

Another interesting thing on the weekend. I felt the need to go back to Opera for things I had on tabs there. The memory usage with Opera open was consistently above 50%, and I was experiencing repeated browser crashes. I got my tabs down from the mid-50s to the mid-30s, but that didn't seem to help. I started disabling lots of plug-ins. (I know from experience that disabling Shockwave makes a huge difference in the performance of Mozilla family browsers. I actually have six reiterations in Opera of the same QuickTime plug-in version.) It didn't seem to help. After a second round of plug-in disabling I was shocked to see Memory usage actually go up to over 90%. That is without any precedent for me.

Finally I reopened Opera with extensions disabled per the option offered. That reduced memory usage drastically, still above my norm, but enough to enable me to use Opera viably. I was shocked at the difference. On Mozilla browsers there is an add-on called about:addons-memory that shows you extension memory usage, and it had seemed to me to be pretty minor.

My Opera extensions are AdBlock Plus, Advanced System Care Surfing Protection (a new one), Dr. Web Link Checker, Flash Video Downloader, LastPass, McAfee Site Advisor for Opera, SearchBox Toolbar for Opera (will be doing without that one), Speed Dial for You Tube, Surf Patrol, Tab Vault, Translate, Virus Total Extension, WOT, Weather Forecast, avast! Online Security, and savetext (supposed to be like Lazarus, but has never appeared on my Opera). Only 17 add-ons; doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.
However, the improved functioning of Opera did not stop seemingly irrational system freezes.

I have a program called HWiNFO32 that you may have noticed. It is a hardware monitor. I decided just about a week ago, far into the current crisis, to run it realtime because I saw something about it giving warnings of serious hardware problems. Normally it behaves well, but in two sessions it has absolutely gone crazy on CPU Usage. I wonder if I should be concerned it was sniffing out something really bad. The second episode of that was this weekend. I went through the process of throwing processes overboard. When I terminated Process Lasso, the HWiNFO32 CPU Usage jumped to 98%. I did have to restart the system, and HWiNFO32 has been behaving OK ever since.

Today I woke up a lot earlier than expected with an incomplete scan by Comodo Cleaning Essentials running. I decided to go ahead and deal with the significant number of results garnered up to that point. I wanted to bring up my browser to look at the online tutorials on CCE, but my internet access was cut off. This was confirmed not only by my not being able to bring up Maxthon but by Weatherbug and Weather Channel desktops not having internet access. I fumbled around looking for an option, and just clicking on my Quick Launch again froze the system solid in short order.

I got on GeekBuddy, which Comodo installed on my system some time back piggybacking on another program. I was soon told having CCE on should not block the Internet. A tremendous amount of time was wasted just getting remote access with the telephone rep to work.Then when it was established, he started telling me I needed to get rid of all sorts of programs. He specified Kingsoft PC Doctor in particular after asking me what the blue icon with the checkmark was. He also noticed I had Process Explorer up. He asserted that using it rather than only Task Manager to kill processes was dangerous, suggesting PE should only be used by technicians. I posted a question about that at http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=279496 if you want to weigh in there.

He showed me some directories quickly that I wasn't able to see what they were, indicating some things were missing or disabled, whatever. He blamed files being corrupted on me having too many programs. He never really touched, as far as I was concerned, on what was causing CCE to block my internet access. At that point I got to the part where if we want to do anything further I need to pay $49.99 for a year of GeekBuddy support. I felt bullied and felt no confidence in the advice I was getting. Kingsoft PC Doctor is a good program, and I do not appreciate being told I must chuck it. The guy also told me Comodo Cleaning Essentials was not a malware cleaner as I thought; maybe he said it was just for finding system problems or something. I find that remarkable. See at http://www.comodo.com/business-secu...ty/network-protection/cleaning_essentials.php "Malware scanner – fully featured malware scanner capable of unearthing and removing viruses, rootkits, hidden files and malicious registry keys hidden deep within a system. The scanner is highly configurable, uses the latest heuristic techniques to detect previously unknown viruses, features first-class malware removal capabilities and is capable of detecting hidden drivers and services loaded during system start-up."

I am as I said working to reduce programs on my computer. $49.99 is a good price for a year of support, but I'm not going to go with Comodo.

I am going to stop running System Explorer realtime, and I may have to do the same with HWiNFO32. AntiFreeze I'll probably get rid of soon. I'm close to being ready to toss Process Hacker or at least take it off realtime. It has disappointed me by not killing hanging programs. But generally I am pretty attached to the elective programs I have running realtime.

As for my security programs I also have immunization by Malware Domain via HostsMan, with the option to immunize from six more services if I choose. I actually got HostsMan as a result of seeking a way to edit my HOSTS file to stop my being blocked wrongly from certain web pages.

I am going to copy and paste our thread here as a Jarte file so I can yellow-highlight the important pieces of advice you've given me. How I love Jarte!

 

I am seeing a worsening of the computer today. Now I am experiencing not just unresponsiveness cascades but sudden instant total system freezes.

 

conceptualclarity...

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I started a post that got too long, so I decided to take a few days and think about your last post some more.

To try to keep this short, I'll tell you how it worked for me to get where I am with the 2 PCs I am working with here. First, I have been through the exact same thing you are going through. On the three previous PCs I had (and on this one too actually), I was a relentless tester, looking for ways to stop the freezes and crashes. Here are some things I learned:

1. Nothing will overcome the hardware limitations of your PC. You can optimize the PC, but it will still have limitations on how it can be used. This is just something to think about as you go on through this process of working on your PC to get it where you want it.

2. Ultimately, it's best to settle on one program of each type (other than browsers, which can be better than each other for specific purposes)). You might have two security scanners or cleaners, etc., but, as much as possible, settle on one of the type. Another example here is uninstallers. I want to make a plug for Comodo Programs Manager. Something to remember about it...if CPM monitors an installation, it will do the full removal. To guarantee it monitors an installation, right click on the installer of the program to be installed and select install and monitor setup using CPM. In this light, I could see you keeping say Revo and CPM, for example.

