10/22/08 Troubleshooting PC Slowdown
Newk's
Nook: Kim Kommando supplied this is a comprehensive & easy to understand
proceedure for trying to diagnose why the jet propelled PC
you bought two years ago is now running like a Sopwith Camel.
There
could be many reasons for the slowdown. Troubleshooting the problem can
be
quite difficult.
Hardware
problems generally cause a machine to stop altogether. But before we
rule that
out, there are a few things you should check. Before
you begin any troubleshooting, though, there are some preliminaries.
Disconnect
all peripherals that aren't essential. You should be left with a
monitor,
keyboard and mouse. First,
test your random access memory. Microsoft has a free program for this.
You'll
find a link to it on my site.
Install the
program and run it. It will notify you of any problems.
You
can replace bad RAM easily. Online memory sellers offer installation
instructions. Check Crucial
or Kingston.
Mushkin
has a forum to
answer questions.
Next,
check your hard drive. It probably uses S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring
Analysis
and Reporting Technology). This can alert you to changes in the drive
that
could signal failure.
Generally,
you would see S.M.A.R.T. warnings when you boot your machine. But, I
would use
software to check the sensors within the drive. Two good programs are HD Tune
and HDD Health.
Download them
for free from my site!
Is it the software? Fixing that will not be fun!
Now, hardware problems can be expensive to fix. But they're
relatively easy to diagnose. Software problems can bend your mind.
One of the most common causes of slow boots is an overload of startup
programs. These programs start with Windows and run in the background.
Each program you run requires computing resources. The more programs
running, the slower your machine.
Unfortunately, many programs like to load with Windows. You may not
even realize that a program has added itself to the startup menu.
You can edit this list with Windows' System Configuration tool
(msconfig). But I much prefer third-party tools.Startup
Control Panelworks
well with Windows XP.WinPatrolworks
with both XP and Vista. Both are free.
I recommend uninstalling all unneeded programs. Even if a program doesn't run in the background, remove it. Why? Programs add entries to the registry. These entries slow down the boot process. Once you uninstall the programs, reboot your computer. (You may want to do something constructive while you wait, like paint your house!) Your problems may be solved. But I doubt you'll have it that easy.
So, start the Task Manager by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Del. Select the Processes tab. At the bottom of the window, you will see some numbers. Look at the one labeled CPU Usage. It should be relatively low. If the usage is high, scroll through the list of processes. Watch the CPU column. One process should stand out. This will be the culprit. You may be able to deduce the program associated with the process. But I recommend using Process Explorer. It's part of the free Sysinternals suite.I have a link on my site.It shows the programs that own the processes.
Note: You should see a process called System Idle Process. Its usage should be high. It is a part of Windows that takes up processing cycles when nothing else is running. Don't worry about it.Once
you find the program, consult the manufacturer's site for help. Or,
search Google for a solution. Uninstalling and reinstalling the program
may help. But, an update is probably in order.
I have a hunch
about what you'll find. You likely have a security suite running on
your machine. You installed or updated it right before the problems
kicked in. Security suites have been known to cause computer slowdowns.
The programs run all the time, yet few people suspect that they're the
root of problems. If you can't identify the problem, there are a couple
of last things to try. They're tedious, though. First, you can
uninstall every program on your machine. Reinstall them one by one.
This should pinpoint the problem. You can see if an update is available
for the program. Or, find a substitute for the program. My
Downloads section is
a good place to start! You'll find everything from security software to
puzzles to professional-quality photo editors. If that doesn't work,
reformat the drive and reinstall Windows. Make sure you back up all
your data first, though. Doing a fresh installation of Windows is a lot
of work. But, you don't need to go it alone! My
tip gives
you a play-by-play of reformatting your drive and reinstalling Windows.