FEATURED TOPIC: Why Is My Damned Computer So Slow?

[35Pete]

One of the most common questions that people ask.

Ever want to go homicidal waiting for a boot-up?
Wonder why it takes 6 minutes to load a web page?
Is that Windows mouse icon spinning like forever when you click on an application?

Joins the ranks of the majority of PC owners that at one time or another have experienced such nonsense. Makes you want to throw your monitor against the wall, huh?

Many things can cause this and all are correctable. Here is a list of common ailments that can cause a slow PC:

1. Fragmented hard drive
2. Viruses and/or Spyware
3. Not enough RAM
4. Dying hard drive
5. Too many background processes
6. Registry Errors
7. Disk Clutter
8. Cluttered Startup Menu
9. Non-optimal TCP/IP settings.
10. Outdated Hardware.

Throughout the next day or two I'll be hitting these topics on this thread. I'll explain what they are and what you can do about it.

Computers are like cars. They need regular and simple maintenance to keep the engine purring. Neglect them and over time they break down.

So here we go...

[35Pete]

Think of a hard drive as a library. For optimal location and retrieval of books, you want associated volumes (think of an encyclopedia) located in the same library shelf, and optimally, next to each other.

If you needed to retrieve the entire series of the encyclopedia you'd merely look up the floor, section, and shelf where they are located, find the first volume, and grab the whole series of books.

But what if a series had say three books, each located on a different floor? Well, it would take a hell of a lot longer to find them and check them out of the library.

So why does fragmentation happen? Can it be avoided? Here is a pretty good explanation:

When a file system is first initialized on a partition (the partition is formatted for the file system), the entire space allotted is empty.[1] This means that the allocator algorithm is completely free to position newly created files anywhere on the disk. For some time after creation, files on the file system can be laid out near-optimally. When the operating system and applications are installed or other archives are unpacked, laying out separate files sequentially also means that related files are likely to be positioned close to each other.

However, as existing files are deleted or truncated, new regions of free space are created. When existing files are appended to, it is often impossible to resume the write exactly where the file used to end, as another file may already be allocated there — thus, a new fragment has to be allocated. As time goes on, and the same factors are continuously present, free space as well as frequently appended files tend to fragment more. Shorter regions of free space also mean that the allocator is no longer able to allocate new files contiguously, and has to break them into fragments. This is especially true when the file system is more full — longer contiguous regions of free space are less likely to occur. Source: Wikipedia.

Fragmentation cannot be avoided without special software. Programs like Diskeeper ( www.diskeeper.com ) do on-the fly defragmentation to constantly keep your hard drive optimized.

So, in essence, fragmentation is when a file is broken up into fragments and scattered or peppered throughout your hard drive. Like different floors of a library.

Remember. Most programs continually go back and forth to the hard drive to fetch programs. Operating systems do this ALL THE TIME.

You really don't think that the entire operating system is loaded into RAM, do you? Windows loads what it needs when it needs it (often special files called "dll's" or dynamic linked libraries which perform mundane tasks like print, open file, refresh screen, ect...These are called "shared dll's" [kernel32.dll is one] and EVERY program you use causes windows to implement them)

And hard drive access is SUBSTANTIALLY SLOWER than RAM access. A badly fragmented HD could take over a second to find a file. Not too bad unless you are looking for 20-40 files to grab in a short time frame...Just watch that hourglass spin and spin and spin.

It gets worse. There is something called a Master File Table (MFT) on each HD you have. The MFT is the equivalent of the old "Dewey Decimal System" of libraries past. You know, the old 3x5 lookup cards of older libraries where you look up the location of the books you seek?

Well, if the MFT is fragmented then you have a double whammy! Now you have to go look for all the pieces of the file that tell you where all the pieces of the files that you are looking for are located. ARrrrrrrrrgggghhh! Go get a cup of coffee while the hourglass spins.

So what to do?

Simple. DEFRAGMENT YOUR HARD DRIVE REGULARLY.

How?

Well, at the very least you can use the Windows system to do it. The easiest way is to open a command prompt and type in the defrag command. In Windows:

1. Start->run-type "defrag C:\" and hit enter.

If you have not done this in a while then now's the time to do your weekly grocery shopping. It could take hours.