3. A stable, optimized PC begins with order and organization. Good place to start here is to make sure you have a place for your files that isn't all cluttered with other things. I moved my files into a self made "My Documents" type folder I call "Productivity Files" that has all my pics, vids, music, text docs, spreadsheets, databases, htmls, isos, word files, presentation files, and pdfs. In my pics folder in Productivity Files I have a folder for wallpapers, one for icons, and then some others by random classification, such as "Desktop Pics", which are the ones that are interesting and somehow make it onto the PC but that I don't have a specific purpose. Separating your files from the clutter there in My Documents and making the folder accessible on the desktop has helped me. I put the icon for Productivity Files in the lower right corner of the desktop near the system tray, so that everything is together. Main thing with all of this is that you are satisfied with your ability to access programs and your files easily and quickly.

4. The optimizers Process Lasso, GBoost, JetBoost, CleanMem, and Kiwi Application Monitor are necessary to optimize the core of a Windows based PC. All the things we have discussed come into play here. If there are other programs that can be substituted for the above, I don't believe it. I have tried all of them as far as I know, and these are the only ones that made a lasting improvement in how the PC ran.

5. As you get closer to what you want your PC to be, the battles will still continue. At first, there will be bad bouts with freezing, such as the ones you are having. Those will become fewer as you learn to tailor the optimization settings of the programs for your PC and the hardware capabilities you have.

6. As much as possible, while you are working to optimize the PC, stay away from looking for solutions for a better mail client or a better office program or anything else really complicated to implement. There are some things that are just complicated. If you can just get your mail to work, for example, that's a good start. You can work on it later.

7. While you work on the PC, consider that once you get it where you want it, you probably won't be testing hoards of programs on it. Ideally, if you love to test programs, you could set up one specific PC for that purpose. Testing takes a toll on the PC in some senses...

8. The goal you are seeking to attain is a vigorous core of the operating system (of the PC) that protects the vital PC processes such as mouse, keyboard, menu use, optimized open/close of folders and files, and things like USB/device readiness, while still allowing you the best access to your programs and files possible. I think it's important to focus on achieving the vigorous core first. As much as possible, I recommend putting aside interesting ideas from programs. I have tried all of them almost, and I can say, that optimizing the core is what you want to achieve first, even if it means you have to almost start over, uninstalling large numbers of programs, etc. You can always re-install them later if they are really necessary...

Just some encouragement. More than anything, I think you can focus on the optimization programs you have. Keep your uninstallers and a couple of cleaners. Keep a couple of security scanners, your A-V, and WinPatrol. Otherwise, you get rid of the rest of the programs of those types and focus on the core. By the way, if you can find $35, I HIGHLY recommend Kiwi Application Monitor. The free version doesn't give you the ability to set the maximum allowable RAM for a specific process. I might be wrong, but I think CleanMem does this if you buy the Pro version for $4.95, but I am just not sure...

 

Thanks for the advice.

I plan to be uninstalling a program or so per day. I like to be thorough and get all the remnants. And I'm guided by my principle that no program works perfectly. So when I do an uninstall, I utilize Advanced Uninstaller PRO, Revo, and Iobit simultaneously. I'm sure the mention of that would shock techies, but it has worked fine for me. The three programs typically come up with very different results as to how many remnants of the program in view are left after the basic uninstall.

I did uninstall ghostscript last night, which I had been led to believe was needed for a certain PDf program. Afterward, i used search programs and found to my frustration there were still remnants of it left. This could relate to their being two ghostscript entries, but I was only able to target one before the other disappeared.

As far as stripping my programs' totality down to a bare minimum, there are problems. That would be very, very time-consuming, time that I feel would be more felicitously spent finding myself an external hard drive, setting up my backup, and researching and shopping for a new computer. I think undertaking such a campaign would delay my getting relief with a new computer. And the payoff is very questionable. Wise Program Uninstaller says I have programs totaling 6.1 GB. I cannot come anywhere near removing all of that. I can remove some stuff not showing up there, so it balances out roughly. What difference would removing 6 GB make in the functioning of my overall system? That would only marginally change the proportion of free space on my hard drive. Is it possible to upgrade to a bigger hard drive on my XP computer? That could change the proportion. And there are lots of programs I find very useful. Experience simply forbids me to rely on only one on-demand scanner.

As I've said, I am going to look hard at reducing the real time programs.

I would like to get back with you on ideas for organizing my desktop directory.

At this point I would like you to talk about the potential that carries. After what we've gone through with taking things off Process Lasso optimization, it leaves me wondering. I'm still thinking I might want to resume Process Tamer, which has a default ceiling of 70% CPU Usage for specific processes.

I have fallen behind in responding to the specific points you have raised in the posts from 8-23 on, but I intend to go back and catch up. I hope you will get a chance to go back and catch up similarly, especially about my chkdsk and ctfmon.

 

Yesterday I actually did not have to reboot due to success in my increasingly rapid response to the process unresponsiveness cascade. Today was a lot tougher. I had at least one power button shutdown, and I was forced to frequent Task Manager restarts because of hanging programs. I have learned that if just one process refuses to shut down, the session is doomed unless the process surprises by terminating itself as I click out other programs. Small programs were giving me as much trouble as my current browser, Comodo Dragon. I once brought up System Explorer, and it went unresponsive on me without remedy. Twice HWiNFo went crazy on CPU usage. I regretfully conclude that I can't allow it to monitor my XP in realtime. For now I'm delaying the startup for 6 minutes and I'm intending to be remembering to click it out at the same time I bring up Process Lasso and the Boosts. I'm frustrated by not being able to kill these hanging processes and baffled at why they hang when CPU Usage and Mem Usage are quite all right. I have acquired a number of applications to try to kill unresponsive processes, including Process Hacker and ProcessKO, with no success so far. Have you ever used Process Hacker?

The Task Manager shutdowns have been very, very slow, and after restart my computer isn't good for about 10 minutes these days.

Once today when I was throwing processes overboard by clicking them out on Task Manager, hoping the hung program would right itself in the meantime, I ran out of non-Windows processes to click out. In a situation like that, would it be safe or harmful to click out svchost or winlogon or others?

