Still Sluggish

A week or so ago our system, Dell 333 + Win 98SE + IE6, started slowing down. Finally I spent the weekend running a registry cleaner and the MG "READ ME FIRST BEFORE ASKING... ". Everything appears to be clean and the system sped up quite a bit. However, although Outlook Express, AutoCAD, and Quickbooks have always been slow loaders they are still slower than usual. A couple other functions are still noticably slower than before also. SpyBot and AdAware seem to be taking substantially longer then before also. During these slow downloads, the cursor is very sluggish. The cursor has always been noticably sluggish during SpyBot and AdAware sweeps but it is worse now. We would enjoy any comments or suggestions anyone may wish to offer about whether or not they recognize what may be happening within our system and if we may do anything to speed things up a bit.

 

Thank You Halo for considering my question. Yes, defragging was part of my cleaning job this time, and no, I don't have a lot of startup items, only McAfee, Task Scheduler, and volume control are in the system tray. K.

 

How much available system resources do you have? Also, I didn't catch how much memory your have and hdd space left....

 

Well it does have a slow processor so im not surprised it is running slow. Have you tried useing diskeeper to defrag the hd? But we need to know more specs on your computer to help us out like hd space and how much is availible and how much RAM do you have installed on your pc?
thanks
-the new tech guy

 

You're right. Being a 333 MHz machine it is slow. Here's more system info:

Memory: 128MB RAM
System Resources: 66% Free
File System: 32 bit
Virtual Memory: 32 bit
Hard Disk: 12.6 GB
Used: 3.35 GB

Because I'm not familiar with this type of data, have I listed the type of info you have asked about?
Thanks, K.

 

Yes that is plenty of data. Can you download everest and give me a screenshot of your memory useage? I dont think its the hd because it sounds like you dont have much more than your os installed on it. Install everest home edition and tell me your memory information specs from that program. That will give me more detailed information. Still try defragging the system useing diskeeper. Lemme know if diskeeper helps. Oh yeah if you try diskeeper download it from a mg server not the authors site because it will ask you to buy it. And dont register it. (Not like anyone registers the crap they install on their pc anyway!)
well try diskeeper and let me know if it helps and let me know those ram specs from everest.
-the new tech guy

 

As new versions of AdAware and Spybot S&D are released, and their definition files increase in size, the time taken to run them increases also.

I used to be able to run 2-3 of the older versions of programs, together, in my W98SE PC, but not now. Bazza

 

Thanks New Tech Guy and Bigbazza for your help. Diskeeper and Everest are downloaded. Defrag with Diskeeper is completed. A summary report from Everest is attached. Everytime I tried to run a detailed Everest report the system crashed with a fatal exception. I've cleaned, switched to safe mode and cleaned all over again, then tried again and still it crashed. I'll keep cleaning and trying to get a detailed Everest report. K.

 

Extra RAM would definitely help. (Especially for AutoCad, I would guess). Maybe another 128meg, at least. Still we have to find out why it slowed recently.

Download and install Process Explorer. Free. http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4566

 

Not all programs that start up with Windows place a system tray icon, so that's no indication.

Either get the freeware application Process Explorer, which will list the startup programs, or use Everest which you already have.

In Everest, it's under Software, Autostart.

 

Thanks for the summary report but i wanna see how much memory is utilized and used by the system and bazza and insomniac have a point. I agree with bazza that as programs are modified they get bigger and insomniac statement on hidden background programs. Now, to get the info that i am looking for you have to do this from everest. Load it up, then click the motherboard link in the screen not the dropdown, and then click the button that says memory. I need to know just the info on the cateegory physical memory, all of it. Give me those specs and we will go from there. Also maybe look into bazza's idea on upgradeing the ram. Let me know the status on mem useage NOT the total amount and we will go from there. Also are there any new programs you added to the computer recently? If you did that may be the cause of the system to slow down.
hope this helps
-the new tech guy

 

Wow, that ProcessExplorer is amazing. I haven't figured out how to print a report of it's findings yet but it says my CPU is almost always above 95% Idle. However, at the same time Everest>Motherboard>Memory says my CPU utilization is almost always above 97%. A copy of the Everest Report is attached. Oops, now ProcessExplorer is showing continuing intermittent activity in MCSHLD 9X.EXE (McShield for Windows 9X), KERNEL32.DLL (Win Kernel 32 core component), and RNAAPP.EXE (Dial-Up Networking Application) and Idle has dropped to 89% or so. Everest is kinda interesting. When I click on the exe icon, the whole system freezes for about 45 seconds then Everest finally starts loading. Is there anything else I can report? Thanks, K.

 

Kay Three, just checked your Everest report again. It doesn’t show hard drive space allocated to Virtual Memory. Do you have a swap file? What are the Max/Min sizes? What is the utilization? To find out, load Everest then select MotherboardàMemory, (on the left hand side menu), and look for a heading of “Swap Space”. Let us know what the figures are under “Total”, “Used”, “Free” and “Utilization”. This may help pinpoint a problem.

