I think my Computer is dying?
 

I'm having problems with my desktop these days.
taking ages to boot up taking ages to log off,programmes not sparking up and not operating properly,clicking icons and nothing happening and taking ages do anything.and just generally being a pain in the arse to try and do anything.
I've scanned and checked for viruses and spyware and as far as I can make out the beast is clean.
It's now 7 years old so I'm assuming it's now old and getting cranky (like me) or does anyone out there have any ideas how to get some more life out of it, I recently uprated the memory to 2 gb and it was working fine for a while

Base computer hardware works just as fast as it did seven years ago. But something is causing hardware to do more work. Maybe waiting on a peripheral. Maybe doing things it once never had to.

Always learn what you have before fixing anything. If the computer is from a more responsible manufacturer, then it comes with a comprehensive hardware diagnostic. That executes without any Windows - the only way to define hardware states. Dell and HP provide them. All computer manufacturers have them. But only some are willing to share.

View the system (event) logs. If you do not know where to look, then click on Windows Help to find them. Windows finds problems, stores the event in logs, and then works around problems. Then the problems are solved when it is more convenient for you. But you must view the logs.

Device Manager. Not a likely suspect. But you must still examine it looking for any stuck or failed functions / peripherals.

Ignore nonsense about memory. If you had memory problems, those would be reported in the event logs or report a BSOD.

Moving on. Load Task Manager. What tasks are consuming plenty of CPU time. Under the Processes tag, simply click on the CPU column until the processes most demanding CPU time are up top. Those are probably the processes consuming CPU time excessively or unnecessarily. May even be malware you never detected. What are these processes? Yes, record the name and report it here. If you right click on the process, then kill (terminate) it, does the system run faster?

Others complained about they system loading slower. Provided was how to restore that booting speed.

Any solution that does not first find the problem is how to make problems difficult - and how to become confuses. Provide is information that either identifies your problem. Or makes it possible to get assistance immediately. The most important facts are often the ones you do not understand or think irrelevant.

I had my system really slow up before the hard drive crashed, but that happened relatively quickly. You may want to get your data backed up and then do a fresh new install of your operating system and see how that goes.

I had a portable hard drive connected to back up stuff disconnected this and it seems everything is back to normal (find some wood to touch quickly).
It's supposed to back up automatically so maybe it was taking too many resources God knows I'm a novice here,anyhoo I think I may just get something more up to date, might even have a go at putting a system together my self when I can get some funds together.
It's quite funny because when I bought the system it was touted as "The Powerstation" because of it's spec and it was over £1,000 now you get laptops with a better spec for around £600, how times change
Thanks for the replies

7 years!? That's a good run.

It died. I reinstalled windows. I did not update the drivers via windows. I have nice new/ old ones from the Nvida site and now I can be online! yay

It still needs a replacement GPU card for a Gforce 100 stock.

My computer has also become slow and unreliable, so I have consulted an expert who will do a clean re-install of windows XP for me. (hasn't been done since I bought it in 2007!) First I am backing up all my files onto an external hard drive I recently bought.

And that is my main headache right now. The HDD I bought also does auto back ups. I did not want this. I managed to uninstall the auto-back-up software, but now windows crashes (a stop error, technically) every time the drive is connected, or if the computer is started with the drive connected.

I've been posting at the online support web page for the drive manufacturer but so far have no help. I am getting pissed off at it.

Bebop ... is your external drive made by Western Digital? Mine is, and so far it has been rubbish.

This computer has never had a reinstall of Windows in seven years. No reason to do that.

The Windows 98 computers I still support have never had Windows reinstalled.

Slowness is (as was described earlier) more likely due to many programs that insist on loading before you can log in. For example, Adobe Acrobat loads a very large program when the OS starts. Which is why so many blame Windows (rather than Adobe) for their slow booting. Easily removed with some standard software that nobody was interested in.

Do you have hardware problems? All computer manufacturers have comprehensive hardware diagnostics to confirm all hardware without the complications of Windows. But only the more responsible manufacturers made that software available - and free.

Why is the machine crashing? The stop error numbers and associated message says so much. How to fix a problem without doing the nuke'n pave.