Tonight I saw a process I'd never seen before : Interrupts. Judging from a Google search, it seemed potentially ominous. HWiNFO32 was going crazy during that, I was able to get HWiNFO32 to shut down as I stripped down my processes. Upon my system recovering, Interrupts went away.

I have decided to take WInPatrol back out of Excluded Processes in Process Lasso. I have also resumed running Process Tamer. It has a default configuration of restraining a process when it hits 70% of CPU Usage. I don't think my system has functioned healthily much when a process was hogging 70% or more for more than a few seconds.
My daily spammer I referred to is from the UK. Now it looks like my spam folder is learning. It had 5 blocked UK messages today. Every time I click on one of those, avast! chimes in with "Threat detected."

After much work I had to start all over again writing this post. I was composing it on a Jarte file, and when my finger slipped, it hit cut instead of copy. I never use cut anyway. I hit backspace on highlighted material and accomplish the same thing. Is it possible to remove cut from your right-click menu?

Again I ran into trouble. Major Geeks had logged me out, so pasting this reply in was unsuccessful. I had to paste, manipulate quotes, and spell-check all over again. I don't think MG should log us out like that.

Thanks for the suggestion. I normally give it some time before I uninstall a program. Also I tend not to necessarily be trying it out right away after downloading.

I also prefer small programs by independent developers (the types you find at sourceforge) over big clunkers like you get with the name brands such as Comodo. But I do like Comodo, aside from the rude tech guy.]

This seems like where I'm going after I find the right external hard drive.If youn have any advice on that, I'd be interested. I think I'll go with 2TB. It seems desirable to have more capacity on the external hard drive than on the PC, on the reasoning of back up everything on the main machine, plus keep some stuff on the external as its primary residence, and have it all backed up on free cloud storage.

It doesn't seem like the desirable goal of improving startup would affect freezes other than the occasional boot-up freeze that typically is after a power button shutdown. But please elaborate.

 

Tried to find information on this today but found very little. Best I could determine it's some sort of Windows process that pops up when certain rare and undesirable circumstances occur. Honestly, I don't know about this.

None that I know of...only programs that make it possible to add things to the right click menu.

If you absolutely must do this, fine, but I would go 100% full bore for a new PC in your spot. I wouldn't be bashful about going i7 either (and at least 8-16 GB RAM). You NEED a fast computer to do what you are seeking to do. All I can say is that 2x250 GB HDs (internal) and one 120 GB are enough for me. I can certainly understand why someone would require larger ones, though, and I am sure I will at some point in the future have much larger ones, myself...

The goal here is to find as many times as possible one program that can replace 2 or 3, etc. Most importantly, this will improve your startup times, but it will in the long run improve your PC's performance, too. Opening and closing programs is stressful on the core of a PC. In this light, you just have to experiment to find the right formula that works for you and that makes your PC fastest overall. Trimming overall startup processes helps with this.

*****

Just some discussion on something I am defining as the PC sub-system (flow of information into RAM, virtual memory, caches, and other motherboard parts (I don't know what these are but also include hard drive caches, too)). This is theory, but I believe that freezes and crashes associated with Windows (yes Linux, too) occur at a level below the system->sub-system. At this level (this is the level of ntoskrnl.exe) information is managed and placed into the various parts of the motherboard, including RAM, and into the processor cache and in virtual memory and the hard drive caches. Just my experience, but I believe the timings responsible for checking the program priority for each process and its activities are to blame. According to this theory, this check process happens too slowly leading to poorly placed and even to misplaced information in the "sub-system".

Basically, what I mean by priority in this instance is the priority which is placed on information by the OS optimization routines. This is the priority that determines what is in, for example, the processor cache and, for another, RAM memory. Put another way, the OS must prioritize information on the fly, so that it can intuitively place the information. So this is not to be confused with the priority which you can adjust for a process using Task Manager or some of the other process viewers like System Explorer, etc. I am referring here to the right click selection available on a process, which gives a user the option to run the process at various priorities. Yes, this can affect the priority I am mentioning a little bit, but it's not the same thing. The Task Manager one is for users...the sub-system one is for the OS itself and for its management of prefetch information. At any rate, this check process is happening so slowly in current OSes that it leads to woefully placed prefetch information. But it's not just what isn't in prefetch, it's what is in prefetch too that leads to the problems. If, for example, 90% of your processor cache is being used by your browser and you have closed it and are beginning work in 2 or 3 other programs, but the prefetch of the browser still remains there, the system immediately becomes clogged--->this is unacceptable.

Process Lasso helps here. Granted, I admit I am using PL sort of like a battering RAM to speed up the timings at the sub-system level, as I have defined it. However, it's working for me. No matter what for you on your P4, though, you aren't going to get what you were initially seeking from a PC (large numbers of browser tabs/multi-tasking, etc.). P4 PCs just cannot handle that intensity of activity. This doesn't mean PL couldn't help you on a better computer. It would do the exact same thing it does on mine, making it possible for you to be in charge of what happens at the core of your PC.

*****

On freezes and crashes. This will probably be the last I will mention anything about this, because I think you are on the right track to discovering for yourself how to get the most possible from a PC. All I can say is keep plugging. You have alot of ideas and information to sort through, but I think with what you have and Google, you will achieve your PC goals. Well, perhaps I should add a new PC, also, to this statement. Anyway, it seems to me to be going the exact same way for you that it did for me.

Just one other thing I would say. Try to get in touch with what is happening in the area I am dubbing the "sub-system" layer. Wikipedia the PC parts I mentioned and read up on the ones you aren't familiar with, etc. See if you can understand what I mean by "sub-system". I think that might help you as it has helped me...

 

It's just a fact of life that XP degenerates over time and that no amount of tinkering can prevent it. If you have never reinstalled your XP you can't have any conception of the transformation it wreaks in both speed and stability.

Unless this constant tweaking is just you not liking to be beaten by a dumb computer the best use of your time would be a couple of days spent reinstalling and configuring. My two pennyworth anyway.

 

Best advice in this whole absurd, belabored discussion.

 

You guys are making me lol. It is possible...that's the point of the discussion. Just one thing: If it's so absurd, why do you keep reading it...be honest...