For more versatility you can use system utilities in your control panel.

The next best thing to do is use a freeware program. Several on the web are:

http://devintelligence.com/blogs/netadventures/archive/2005/03/09/376.aspx
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,22462-order,1-page,1-c,harddisk/description.html
http://www.hsinlin.com/software/disk_drive.html

The best-in-class approach is to use what I consider the creme del a creme defragmentation software known as Diskeeper.

You can find it at www.diskeeper.com

Why is it the best?

1. It rarely corrupts files.
2. It can defragment on the fly.
3. It will defrag your MFT!
4. You can schedule it to to a complete defrag while you are sleeping or at work
5. It's user interface is simple and easy to understand.
6. It generates really good reports.

My recommendation is that you defrag every week. Why not everyday? Well, defrag programs do such a bang up job organizing your HD that they write data over and over again to the same location. This causes an electromagnetic phenemenon called "hysteresis" ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteresis ).

When this happens you get "bad sectors" and some portions of your HD become unusable. All HDs, even new ones have some bad sectors. Just don't let them pile up.

So defrag that hard drive and watch your performance increase. That is, unless you also have a myriad of other issues. Which we'll address next.

Editors Note: For you nitpicking geeks kernel32.dll is resident. It's loaded into cache and stays there. It'd better or something is seriously FUBAR. So don't nitpick me. I used it as an example, that's all.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/pete_sig.jpg

[35Pete]

Guys. No one, I mean no one, except a POS is going to think that you are ignorant, stupid, or dumb for asking questions. I learned by a.) my education, b.) reading like crazy, and c.) asking others.
So ask us. No problem.

That's what we are here for. So ask away. Really.

Next up in this thread: Shrink Your Damn Taskbar!

[JLB]

If it's not a mac take it back!

[35Pete]

If it's not a mac take it back!

Well known statistic in PC Magazine states that men that own MacInCraps have gay sex at least 5x's a week.

Look it up.

[stepsukie]

boo.

[35Pete]

boo.

Tell your step dad to sell that Mac!

[sukie]

it's an easy answer... you own a PC vs a MAC

[JLB]

If it's not a mac take it back!

Answer is above.

[35Pete]

The truth is that Mac PowerPC's are intrinsically stable platforms. But they do fragment too. Nevertheless they use what is called a "Reduced Instruction Set Computer" (RISC) vs. Pc's which use a Complex Instruction Set Computer. (CISC).

This is what Mac users rave about. Simplified instruction set means less chance of operating system error.

But contrary to popular Mac user myth MACS are not intrinsically more safe against viruses. It's just that PC's outnumber Macs by like 10:1 so the criminals invest their efforts where the "market" is.

[Merc]

Great overview Pete. One thing you may want to discuss is partitioning. When I talk about defragging to folks with a 320MB HDD they always tell me that it ties the PC up to long. Do it at night I say but I still get the same response. One way to avoid this is create partitions like a small 15GB for the OS alone. Defragging a 15GB partition takes just a few minutes and speeds your rig up immensely as the OS is usually the most fragmented program on your PC.

[35Pete]

it's an easy answer... you own a PC vs a MAC

Sorry to burst your bubble there bubba but Macs are NOT immune to fragmentation.

[35Pete]

Great overview Pete. One thing you may want to discuss is partitioning. When I talk about defragging to folks with a 320MB HDD they always tell me that it ties the PC up to long. Do it at night I say but I still get the same response. One way to avoid this is create partitions like a small 15GB for the OS alone. Defragging a 15GB partition takes just a few minutes and speeds your rig up immensely as the OS is usually the most fragmented program on your PC.

Thanks. Good point.

Want to write the next section? Pick one. Anything that slows down your PC.

[Scary Good]

I just got a new notebook, any pointers on w hat to do/get rid of off the bat?

[Merc]

I'll do something up on RAM. How it works, why it is the cheapest way to great performance etc.

[35Pete]

OK, Part 2. Another reason your PC may be slower than a Commodore 64 is that you have too much junk automatically loading when you boot up. If you taskbar looks like this, then fear not! We'll streamline it in 5 minutes or less.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/bloated_Tray.jpg

The taskbar is located at the bottom right corner of the screen.
What these icons tell you is that these programs are "background" processes or programs that are loaded and running even though you don't see any other evidence of their existence.

