Any computer experts on here?

[DP_LOVER]

My computer is around three years old, and just recently it has been performing very poorly. It takes forever to switch on, programmes take a while to open and if i have more than one programme running at a time then it is likely to either crash or run very, very slowly.

Right now im using Windows 7 with a Firefox web browser, all I have open is one page to write this post and nothing else and according to task manager I have 75 processes running and using 1.4gb or 72% of my physical memory. Im almost certain to have picked up a virus or two along the way over the years and I think this is partly the reason for it being slow, but I have run anto virus scans, malware and spyware removal software and although they have found the odd thing and removed them, it doesnt seem to have made any difference.

Anyone have any ideas what I could try next?

 

[Mr_Balls]

Backup your files.
Download all the windows updates and save them.
Make sure you download ALL the drivers for your computer.

Especially for your wireless card, ethernet port, speakers, display, DVD/CD, and sound
^ DO NOT FORGET THESE ^

Then re-install Windows...it will take you awhile but then you should be running fast after that.

 

[DP_LOVER]

Thanks,

I did think about doing that but I lost my windows disk about a year ago when I moved house!

Anything I could do that wouldnt involve reinstalling windows?

 

[HappyHapyJoyJoy]

From the start bar run msconfig.exe. Click on the "Startup" section and disable anything you don't use from booting at startup. With later versions of Windows this can be done from the Startup section of the task manager (accessed easily via ctrl+alt+del).

 

[GodsEmbryo]

Did you try CCleaner yet?

 

[squallumz]

i'd go restore all the way.

you can find your computer's restore disk online, you just have to look. order one or find it and create it. even ebay has them now. i've also ordered them direct from the manufacturers. an email to them takes a day or two.

 

[Captaingault]

Try avast free antivirus for viruses, then use ccleaner or regzooka or norton utilities to speed up your pc as for windows you can download the dvd for windows from microsoft or digital river and use the key that you have.

 

[squallumz]

if it was me, id go antivirus (something i could get a free trial too thats proper), do a thorough scan with that. then run a few anti malware/spyware scans and see how it is after that. but really, if its that fucked up, you're best with a restore.

 

[JaanaRuutu]

Download AVG and AdAware, and run both(at different times, obviously). Then try to get some kind of script blocking software for Firefox. Sounds to me like your hard drive is loaded with junk.

 

[luis1972]

Try System Mechanic www.iolo.com

 

[Rattrap]

Backup your files.
Download all the windows updates and save them.
Make sure you download ALL the drivers for your computer.

Especially for your wireless card, ethernet port, speakers, display, DVD/CD, and sound
^ DO NOT FORGET THESE ^

Then re-install Windows...it will take you awhile but then you should be running fast after that.

This is the surest way to get your computer running quickly. I just recently put a fresh Windows 7 install on a friend's laptop and everything that computer did was stunningly fast. The drivers mentioned here aren't necessarily super important to save, unless you have no ethernet cable; I think every OS installation has ethernet drivers and with that you can download everything else you need (it does save you the time though if you know where they are to back them up in advance).

From the start bar run msconfig.exe. Click on the "Startup" section and disable anything you don't use from booting at startup. With later versions of Windows this can be done from the Startup section of the task manager (accessed easily via ctrl+alt+del).

Did you try CCleaner yet?

These two items are the way forward, although with CCleaner you can edit the start-up programs as well, so you don't need to use msconfig. I find more often than not that the biggest reason for Windows slow-downs come from two places; your favorite program's 'start-up helpers' (see: Adobe anything, iTunes/Apple anything, Office, etc.) which you don't need and from people not unchecking all those damned toolbar downloads whenever they download something else.

The other place to have a look is at the system services, which you can find under Admin Tools under Control Panel. These are a bit trickier to play with, but remember that outside of the Windows registry (regedit), anytime you break something you can just turn what you broke back on and you're fine (but if you break stuff in the registry, you're in for a world of hurt. CCleaner's registry cleaner is perfectly safe, though).

 

[FreeOnes_Anders]

My first step is usually just to check if the disk is filling up, I´ve noticed on my ssd´s that if they get below 15% empty space they slow down to an absolute crawl since they start using the RAM for their cache.

Always check the easiest things first, so you don't end up looking like an idiot.

Also, if you haven't done a format of your system in 3 years then 75 running processes isn't really that much for a windows system.