It's a difficult issue, but it's possible to tweak the internal timings of Windows at the most primary levels of the PC with software that exists today. My PCs are the proof...

USA Veteran, your stature as veteran of the United States military doesn't earn you the right to be rude. This is my opinion on your comment here. This is all too frequent an occurrence in my opinion.

If you are interested in tinkering with Windows XP to learn about how a PC is optimized, please participate in this discussion. Otherwise, your comments in this thread aren't necessary or welcome as far as I am concerned...

 

My advice stands. You can spend the next ten years tinkering and your system will still well underperform a fresh install. I just find it mind boggling that so much time and effort is being expended on a problem that has an obvious solution.

 

Seems to me, an inordinate amount of time has been expended implementing solutions for the symptoms and not near enough time spent on finding a successful solution for the cause of the problem. That being the "freezing" problem.

So many third party applications have been introduced in an endeavor to solve other symptoms that they've only exacerbated(exponetially) the problem. All of these third party apps use extra resources btw. And they add their own symptoms.

Unless it is a hardware failure causing the "freezing", the best solution is as Earthling recommends. Then start tweaking Windows from scratch if necessary, one tweak at a time to maintain stability.

Once the tweaking, from within Windows(disabling indexing for instance) has been completed then third party "tweaking" apps can be added and tested, one at time for effectiveness and the sake of stability.

Usafveteran pointed out(in post #2) that the hardware configuration is more than adequate unless some seriously demanding programs are running.

For a Dell 2400 XP Home based system to be running 3 browsers(plus what ever else) with a combination of 1500 tabs open seems inconceivable. Maybe a streamlining of thought on the method of use of this computer is in order?

 

plastidust...

I agree with you. I have just continued this thread because I believed conceptualclarity was interested. I also believe Earthling that a clean install is in order. Quite some time ago, I asked cc if he has an install disk, but I don't recall any answer on the subject. That was a pretty long time ago in thread terms. He's working with limited resources.

The only other thing I would say is that conceptualclarity has demonstrated a really deeper than normal interest in the programs that are out there. He's asked me to continue the thread, so I have gone along. Just happens I really have tested hundreds of apps. I know lots have tested many programs, but I am attempting to help him based on these experiences.

Anyway, over the last several posts and some previous I have mentioned to conceptualclarity that I believe he's asking far more of the PC than it could possibly deliver, and there has been some discussion of new PCs and so on. In that light, I think he's on the right track, but I guess I have a similar passion for sort of getting to the bottom of things, and that's what has dragged the whole thing out. Anyway, I think both of us would say the conversation, although ridiculously long, has fed something inside us for getting the most out of a PC.

Given the type of PC, I completely agree with you guys. I also really hope conceptualclarity can find some money for something that will run his 200 browser tabs...

Thanks for the comments to you guys. I mentioned in my last post to cc that it was probably the last time I would delve into the subject of how to eliminate freezes and crashes. I do think he has developed a good methodology for working through those things, on top of whatever knowledge he had when the thread started.

Thanks again for the comments...seriously...

 

Earthling, I really appreciate the many helpful comments that you have made on my threads, and I very much appreciate your bringing up the matter of a fresh install. That was done I would guess about four years ago with Service Pack 3. Hopefully it can be done again? I am looking for the disk. It will turn up.

Plaastidust, I appreciate that suggestion. If you want to help me with the tweaking after I re-install, that would be fine.

If you're going to remark on my tabs it would have been nice if you had paid attention to the recent posts in which I indicate I've been using nowhere near 200 tabs, in fact often only a few.

I do not run more than one browser at a time. Most of those 1500 tabs I mentioned are on Firefox, which I have decided to refrain from using till I get better performance, which will probably be on my next computer. I will use the capacity I found for topical bookmarking to eliminate that Firefox load, as I said. How many tabs a browser can handle depends on the browser. Mozilla family browsers can literally handle tabs in the three digits well, (especially if the uber-hog Shockwave plug-in is disabled) while Google Chrome is overburdened by 10 tabs on my system. I find that IE family browsers don't have much capacity for handling multiple tabs. Comodo Dragon is far superior to its Chromium cousins in its ability to handle tabs. Opera can handle more than Chrome, but it stinks when you get up to 30 or so.

Even with all my tabs, Firefox is 51MB, a pretty small slice of my hard drive.

Exponentially? I don't know. I feel I've been restrained about adding realtime programs, and I've paid a great deal of attention to the resource burden as to whether I let a program run realtime. Process Tamer, for example, is very lightweight. I don't feel I'm running "junk" realtime. And to say that Tamer, Process Lasso, CleanMem, GBoost, and JetBoost have "only exacerbated... the problem", I can't really imagine that to be true.

Again, I appreciate the good advice given above. I feel the caustic tone that crept in was quite unnecessary and uncalled for. I have never pretended to be an advanced user. Persons like myself are not in a good situation, because most of what is written on computers is written for techies and not for laymen like me. The manual for my Dell is so atrocious in this fashion that it infuriated me and I gave up on trying to use it.

About a year ago I literally knew nothing about computers other than how to surf the Internet and run some spyware scans. I have since learned how to use Windows Explorer extensively and learned a lot about software. A great deal of my learning has been on MajorGeeks. I still have a long, long way to go.

My awareness of my knowledge deficit on computers is the very reason I did not say to hell with my XP some time ago and go out and buy a new computer, because I didn't want to spend a lot of money buying something that would only serve me well for a couple of years. Prior to getting the new computer I intend to get, I have bought six books on computers from Amazon, eBay, and half.com. I am disappointed that they don't cover everything I want to know about computers, but they will undoubtedly be helpful. (Any other suggestions for really good books are welcome.)

As for the fact that this discussion has covered many things other than the freezing problem (such as avast!, which is new for me and which AtlBo has apparently had for a while)--so what? If somebody doesn't like it, they don't have to read the thread. I am more offended by the hint of disdain directed toward AtlBo for spending a great deal of time trying to help me. I have obviously needed help on many more things than just the freezing. He has helped me a lot in many ways, and I am very grateful for it. He has absolutely nothing to feel embarrassed about, and I gently take issue with him on this thread being ridiculously long. It's my fault that I let slip his earlier mention of the reinstall. (As I said, I'm intending to go back and make a Jarte file of this thread with the key advice highlighted.) More knowledgeable users helping less knowledgeable users--isn't that what MajorGeeks is all about?