Also report the same figures for Physical Memory. Total, Free, etc. These 2 groups of figures are the vital statistics on how your PC is using Memory, at any time.

If your CPU idle is around 90% free, or above, then it means that nothing is impacting on your CPU. Your system should not be sluggish, with this amount of “Idle” CPU. I’m confused.

With the stuff I have running, my CPU “Idle” hovers around 50% (Pentium2 admittedly) and 28 processes loaded. How many processes “loaded”, have you? Figure is shown at the bottom of your PE screen. This figure will also help us solving your problem.

@Insomniac. I’ve just been through every tab and drop down menu on my copy of Everest and can’t find SoftwareàAutostart. Can you point out the path to me?

Bazza

 

OOPS! Obviously I forgot to attach my Everest>Motherboard>Memory report in my last posting. Well its attached now. ProcessExplorer shows 22 process running. When I looked over the reports I got confgused too. Everest shows RAM at 98% utilization, but ProcessExplorer RAM at 98% Idle. Hopefully that info points to a particular, curable cause. Something thats been happening for several days now is a Blink. For instance, when SpyBot is loading and the blue progression screen is up, after the first two blue clicks show up, the blue line goes out then lights right back up and finishes as it should. Another time this Blink is noticable is at start up. The desktop icons load completly then the desktop blinks back to desktop color, not black - all icons gone - then blinks right back to normal with all icons properly in place. Ive experienced this many times in the past. Some time ago I posted a question about this on a forum somewhere and all responses suggested a bad video card. I procrastinated doing anything about checking out my video card and continued trying to clean the system. Shortly thereafter the blinking stopped and the system started blazing along at top speed again. I always felt as if I finally found the right cleaning process and got rid of the offending ill. Ever since then Ive noticed that when the system starts acting sluggish the blinking would start and it was time to begin the cleaning process. Sometimes a single run thru of SpyBot and AdAware would solve the problem and other times I would have to throw in the other cleaning tools Ive collected along the way. This time the whole gamut of tools Ive collected has not been enough to clean the system. K.

 

Hopefully heres my attachment of Everest>Motherboard>Memory K.

 

First thing I would do, is to install more RAM. As much as you can afford and your motherboard/BIOS will permit. Everest shows all your physical RAM is in use. Your swap file is bigger than most people would set it up, but leave it as it is for now.
22 processes running is about par for W98SE so that appears oK.
Try a RAM Memory Manager.
Memory (RAM) managers. Analog X MaxMem. www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=307

FreeRAM 3.2.0.1. www.majorgeeks.com/download323.html

 

Thanks for the recommendations. FreeRAM is now installed and my system has stopped crashing 3 times every hour. That recommendation alone has been a life saver. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to consider our predicament and offering all the suggestions and advice. Our system is better because of your help. Thanks, K.

 

I didnt see that u have done a spyware scan and also u can do start,run,msconfig then startup tab and tell us what has a check by it here and we can tell u what needs to be there

 

Appreciate your interest DSorcerer. Before contacting MG, I scanned with the procedure suggested in MG's "READ ME FIRST BEFORE ASKING... ". In addition, I continually scan with SpyBot and AdAware and have SpywareBlaster running in the background. Whenever I suspect a problem I add in most of the suggestions in "READ ME FIRST BEFORE ASKING... ". I have never scanned in safe mode with McAfee because I have never figured out how to do that. A gent in the McAfee forum is trying to instruct me in that procedure now. In that forum we have come to the point where I must thank him for all his effort and patience but inform him that I am not computer literate enough to understand his instructions. Also a listing of my msconfig>startup tab is attached. Thanks, K.

 

I really dont see anything in there that u have checked that would cause that big of a problem but i have to agree with bigbazza and the everest report says that ur ram is at 100% but i have to belive that there is an underlaying problem somewhere because ur cpu is almost at 100% also, at this point i would recommend more ram.

ps the problem could also be that ur system is old and showing it age all thing do slow down when they get old just like me

 

Thanks DSorcerer, appreciate your taking a look. Because of everyone's help we are processing much better than we were, but a trip to our compudoc to discuss more RAM is definitely the next path we will be taking. K.

 

K3, you're very welcome. Make sure that your compudoc knows, and runs, Everest, on your PC. It will tell the tech what RAM you have installed, what capacities each stick of RAM is, the speeds of each stick of RAM (in case they are mixed speeds), how many sticks you have installed (although that is self evident when the box is opened).

Try and get the biggest capacity RAM for each stick. That is, if they are currently 32mb sticks, try and get 64mb sticks, or better still, 128mb sticks. Fill each RAM slot with the largest capacity stick that you can get, always remembering that there may be limits on what the BIOS and/or motherboard will allow.

On my laptop I have 2 x 128mb sticks plus 32mb on board giving 288mb altogether.
On this desktop, I have 3 x 64mb sticks. (192mb). Both systems are running W98SE.

Keep us informed. Bazza