When they load at startup some can be "good". Most however are a waste of bandwidth. Have any "EA Games" like Battlefield 2? Well, when you installed EA Link the selfish little bastards at EA.com designed the program to automatically load at startup. What they are doing is stealing a block of your RAM to put their cute little icon in your taskbar. Just click the icon and viola!, EA Link is right their for you!

How swell of them.

Problem, I use EA Link maybe, maybe 2x's a month. So why do I want it eating 40 MB of RAM just "sitting" there in the background doing nothing?

Most software vendors want to screw you by stealing your RAM. Fight back with MSCONFIG.

These instruction are for Windows XP/Vista users. Mac users, get the headmaster to configure your toy PC for you. Or call the Mattel help desk. I have no idea how to do this with a Mac, nor do I care. LOL

MSCONFIG changes some of the system aspects of your operating system. System Aspects??????!!!!!! I don't want to mess with the system. I'm afraid! I'm soooo scared. I might break by computer, wear out my software, or cause a virus to happen. ROFL.

Be brave little man. Be brave. Don't fear the OS, embrace it, harness it. Subordinate it. Or it will subordinate you. Now let's civilize this monster.

1. Go to the run command on your startup menu.
2. Type MSCONFIG, hit return.
3. This menu starts up

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/MSCONFIG_general.jpg

Note that you should have option 3 checked as I do. "Selective startup with all three boxes checked". The first box loads cool system programs that allow you to do nifty things like well...get on the internet LOL. I'd leave that one checked!. Item 2 loads your startup programs (ahh..we'll get to that). Item 3, well..that's your boot configuration. Don't mess with it. Just check it ALWAYS and leave it alone.

4. Click on "Startup".

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/MSCONFIG_startup.jpg

5. Now proceed to unclick those programs that "conveniently" added themselves to the "load at startup" menu. If you don't know what it does, then for now leave it alone. I generally go for bare bones in the startup. In my settings I have Kaspersky Internet Security checked (ALWAYS check firewalls, anti-virus, and anti-spyware!!!) and two programs for my NVidia Display menu because I mess with it a lot. Everything else is unchecked. Notice that EA Games put their item on the list? What jerks. UNCHECK!

6. Hit apply, then save. It will ask you to reboot. Hit OK.

If you get into trouble, and you can't reboot, then when booting hit "F8" over and over to go into Windows Safe Mode. Launch MSCONFIG from there. Then on the Startup Tab, undo your mess by clicking "Enable all", save, then reboot. Then PM me and I'll tell you how you screwed up.

The "tools" tab is cool. Check it out. Just DON'T mess with Registry Edit, System Restore, or Internet Protocol Configuration unless you know what the hell you are doing.

That's it. You've done two things.

a. You've made your machine boot faster because it has less junk to load at startup and....
b. You've freed up gobs of RAM that was being wasted for programs that you can easily launch manually (by clicking their icon) and made those resources available for the programs that you are actually using.

Next up...."Is my Registry FUBAR?"
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/pete_sig.jpg

[35Pete]

Wondering what my taskbar looks like? Well, I've got 2 GB of fast RAM. Going to 4 GB this Friday. Yet I STILL keep my taskbar minimal. Here's mine....

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/my_taskbar.jpg

[Woody]

While you're in MSCONFIG you can turn off/disable services you don't need as well. If you have a lower end machine turning off the uneeded services can help you out alot. Here's some that are usually safe to turn off:

Themes - Turn this off to get rid of the Fisher Price interface

Secondary Logon - Unless you really need this turn it off.

Fast User Switching - Pain in the ass. Turn it off unless you really need it.

Terminal Services - You don't need this unless you want somebody to remote desktop into your machine.

Background intelligent transfer service - If you don't use Windows Update to automatically patch your machine you can kill this.

Print Spooler - If you don't have a printer at home.. might as well kill this.

System Restore Service - I highly suggest you don't turn this one off... but if you're like me and enjoy living on the edge go ahead. Killing this will save you some space and give your low end machine a boost... AT THE COST OF NOT BEING ABLE TO ROLL BACK YOUR MACHINE.