As AtlBo has set forth in this thread, he has a keen personal interest in the optimization system he has assembled founded on the very unique program Process Lasso and aided by GBoost, JetBoost, and CleanMem. His interest in following how that goes with me in addition to with himself is an entirely legitimate pursuit in my view, and one that I think has significant value for public viewing. And I do intend to continue with that optimization system on my new computer.

I would ask that further comments be in a supportive tone and not have a seeming intent or willingness to make AtlBo and myself feel embarrassed.

 

conceptualclarity...

You've helped me alot more than I helped you I think. Your questions have given me much needed insight to try various ideas with PL and CleanMem. I really owe you for your dedication to getting to the bottom of your problems.

Wouldn't say at all it's your fault about the re-install. Degradation of the OS is something I would say is worth the effort to overcome, even if the OS is somewhat out of date.

I have learned much over the last 5 years, especially without a single reinstall of the OS. Honestly, I would like to do a re-install myself (on another PC ideally) to see if I could duplicate the results I've had. For now, I'm grateful that the little things have disappeared that lead to the chronic problems and re-installs of the OS. Much of the credit for that goes to you...seriously. It's hard to find someone to bounce ideas off of when it comes to XP and generally optimization.

I think finding the software out there is a big help...maybe the biggest. There is so much to be learned, though, I agree...for all of us.

Apologies for the wording here cc. This was an attempt to see it from the viewpoint of the more experienced users who really help so much here at Major Geeks. I guess there's sort of a pride in getting the job done quickly.

On the optimization element of this thread, I kind of feel like a person considering paying someone to build a building, who wants to learn everything about the accepted practices, so he can develop his own insights and theories about how it might be done better. Lots of conjectures and idealistic thinking I know, but I am grateful that MG has allowed the thread to get this far. Much was accomplished on my end in the last dozen or so posts...I hope for you too cc. Also, the software mentioned in the thread is legit. Big thanks to the creators of these programs...

I hope, too, cc to continue working on this project. Really hope I get the opportunity to try this on some other PCs, possibly with other OSes, sometimes, down the road. As it is, I believe I have gained a great deal of insights and understanding on what it is exactly that goes on at the core of the PC...how it all works. Thanks again to you for helping with that...

 

I have found the "Already Installed on Your Computer" Dell Reinstallation CD Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Including Service Pack 1a.

I consulted with my local computer-savvy friend. He said it was not a system reinstallation we did a few years ago, but just an online upgrade to Service Pack 3.

My friend recommended that before I do the reinstallation that I have my system backed up. So I am postponing the reinstallation until I have that in place. I am going to order a 2TB portable external hard drive. (Am I not right in assuming that it will work for my current desktop as well as for my future laptop?) Before that arrives I want to have in place a remote storage of my files and folders. Toward that end I posted this thread at http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=279773
I understand I will probably need some good software to manage the backup. I believe a lot of freeware is available for that purpose. Any suggestions for that and for external hard drives and places to buy them are welcome here.

I am now pausing a scan by Comodo Cleaning Essentials. So far it doesn't look like it's caught any genuine bad guys. It is unhappy about WebBrowserPassView; no surprise there. It is unhappy about modifications of my HOSTS file, which I get from Spybot immunization, from Malware Domain List through the excellent program HostsMan, and through a few instances of my own whitelisting and blacklisting added through HostsMan.

AtlBo, please see my screenshots. It wants to go after my Firefox extensions folder. Just what it's ultimate destination is I'm not physically able to see at this point. I am very wary of that. It also has a couple of objections to my Chrome extensions and one to a CoolNovo (Chrome Plus) extension.

CCE also is branding as "Suspicious" my System Protect. (That got left off my screenshots.) I'm not buying that for a moment. System Protect made the best security software page at http://bearware.info/security.html. Have you seen BearWare yet? A great site.

I am continuing to get better skilled at stopping unresponsiveness cascades before they force a reboot, thankfully.

 

I don't use very many extensions...actually just have Avast and WOT and one that shows thumbnail pics at the real/larger size of the actual pic. As a result, I don't have much experience with them. I guess I would recommend Google the plug-ins to see if there are reports of trouble with them. I usually leave things in place when in doubt until I have proof there could be a problem...

Generally, I'm fairly wary of the cleaning process. I have a predecessor of CCE called Comodo System Utilities. Resisted the change to CCE because the whole registry cleaning process seems like such a manualized mess to me. I'm sure CCE is better at not removing important files than CSU, but I just use CSU to look things over, anyway....same thing I would do with CCE...

 

This Dell page should answer most of your questions about reinstalling your XP, but be aware that this will restore your computer in its entirety to how it was when you bought it. That means you will have a lot of XP updates to deal with, including SP2 and SP3, and you will also have to reinstall and configure any software you want to keep.

The most important part is to ensure you have backups of all personal files that are stored on the hard drive. There are so many programs available for this it's hard to know which to recommend. Many here seem to like Karens Replicator for XP. I haven't used it myself as I like and have long used both WinRAR and Syncback Free or you could follow Dell's advice and use Windows Easy Transfer. Whichever, I recommend you put your reinstallation plans on hold until you have established a backup routine you are comfortable with and fully at ease with. In that time you can also ensure you have, or know where to get the installation media for your software.

I wouldn't concern yourself with cloud storage just at present. It can come later, after you have mastered local backup. Also, there is no point in backing up your full system, i.e. imaging it, as it is not something you will ever want back after your reinstall.

 

EDIT - for Windows Easy Transfer read Files and Settings Transfer Wizard. The former is for Vista on, not XP.

 

The one thing that the 69% complete Comodo Cleaning Essentials run did find in the way of genuine malware was a piece of Delta Search.

Actually CCE has a malware cleaner and a task manager. It's not the successor to Comodo System Utilities. I have CSU, which I have used for disk cleanup, but not for privacy or registry cleaning. Comodo is till promoting CSU, but they also have something new called PC Tuneup (I think) that apparently overlaps with it.

