This computer is about to go out the window..

I think its probably time for a new PC - but while I wait for some cash to come in was wondering if anyone can give me some advice!

I put in another 1 GB of ram today, but removed an old 512MB so my total memory is now 2GB.

The PC runs ok, but seems really slow at times and has issues running multiple tasks! I know a lot is processor related, but is there much else I can do to speed it up!

I have untagged all unnecessary msconfig startup items
I run CCleaner almost daily
I run AVG anti V almost daily
I run Spybot S&D almost daily
I defrag whenever necessary!

Yet it still seems pretty slow!

Any advice?

Also, my ram is running at 200mhz despite being DDR PC3200 (400mhz)! Any help is very welcome!

 

is the pc running slower then when you first had it? Malware could be clogging it up- use the read and runme You may consider reinstalling xp as well- after a while the registry gets bogged down. You may also consider the suggestions in this thread: Basic Maintenence

 

As you said yourself, much of a PC's speed comes from the processor, and some processors can handle multiple tasks better than others. All but the highest end PCs will slow down when given many resource intensive tasks. If you have a single core CPU, system lag or slowdown will be very apparent when running several menial tasks; if you throw in one or two resource hungry tasks on top of it, everything will slow to a crawl. Adding more RAM helps, but 2gb of memory with a 1.2ghz CPU (for example) isn't going to turn a tortoise into a hare because.... well... it's still a 1.2ghz CPU, and all the memory in the world won't change that.

BTW- how about some other specs? Like your CPU, OS, hard drive make/size/speed, video card info, etc....

 

is it slower then when you got it? or are you trying to boost its speed?

 

hey Dlb..

Here are the stats: -

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 2
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name COMPUTER (Sam_desktop)
User Name User

Motherboard:
CPU Type AMD Athlon XP, 2166 MHz (13 x 167) 3000+
Motherboard Name Foxconn K7S741MG-6L / K7S741GXMG-6L (3 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset SiS 741
System Memory 2016 MB (DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award (11/01/04)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE (256 MB)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE (256 MB)
3D Accelerator SiS 330 Mirage Integrated
Monitor Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB] (000217)
Monitor Compaq FP7317 [17" LCD] (CNN3320C8X)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter SiS 7012 Audio Device

Storage:
IDE Controller SiS PCI IDE Controller
SCSI/RAID Controller SCSI/RAID Host Controller
SCSI/RAID Controller Silicon Image SiI 3512 SATARaid Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive Hitachi HDT725040VLA360 SCSI Disk Device
Disk Drive WDC WD1200BB-00DWA0 (372 GB, IDE)
Optical Drive HP DVD Writer 300n (DVD:4x/2.4x/8x, CD:16x/10x/40x DVD+RW)
Optical Drive UC7280C OYS894X SCSI CdRom Device
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 381543 MB (158915 MB free)

 

I'm a bit worried about this:

The model number tells me it's a 120gb drive, but it's showing up as a 372gb drive? The Hitachi drive is a 400gb, so maybe something in the report switched the info around or something. :confused In any case, I see nothing that really points to anything hardware-wise that could be causing any slowness, other that the fact that it's fairly old hardware (at least the RAM/CPU/MB). I would think that as long as you stay away from running too many tasks at the same time, you should be fine. If things get real slow with a couple of basic tasks running, you may need to do some maintenance or a malware scan. Keep in mind, your CPU is a single core with a fairly slow bus and can't handle multiple operations to well. That and the SiS chipset is infamous for being a dud. I know, this isn't what you wanted to hear. Sorry. Try gimpsters links above for maintenance and malware scans, and maybe take a look at one of the system tweakers available here at Major Geeks (MZ is good for WinXP). Advanced Window Care is good too for cleaning things up....
MZ Tweaker http://www.majorgeeks.com/download5522.html
Advanced Window Care http://www.majorgeeks.com/Advanced_WindowsCare_v2_Personal_d4991.html
Be careful though.... both programs can cause problems if not used correctly. Be sure to set a system restore point and back up your registry before doing anything drastic.

 

Hey dlb,

Yeah thats just the report getting spazzed out. I have two drives, one is currently disabled (120GB) and use the 400GB as the sole hard drive for the time being.

I realise the PC is now old and its beyond doing what I have done for the last 5 or so years and just upgraded as I go along (come with base graphics and 512 ram, slowly built up as required.) The very fact DDR3 is soo out I may just hold on until that, but PC world are currently offering a quad core (2.4ghz) Packard Bell, with 512x 2 SLi G-cards, 2GB ram and a 500 GB hard drive. It looks good, so I might save up and get that!

Thanks for the advice. As for malware etc, I run Adware almost every day, alongside spybot search and destroy, Ccleaner and AVG. I will take a look at the programs you have also see if they give me any additional luck!

Cheers,

Sam

 

Hi, concerning adware or malware, I ran Adaware, spybot, avg, and spyware blaster and they all reported no infections. I downloaded A-squared from here and ran it after I ran the others and it found 216 objects including something called wintective and pcpolice2. I guess you can't have too many malware removal programs.

 

I will try and find A squared now!

 

There might be a setting in the BIOS for DRAM timing. If there is, you could try setting it to automatic.

 

It is set to auto, and this it is still running at 200