Security Center - If you know how to mind your Antivirus etc.. get rid of this.


Automatic Updates - If you like to update your machine YOURSELF... disable this. Helps you out alot when you're on a slower connection... ie dial up.

Error Report Service - I really doubt MS gives a damn about you anyway. Turn this off.


:niterider

[35Pete]

While you're in MSCONFIG you can turn off/disable services you don't need as well. If you have a lower end machine turning off the uneeded services can help you out alot. Here's some that are usually safe to turn off:

Themes - Turn this off to get rid of the Fisher Price interface

Secondary Logon - Unless you really need this turn it off.

Fast User Switching - Pain in the ass. Turn it off unless you really need it.

Terminal Services - You don't need this unless you want somebody to remote desktop into your machine.

Background intelligent transfer service - If you don't use Windows Update to automatically patch your machine you can kill this.

Print Spooler - If you don't have a printer at home.. might as well kill this.

System Restore Service - I highly suggest you don't turn this one off... but if you're like me and enjoy living on the edge go ahead. Killing this will save you some space and give your low end machine a boost... AT THE COST OF NOT BEING ABLE TO ROLL BACK YOUR MACHINE.

Security Center - If you know how to mind your Antivirus etc.. get rid of this.


Automatic Updates - If you like to update your machine YOURSELF... disable this. Helps you out alot when you're on a slower connection... ie dial up.

Error Report Service - I really doubt MS gives a damn about you anyway. Turn this off.


:niterider

Good stuff. :)

[Merc]

A nice program that I mentioned before, WinPatrol, will kill these tasks but best of all, if you enable the Plus version, you can click on any task and it will take you to BillP Studios and explain in detail what that executable is and whether you should leave it alone or not. http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html

[treydawg]

this board is excellent.

[treydawg]

didn't mac switch to cisc by adopting intels pete?

[35Pete]

didn't mac switch to cisc by adopting intels pete?

I'd have to check. That'd be stupid. The only cores that we use where I work (mobile communications design) are RISC machines. And we do that for a reason. If the Intel chips are CISC then MACs just forfeited their advantage.

[jaymitch84]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/35Pete/MSCONFIG_general.jpg


I'm going through this, and for now I'm leaving the first option checked (like it was originally) because that third option you said to have marked has two more options not in your picture.

What are those two "Process" option?

This is what it looks like:

[sukie]

http://images.apple.com/getamac/images/indextop20060501.jpg


35Pete..................................sukie

[sukie]

I have noticed that MacOS defrags itself more frequently than most people remember to do on their own. I am always running into people who ask me for help with their computer problems (Windows, of course) and when I ask them have they defragged it I get a really blank look, and these people have had their computers for years!
I used to manully optimize my Mac, in addition to what it did for itself, but cured myself of that around the 10th message coming back and saying that I had less than 10% defrag and the computer didn't need optimizing.
If it works, don't fix it!

[35Pete]

I'm going through this, and for now I'm leaving the first option checked (like it was originally) because that third option you said to have marked has two more options not in your picture.

What are those two "Process" option?

This is what it looks like:

Don't change them. Leave as is.

[35Pete]

I have noticed that MacOS defrags itself more frequently than most people remember to do on their own. I am always running into people who ask me for help with their computer problems (Windows, of course) and when I ask them have they defragged it I get a really blank look, and these people have had their computers for years!
I used to manully optimize my Mac, in addition to what it did for itself, but cured myself of that around the 10th message coming back and saying that I had less than 10% defrag and the computer didn't need optimizing.
If it works, don't fix it!

I have Diskeeper. It defrags every second that you are not running a process. Superior to Mac in that regard.

[buffaloweb]

Biggest boost to performance that I know of is to turn off indexing:

Windows XP has this "feature" called "Indexing". It's supposed to speed up searches by keeping all the files on your computer tied to memory. By tying up these files to memory, it can really slow things down. Disabling this service will remove this files from memory, inturn giving your applications and files faster response times. You will still be able to search with the Indexing turned off, but the searching will just take a little longer to perform. To turn off Indexing:

1. Open up "My Computer"
2. Right-click on your hard drive (usually "C:") and choose "Properties"
3. Uncheck the box at the bottom that reads "Allow Indexing Service to..."
4. Click OK then the files will be removed from memory. This removal may take a few minutes to complete, but it's worth it.