Thank you for the information. This sounds to me like something mighty close to a blue screen of death. Is nuking your software configuration the whole point of reinstalling? It sounds to me like a monumental undertaking, wiping out my directories and starting all over again from scratch. Just reinstaling, reregistering, reconfiguring, and added the needed whitelisting to avast! would likely take hours. (My rule of thumb for computer usage is that things always take longer than it seems like they should.) This would make a lot of sense if I was planning on staying on XP for a couple of more years. But I hate XP; I hate operating with 2.66 Ghz. and 2.00 GB of RAM. It is my plan as soon as I get my backup regimen in place to begin shopping for a new computer. (I expect to do much research before buying.) The time that would be spent on starting my directories over from scratch would postpone considerably my getting started on a new computer.

I have been in contact with Bob Flora, the developer of Jarte. It concerned an incident in which after a reboot I found my most important file, a massive file with computer information, with innumerable links, to be blank. It's the file, formerly on e-mail, that first provoked me to start this thread. Fortunately I found that Jarte's backup folder had preserved a version from a few hours earlier, so very little data was lost. I told him abnout my computer's behavior. He said :

Comments?

I read that overheating could cause freezes. I have found that the backside of my tower is a bit warm, the modem is more notably warm, and an adapter that connects to the modem is downright hot. This certainly concerns me. I did not notice these sort of temperatures in the past.

AtlBo, I noticed on the previous page you run Speedfan realtime. I have acquired that, but haven't begun to use it yet. (I'm really lost in the realm of hardware.) I think it could help in this situatiuon. Could you help me with using it?

I am planning on getting a download of Hard Disk Sentinel Standard Edition which is promised to be offered free by bitsdujour any time now. http://www.bitsdujour.com/software/...=email&utm_content=29&utm_campaign=2013-09-09

I'm hoping maybe I can get away with running it realtime like I was not able to with HWiNFO32.

 

Yes, the point of reinstalling is to put your Windows system in a pristine state, removing in the process all the clutter and debris left by years of adding, removing and updating software. It also restores any broken links within Windows itself. You are vastly overstating the difficulty of reinstalling. The basic process may take an hour or so and the rest of that day will be taken up reinstalling your essential software and dumping OEM stuff that came with the system. The next few days you do have to devote some time to filling gaps in your software setup and configuring but the system will be completely usable after day one.

Given your obvious tendency to be forever adding more utilities to an already overburdened system I would say that after four years you are well overdue a reinstall. I would also advise that you get into the habit of imaging your system on a regular basis. Imaging is the ultimate get out of jail card when you hit problems.

 

Lately I've been busy posting on 6 different forums and the Experience Project about the issue of external HDs vs. internals + enclosures. I have gotten a great harvest of responses, and the posters have tilted me toward the latter option. I did have concern raised over whether I can even have the kind of big GB hardware backup I want want while I'm on my old XP as a result of this post at http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-A-Computer-Geek/3484055#comment_11194717:

All but one of the forum posters who reacted to my reposting of that quote took issue with it.

There is a giveaway I took that should interest you, AtlBo, whether you decide to get it as well. http://www.tipradar.com/giveaway-pcboost-4-for-windows-free-for-72-hours.html. It relates to much of what we've been discussing with the optimization, and I'd be interested to hear your comments on it.

 

Oops, :-o, I didn't look at the comment thread at http://www.****************.com/pcboost/ before posting here. It's strongly weighted against PCBoost 4.9.9. However, the discussion there is very interesting, and some interesting other programs are mentioned, including ThrottleStop, which is way over my head.

 

conceptualclarity...

PCBoost looks interesting I suppose. However, I would say the ultimate goal of optimizing is to establish an invincible sub-layer of activity where the motherboard is very vigorously and efficiently placing over time information in the various caches and in virtual memory. As a result, the focus is actually off of the programs I have installed and run (I mean like browsers, MS Office, media players, video converters, etc.) when it comes to the optimization I am after. Maybe think of it as system optimization or even system stabilization rather than application optimization.

On to your specific situation. While it is commendable and very helpful to you as a user to do what you are doing by attempting to optimize a pentium 4 PC, I would say almost all of the P4s are completely outdated and totally overmatched for anything today. The rest are woefully underpowered. Again, you are being smart to do all this work, because it will help you with your next PC, as all the same principles will apply. However, you'll get rewarded much more quickly for the positive changes you make and be hurt with MUCH more warning (if hurt at all) with a new modern i5 or i7 PC. You're going to be amazed at the difference you see in how the under current responds to your efforts to improve performance...

By the way...8 GB or RAM minimum for you, and I recommend 16. Go all out and wait to get the PC you want is my philosophy. Look for one that typically comes with alot of memory as it will likely have a stouter motherboard, or build your own PC at a PC build shop, where you can pick your motherboard after some research. 16 GB of RAM won't disappoint you, I know that much...

OH , I would steer clear of Windows 8 for now and go with Windows 7 Pro. There is a large learning curve to the UI with Windows 8. Personally, I think it's inefficient, so I will stick with XP or maybe W7 until something I like comes along from someone...

 

Do you know why the link to the tipradar comment thread got censored?

There was a lot said there about people being unhappy this PCBoost 4.9.9 was a paid program in the first place. One of the two things it was supposed to do was to switch the action to the least busy processor, obviously null on my system. I believe there was a lot of skepticism about this modality. The main modality is allocating more processing power to the most demanding application at the expense of others. It was pointed out that free programs are available to do this, Actual Booster and Mz CPU Accelerator. If you can find your way to the discussion at the thread, it's pretty good, and I think you will enjoy it.

I am running PCBoost 4.9.9 for now. It has a light-to-modest footprint. I have not yet seen any discernible difference on my system. I was embarrassed when it occurred to me that I am also running Process Tamer realtime (not autostart), which by default restrains a process that gets up to 70% CPU Usage; so it apppears that these two programs are opposite. I wonder if you have any thoughts on that.

