Slow computer Update

[coach]

I use this computer for a few very limited tasks ( installed software) but getting rid of it right now isn’t in the cards.
No viruses or spyware. For a while now it would intermittently slow down, but lately it’s all the time. I suspect one of the ram cards went bad. Does this sound reasonable? I’ve changed out ram before so opening up the box doesn’t scare me. Anyway to check the ram?

 

[Salmoneye]

I doubt it's your RAM...More likely crap running in the background...

Try this:

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/test-your-ram-with-windows-memory-diagnostic-tool/

 

[yooper1]

Which operating system does it have?

I ask, because Windows 10 will download updates on it's own (or if you are tech savy you can choose hours of when to download them) and some of those downloads can really slow a computer down.

You no longer have a way to control them as easily as previous versions of Windows.

I hate that Windows does this. This laptop I got 4 months ago has the latest greatest chip and memory, but it bogs at times too.

 

[Rei40c]

I doubt it's the ram as well but if you really wanted to check, this link will direct you to a tiny download from Crucial that will scan your computer and report back not only if the ram is working but it's exact type, configuration, and speed.

Crucial is a major manufacturer of RAM sticks, the download is tiny and is safe I've used it myself many times.

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/systemscanner

 

[coach]

Old computer running XP. I don’t see anything running. I was hoping to hang on to it for a while. I know I should dump it but was trying to keep it going for a while.

 

[coach]

Thanks for ram check link. Will run it when I can

 

[Rei40c]

Thanks for ram check link. Will run it when I can

Coach, if all else fails sometimes a complete reinstall of the operating system works very well as a last resort. Of course all files you'd want to keep would have to be backed up. You could reinstall xp or upgrade but it would wipe your system as if it was factory new. Everything would be lost.

The Windows 7 disk sells on amazon for about $70 bucks. And many still think Windows 7 was about the best operating system there's been in recent years.

 

[Pat-inCO]

The first thing I would do is to defrag your hard drive.

Have a buddy that was complaining about his computer being VERY slow
and I went in and looked at the fragmentation. The display looked like it
was bleeding to death (shows RED for fragmentation). Took almost three
hours to run it the first time (you need to run a badly fragmented drive
repeatedly until the defrag run is UNDER five minutes).

 

[NikA]

The Crucial tool referenced above only checks what the system thinks the RAM is, not the RAM itself. The proper tool is MemTest86 (or something similar). You can find it and instructions around the internet; it is a small download but checks very thoroughly so an overnight test is probably warranted.

Slow computer is usually not a symptom of bad RAM; more typical would be freezes and crashes (blue screens) for no explicable reason.

You can also see your resource utilization by opening the task manager (option off Crtl-Alt-Del). It will tell you how much RAM and processing power you are using. If they are not >~70%, you have another problem. If they are, and you use this computer primarily for browsing the internet, you should check your browser. Some (such as Google Chrome) reserve memory for each tab and don't release it very quickly, which can result in very slow performance. Firefox is better; I am sure there are even better options, but they may be less well supported.

 

[ronto]

Which operating system does it have?

I ask, because Windows 10 will download updates on it's own (or if you are tech savy you can choose hours of when to download them) and some of those downloads can really slow a computer down.

You no longer have a way to control them as easily as previous versions of Windows.

I hate that Windows does this. This laptop I got 4 months ago has the latest greatest chip and memory, but it bogs at times too.

That's the reason I'm keeping 8.1.

 

[coach]

Good to know it’s probably not the ram cards. I’m cleaning out some files as it’s pretty full and will defrag it again. I don’t need it this weekend so I might spend a little more time looking into it. It’s really time to put this desktop out to pasture. Even when it was running well it didn’t compare to my laptop. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[phonejack]

I would first delete history and temporary internet files. Then, do a control-alt-delete. Select task manager to see what's unessesarily running and end task on those files. Might have to delete them.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

I'm sure these guys above know way more about this stuff than I do. I'm running Microsoft Windows 7. Recently I added Malwarebyte/free Google it. First time around I had 848 issues. Took a few minutes to run it all the way through. Now it takes 6-7 minutes and I run it every day. It's helped my computer a lot. Good luck. Malwarebyte/free doesn't cost you anything. Run it every day.

 

[JPGLSG]

I am no computer expert by no means, but the ctrl Z will always get you back to try something else.

Everything listed above will help your system to improve speed. However, the Windows folks aren't gonna let you keep running your old XP. You may as well give in and move forward, the suggestion above to get the window 7 program installed might be your best bet. It looks and operates similar to the XP set up, your learning curve will be shorter. I've got one computer running Windows 7 Professional, one running Windows 8.1 and a new Dell with Windows 10 with 2016 Microsoft programs, for now I just keep skipping all the up dates being offered by 10. I like them all, the Windows 10 just has a few more steps than 8.1 to get it to do what you want it to do to begin with.

 

[hittman]

I would first delete history and temporary internet files. Then, do a control-alt-delete. Select task manager to see what's unessesarily running and end task on those files. Might have to delete them.

^ This ^

Yes, disk cleanup and defrag; cover the basics first.

 

[Conservative]

SWMBO, defrags.

Want your computer to keep working?

Defrag.

This being said, were it up to me, I woudn't have a clue about defragging, but 'she who must' is a freaking computer genius and does the defragging stuff.

Were it left to me, I wouldn't even know about or how to use/access the inter...whatever...

I'd be wondering what's the internet or email or fill in the blank...

 

[coach]

I found out what the problem is but not what’s causing it yet. The processor is running at 100%. I’m working on it.

 

[coach]

Using Task manager I determined one of the svchost files was using all the resources. When I turned it off things seemed to work fine and the cpu usage went back to almost nothing. I did clean up files, defragged, etc
Thanks for the help & suggestions. It got me into gear and made me think beyond bad ram.

 

[Pat-inCO]

 

[WendyZXZ]

Good job there! That is one of the fun things about the internet. If you know how to phrase a search you can find so many solutions to problems. We have found YouTube to be a fine resource for that.