You will also need to disable the indexing service here too:

1. Go to "Start", then "Run"
2. Type "services.msc" and press enter
3. Scroll-down to "Indexing Service" and double-click it
4. If the service status is "Running", then stop it by pressing the "Stop" button
5. To make sure this service doesn't run again, under "Startup Type:", choose "Disabled"



Also worthwhile is turning off Hibernation. If you don't use the Hibernation feature of XP, it's taking up a lot of unnecessary hard drive space. The space it takes up depends on your RAM. If you have 128 MB RAM, Hibernation takes up 127 MB, if you have 256 MB RAM, Hibernation takes up 254 MB, and so on. "Standby" and "Hibernation" are not they same thing. You will keep the "Standby" feature when you disable Hibernation. To turn off Hibernation:

1. Right-click on the desktop and click "Properties"
2. Hit the "Screen Saver" tab
3. Then click the "Power" button under "Monitor Power"
4. Click the "Hibernation" tab, then uncheck the box next to "Enable Hibernation"
5. Press "OK" and you have just saved a load of hard drive space!

[D34dm4n]

i just downloaded the trial of diskeeper, i like it already. definatly thinkin about shelin out the money for the full version when my month is up

[D34dm4n]

this is probably a stupid question and i should know this since im the computer guy of all my friends. but would i gain anything from defragging my 250 GB external hard drive? could that possibly screw anything on it up?

[Merc]

this is probably a stupid question and i should know this since im the computer guy of all my friends. but would i gain anything from defragging my 250 GB external hard drive? could that possibly screw anything on it up?

Defragging your external will not screw anything up but it won't increase your performance either unless you run programs off of it. If the external is strictly for backing up important files I suggest you leave it turned off. Remember, a virus can effect any and every drive that is active on the system. An external on a USB may be more immune but why take the chance.

Diskkeeper is a very good program. I got it on my laptop and quickly bought a license and use it on all of my PC's now. Well designed and thought out and very unobtrusive. Great program and well worth the money as Pete said above.

[anEinherjer]

Jeeebus Christ, the reason computers are slow is because Windows is loaded on them.

www.ubuntu.com.

You're welcome. :)

[anEinherjer]

The truth is that Mac PowerPC's are intrinsically stable platforms. But they do fragment too. Nevertheless they use what is called a "Reduced Instruction Set Computer" (RISC) vs. Pc's which use a Complex Instruction Set Computer. (CISC).

This is what Mac users rave about. Simplified instruction set means less chance of operating system error.

But contrary to popular Mac user myth MACS are not intrinsically more safe against viruses. It's just that PC's outnumber Macs by like 10:1 so the criminals invest their efforts where the "market" is.

Jesus Pete, so much misinformation from you in one post. Every single one of these is wrong, since Apple changed to using Intel chips.

[anEinherjer]

I have Diskeeper. It defrags every second that you are not running a process. Superior to Mac in that regard.

Having a file system on your hard drives that doesn't require defragging, just an occasional fsck to clean it up: Priceless. :)

[dasaybz]

Einherjer, don't cause trouble with your Mac vs. PC crap. Seriously, I know plenty of people that have had plenty of issues with their Mac's. The Mac is not a superior OS, the hardware isn't better, and it doesn't have less issues.

Do me a favor will ya?

Go into the Mac store when your warranty is up, and tell them you need a new power supply. They are going to quote you about $250.

That's utter crap.

[Merc]

Saybz-
$250 for a PSU? Is that for a desktop and is that installed price? $250 will buy you a PC P&C 1KW PSU with a 7 year warranty! LOL. Maybe I should start working on Macs. I am gong to haveto check th emarket out and see what is what there as Macs are growing in popularity and if I can charge $200 to install a PSU I'll be a very happy camper.

[dasaybz]

Saybz-
$250 for a PSU? Is that for a desktop and is that installed price? $250 will buy you a PC P&C 1KW PSU with a 7 year warranty! LOL. Maybe I should start working on Macs. I am gong to haveto check th emarket out and see what is what there as Macs are growing in popularity and if I can charge $200 to install a PSU I'll be a very happy camper.