I did have a program "hang" last night. I think I'm using the term properly. (I will admit, it had been up and running inordinately long.) Maxthon has a bad tendency to sometimes flush and reload all the tabs at once. Even one tab reloading will put my system at 100% CPU. The last time It happened I clicked out all the refresh Xs to get them to settle down so I could go back and reload them one at a time. But they never started successfully loading again. Eventually I had to click out Maxthon. It remained on Task Manager with big chunks of RAM and virtual memory. It was frozen: I could not kill the remainder from Task Manger. Therefore I could not restart the program. I was able to able to execute a slow, difficult clean shutdown and restart from Task Manager. I want to ask, just what exactly is going on when a program hangs like this?

Yea, I definitely want the best. Taking care of some other things, including remote and hardware backup occupy me presently. So I am not able to do intensive computer-hunting now, but I'm sneaking a peek here and there. I see a lot of i7s for sale. Is it indeed the absolute best processing power now available for private consumers?

Is upgradeability of processing power found much among laptops?

I also want to go big time from the outset on the new computer's hard drive. I want 2TB, but I'm seeing few systems with that. I want to ask, is it likely I'll be able to find a laptop where I can simply install a second hard drive at the outset so as to bring it up to 2TB? I do not want to have to reinstall my system later on with a hard drive upgrade.

I have surmised that the custom-built computer option would be a lot more expensive. What can you tell me about it? That would be a good way to get Windows 7, I know.

 

These kinds of programs won't give you what's missing in Windows in my opinion. I took a look at some of the various ones, and there might be some purpose for them, but fixing the Windows timing issue isn't one of them. That said you are finding all of them, and if that interests you, no question I think you're going to be the final authority on raunchy (and good) optimization software when it's all said and done lol (no offense intended)...

Just try to imagine your motherboard as more than a junction point for routing the current that flows between the other parts of the PC. Imagine it as having a purpose and a function like the processor or the RAM or the hard drives. Now imagine that it's purpose is to constantly rethink what should be in the caches (what the PC first references for user or PC requested information). Everything in Windows is fine but this particular level of activity, and this is what I have found causes not some of the freezes...almost all of them. The very minor minority comprising the rest belong in the hardware problems category.

This said it is this sublayer where you want to find a way to ramp up the activity. Using the secrets you have about Process Lasso and the other boosters, you can effectively force Windows to work faster on the optimization sub-layer. Seriously, it's possible. The thing is, none of the rest of what you are trying matters until you get this to work. After that you still won't get more from your PC than the hardware will allow.

One thing to consider about your hardware. As an example, you wouldn't try to open a program while the hour glass is on the screen and expect anything to happen, right? Well, this is what it's like to have an older PC. It's like running things one at a time. Everything takes practically forever, and there is no fix for this. With your browser, I have the feeling as hard as this may be to believe to you, that you are committing too quickly to your next task (before the PC has finished the last one). This is common with new and relatively new users of PCs. It takes time to learn when it's safe to start something new. However, with the newer PCs, you won't even notice these lag periods. They will not even exist. Seriously, the newer PCs are fast...very fast.

Yes, this is the best for now. You'll have to read up on the best one for you. There are plenty of debates out there about them. Some of the i5s are considered very good processors too.

Lots of limitations with laptops. First the screen size is limited. Second, upgradability is more difficult. Just think of a laptop as a portable desktop, and maybe you can get the idea of the challenges with owning one. Personally, I won't have one. I just don't like them. A large enough screen means too big a unit to carry around, so I just haven't found a reason to care about having one. Many people seem to like them, but I am 100% desktop all the way...

It is more expensive, but you will get 100% better parts, and it's worth the extra money as far as I am concerned. You will have to look at the reviews on the various parts to do this, but the reward will justify the effort in this case...

 

Thanks. Could I refer you back to my questions about the nature of hanging programs and the possibility of installing a 2nd hard drive in, say, a Toshiba laptop when I first buy it to bring storage up to 2TB?

I would much rather have a desktop, or one of both if I could afford that now, but I have to have the portability.

 

conceptualclarity...

There are probably 1000 routines running under the surface when you run Windows that are there for all sorts of reasons and all have at least some sort of important reason for being there. In the final analysis, information from these routines is in competition with information from your running programs for position in the primary caches. In XP, the problem is that there is solid logic for selecting and placing this information in Windows, but it is mistimed. It happens too slowly. This is what I believe causes almost all of the freezes and hangups you have been experiencing and indeed anyone has ever had with this OS.

If you can force Windows to make these decisions faster and execute them faster, it's possible to conquer Windows related freezes in XP. This is what I've been working on, and what I have been able to achieve with Windows XP. Of course, every PC still has limits on how fast it can process information, based on the benchmarks of the equipment inside, and care must be taken when using a PC by a user to make sure you aren't stepping on the processor as it runs normally to execute the commands you issue with the mouse and keyboard. But newer PCs have almost none of this type of lag with the equipment. You can practically do anything at any time with the better i5s and i7s, especially if you have a good graphics card inside the PC.

With the pentium 4 gen processors, you can mouse click a button to load a net link or start a program and almost expect to wait many (10-15 or more) seconds before you can press any others safely. For most users, I would say this is completely intolerable, especially considering the emergence of HD video and stouter and more capable office programs and so on. The experience with HD is so much better, and most of the P4s simply can't run it. So to achieve any semblance of productivity today, it's important to get a modern machine...I would say the faster i5s or most of the i7s as the most is known about these. I'm sure there are great AMD chips too, but for knowledge sake it appears to me the i5 and the i7 are hard to beat, since more information is available for troubleshooting.

A note on the other Windows versions. Although I have worked with Windows 7 some (not extensively), I can't say for sure how much if any I could improve that OS with these same breakdowns and using the same optimization softwares. I suspect from my experiences that Vista, 7, and 8 are better than XP (stands to reason that they would be since surely the code is more compact and streamlined), but I will have to get a W7 based PC to test whether all of these optimization ideas improve PC performance on a PC with that OS. Same with Vista, etc. This is what I plan to work on next if I can find the opportunity. For now, I just suspect that there is room for improvement.

Fix your problem fully at the core with Windows XP, and you will have an outdated and slow machine...OUCH. Not to be mean, seriously, but I do think that's kind of your situation. You really need a better computer, so your tests don't kill you with hour after hour of lags and freezes that would happen MUCH (really MUCH) less frequently on a up to date PC...

Apologies cc, I know nothing about laptops. brownizs is practically a living encyclopedia about them, so perhaps he could help you on that subject...

 

Last night my system froze and I had to power-button because before I realized it, the Memory Usage got up to 99%. Is there some way to configure CleanMem or any other program so that it will act before things reach that critical state?

I am once again hoping to find a way to get clean shutdowns from my keyboard as I discussed at http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=279302&page=2.

 

Interesting article at http://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/24...izers-windows-enhance-system-performance.html

Links to more detailed reviews.

 

Hey concepualclarity, let be very honest here. Most memory optimizers are just rubbish. I use CleanMem on 2 computers that are very low on RAM - 512 MB, and yes it does seem to help. I use it on it's default settings. But, if you are running a computer with 1 or 2 GB, then CleanMem really won't make that much difference. I suggest you search for some other underlying problem such as Drivers, HDD, MotherBoard, faulty components, the list is endless. What I would do if you can't reinstall Windows is uninstall all the software that is not utterly important to your system, clean and remove all leftover files and registry items and then try and see if that helps, then reinstall your software one by one, checking how the computer works after each one. You maybe having a serious conflict between certain programs, and this way may help or at least rule out that as a problem.

 

I reached the conclusion that a program I had called System Protect was playing a big role in the "unresponsiveness cascades" I have described in this thread. I stopped running it, and they stopped. Of course, problems from inadequate memory and processing power continue, and I certainly do spend a lot of time shopping for a new computer. If that wasn't bad enough, I have grief with Google Drive, and for certain one and probably two instances of wrongful deletion of files from my system. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=281139
It's too much for a user of my modest amount of computer savvy. Ironically, it was just to prevent this very sort of file deletion that I was running System Protect.

I have learned a lot from AtlBo on this thread. Prior to it, I thought only in terms of RAM. I got Kingsoft PC Doctor, which gave me a little bar that sits above my taskbar all the time and tells me where things stand with CPU usage and RAM usage. I find that excessive CPU usage and excessive memory usage both grind my system to a halt, but the former is far more often the culprit. It is also the case that my system sometimes manages better at 100% CPU usage than at other times.

I am now perturbed that there a multitude of programs to address RAM problems but very few to address CPU problems.

AtlBo, I wonder if you think this program could hold any promise. https://www.ashampoo.com/en/usd/pin/0161/System_Utilities/Ashampoo-Core-Tuner-2. It's shareware, but as it's Ashampoo, it's only a matter of time till it becomes available for free. Obviously some features are irrelevant to a single core system.

 

Hey conceptualclarity, before you buy or even wait for that software to be freeware, look at the link I'm sending you. Remove unimportant software, and use this link and scroll down to your OS, this site will tell you how to do those tweaks yourself, and you can trust this site,, I always do- http://www.blackviper.com/

 

I have changed my mind and am now looking for a desktop rather than a laptop.

I am going to be very seriously looking at the options for new computers on sale between now and Tuesday.

AtlBo, could you tell me more about the custom-built option, including how I go about getting started on that? Can I get a custom-built computer with great specs for under $1,000? I know that option would allow me to save $89 or $129 by not having to buy Windows 7 separately.

Can you have a quad-core processor with Windows 7? I'm wondering on the basis of the "Maximum physical CPUs supported" line on the chart at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7_editions. (One has to go to Wikipedia. Microsoft.com practically wants to pretend Windows 7 doesn't exist.)

 

Hey conceptualclarity...

Been having some hardware problems with my main computer. Motherboard bit the dust. I haven't had much time to get by MGs lately on the old P4...

Not really sure when it comes to laptops. In this case, I would search high and low and really do my homework on the cases, since the laptop case is going to include a "monitor" screen and the power supply cord. Want to make sure you are getting the best of those two things especially for a laptop. Don't know, but I guess the battery would be very important for a laptop. If you have options there, you should make sure that will really last for you and that you can replace a worn out one easily.

The next thing I would do is research the motherboards extremely hard before buying your new laptop. Maybe you could try Googling "best laptop motherboard". It would help if before you research the motherboard you knew which processor you would like to have in the unit already I will say here. Try Googling "best processor for a laptop". Check the answers that are relatively recent. Then you can check Google for "affordable" processors, too. Beyond that I think a standard hard drive and standard RAM memory for the motherboard you choose should suffice.

All in all, I think you should be able to put together a very good custom PC for under $1000 for sure.

In this instance, the table is referring to actual physical processors rather than cores in a single processor. All of the versions of Windows 7 will handle multiple cores in a single processor. I think the maximum out there today is 8 cores in a processor. All versions of Windows will handle them.

By the way, just for the record, I would personally go for Windows 7 Pro 64 bit and then get 8 GB of RAM. It would be nice if you were able to get an installation disk in the deal. Very sweet that would be...

One small concern I just thought of with lappies. You won't have 2 internal HDs, I guess, so you might want to purchase an external USB 120 GB or so HD to image the hard drive of your new laptop. That way you can restore the image to a new HD if your main hard drive goes. I think those type of external hard drives can be found for $60-80. I think I would like to have two of them for a laptop honestly if it were me. The second external one I would use to back up really important backups and maybe things I keep specifically on the first external rather than on the main PC hard drive like music and video and pictures. I have one for the desktop here at home, and it is one of the neatest things I have purchased for a PC. I can plug it into to any USB port of any PC and have instant access to the information on the disk. The one I have seems fairly durable as I have had it for I guess over 4 years now. It's a Seagate Barracuda...

Hope this stuff helps...

 

Hi, you missed it, but as I said, after talking laptop for so long, circumstances have changed, and I'm looking for desktop. I have found a pretty good price for a Dell 8700 with 16 GB RAM, 1 TB hard drive, and a 4th generation i7 processor ranked #32 by PassMark. Of all the computers I have looked up, it was the first processor with a good rating.

The only downsides : no monitor, Windows 8 rather than 7 (expected all along), and the RAM is probably not upgradeable.

What do you think about Dell? Can you use non-proprietary parts with it?