I had a Mac here at work that had a dead PSU. I tried finding one online, no luck. I went on the Mac forums and found out the only way to get a PSU is from a retailer. So I took it up to CompUSA and $250 later, I had a PSU.

I couldn't believe it. I am a cheap bastard at work too, I look for the best deals all the time, so this one pissed me off.

Hardware issues with these Macs are ridiculous.

By the way, I've been pretty interested in starting up my own little business, I'd be curious to know what you do.

[Merc]

I'll PM you

[35Pete]

Jesus Pete, so much misinformation from you in one post. Every single one of these is wrong, since Apple changed to using Intel chips.

Uhhm, that post was a year ago and Mac started rolling out Intel hard core some time before then. In fact, I believe that you can now ruin a perfectly good Mac by loading Windows on it. :D

So, if you consider the post to be out of date....

Mr. "Johnny come lately" ;)

Welcome to the geek corner &t.

[Merc]

Uhhm, that post was a year ago and Mac started rolling out Intel hard core some time before then. In fact, I believe that you can now ruin a perfectly good Mac by loading Windows on it. :D

So, if you consider the post to be out of date....

Mr. "Johnny come lately" ;)

Welcome to the geek corner &t.

&t! to you to mate. http://www.vocinelweb.it/faccine/fattedanoi/donia/01.gif You were right, I was wrong, lesson learned. I just can't believe that they can get away with this. I replaced a PSU on an XPS PC for $170 (in conjunction with some other stuff, mobo, etc.) and that was a weird one. The PSU on this rig is a POS that forms the bottom of the case and is a one off form fit thing you have to buy from a refurb firm. It cost about $110 (refurbed, Dell doesn't support after 3 years apparently) at 410 watts and it was pants on power delivery. 12v was at 11.625 with no load. I thought that was outrageous and apologized to the guy for the cost. $250 for a run of the mill, probably 250w PSU install, is nuts! Now, since the masses have swallowed the line, how can I make a few bucks off this craze?? LOL.

BTW, Dell is the pits. I hate working with them. They uused to be the system of choice for those who don't know PC's and don't want to know. Now they are beneath contempt. I could tell you some stories but suffice it to say, BYO gents.

[anEinherjer]

Einherjer, don't cause trouble with your Mac vs. PC crap. Seriously, I know plenty of people that have had plenty of issues with their Mac's. The Mac is not a superior OS, the hardware isn't better, and it doesn't have less issues.

Do me a favor will ya?

Go into the Mac store when your warranty is up, and tell them you need a new power supply. They are going to quote you about $250.

That's utter crap.

Oh yes, I'm no Mac guy don't worry.

But you can't look me straight in the monitor and say OSX is not better than anything MS has tossed out at us. That's just crazy talk!

[Bills-RHRN]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you guys for all this awesome info on this thread!

I work in the IT field myself, but when it comes to Windows optimization i'm a tool....

I do have one question though about disabling hibernation, I have a laptop and when my battery runs out (which is much quicker these days) before it shuts down it says it "is preparing to hibernate" if I disable hibernation, will this then cause my PC to just shut down hard? Or is this feature separate from hibernation as described in this thread??

[Merc]

Hibernation is a deeper sleep mode. When your laptop sleeps it shuts the system down but leaves a trickle of current to the system memory to hold all settings in place. When it wakes you are ready to go. Hibernate takes this a step further by writing what is in system memory to the HDD and then shutting the system down completely.

Hibernate seems to have a ahrd time on desktops and probably isn't worth the effort as the difference between sleep and hibernate is negligible energy-wise when you are plugged into the wall. On a Laptop that difference in energy used is much more important and s;leep mode will drain a battery completely.

My advice is leave hibernate enabled on your laptop. In fact, I use hibernate 95% of the time when shutting down my laptop because the system boots faster thus using less battery power. Some folks even map their laptop on-off switches to hibernate since it means faster and more energy efficient boots. The only issue woith that is security since it boots back up to your desktop.

I do have hibernate disabled on all my desktops.

[Bills-RHRN]

thanks merc!

[Merc]

thanks merc!

You're welcome mate but thank Pete as he is the guy that rammed this forum through and keeps it alive. I just work here.