Meanwhile the nuke 'n pave can be done by anyone. Simply load and execute the System Restore CD-Rom. That puts the entire disk back to what it was when the system was first purchased. Nothing technical.

So did you use the On-Track (or whatever it is now called) software that came with the Western Digital drive? Don't. Disk drives need no software to install them. Windows has everything necessary to locate, format, and configure the disk drive automatically. Additional software is also provided by the Disk Manager that is in Windows. Don't know if the System Restore CD-Rom will undo that Western Digital software.

Yes it's one of the small portable ones "My Passport" type

Yup, mine too, 320 GB "My passport essential".

Thanks for your thoughts.

The reason in favour of the Nuke-and-pave is that there are almost certainly multiple issues slowing the machine down. There is a lot of software I have never used, and almost certainly a lot of malware and assorted crap. Rather than chasing a dozen or more issues, kill the lot and rebuild.

The reason for getting a pro to do it is that there have been many software updates and patches since I got the machine. I don't want to go online until the updates are installed. I know it is possible to download the updates, burn them to discs, reinstall, then update, before going on the internet, but that is complicated and I'll probably screw something up. Get a pro to do it.

On the same principle I have just had a light globe behind the dashboard of my car replaced. I probably could have done it myself, but it would have taken me an afternoon of farting about figuring out how to dismantle and reassemble the dash, but I am busy and it was easier to get it done by a mechanic with the service I just got done. Still, $50 to change a sodding lightbulb ... hmmm.

If you're interested, the technical information is:

BAD_POOL_HEADER

STOP 0x000019 ( 0 x FF953120, 0 x FF953138, 0 x 1A030001).

I have no idea what this means and don't care enough to try to find out, because it only relates to one specific problem. So don't bother chasing it on my behalf. :)

I'm not certain, but I think that's when you trip at the edge of the springboard and fall head-first into the pool.

I punted as well - Bought a new one.
No need to erase, repair, search & destroy malware or viruses...
Find the CC, make the call and a new one will be delivered to my door.

Oh, and its a little bit of an upgrade too. I'm going from 80gig to 1tbyte.
Better processor ... basically a better/faster everything.

You are aware, though, that the cellar won't look any smarter?

Except for a select few, that isn't possible.

if your old windows machine is getting slow and cranky, why not try Linux? If you use the Wubi installer there is no risk. It won't disturb your Windows install. If you don't like it you can uninstall just like any other Windows installation.

If you have questions, I'm here to answer them. Here's Wubi:
http://wubi-installer.org/

Check it out.

Best,
Tick

Because all the windows programs won't work.

True, but most of the time there are Linux apps that do exactly the same things as your Windows apps. Bonus: They are free. Thousands of applications that you can try for the low low cost of a couple of clicks. All updates and patches are automatic. You don't have to keep visiting web sites to stay up to date.

With Linux you can forget about viruses, and defrag, and scandisk, forever. I think that makes it worth a look. There's no cost and no risk. Wubi won't hurt your Windows.

You can run some or all of your Windows apps in Linux. That's a little more complex. For now I'm just suggesting a peek.

Best,
Tick

Yeah, but why spend months trying to set up something reasonably close, and learn how to use it, to replace something that already works? I've got better things to do with my time.

Well, no. You would be replacing something that is broken by design. Each new version of Windows says that it fixes problems that they never admitted existed in the previous version. Each new version makes you withdraw from your checking account. You have to pay for your most used programs. You have to pay protection money to goons who may or may not keep you safe.

Ok. I really do get it. I was there. You are comfortable with running the system that you know. That's fine. Just remember that you are not locked in. You have a choice. You can upgrade to Linux. There is no risk. Just look! Here's the link again if you want to take a look;
http://wubi-installer.org/

Give it a shot and then come back here and tell me what you think. Ok?

Best,
Tick

I'm well aware, as I think most people on this board are, there are options to "The Evil Empire".
That's fine and dandy, if you want to make it your avocation. I don't.

I don't want to be a geek/nerd.
I don't want to tinker with it,
I don't want to read manuals/instructions in my spare time,
I don't want to soup it up,
I don't want to race it,
I don't want to even change the damn oil.

I just want to drive it... and call AAA when it breaks.

Ok. I understand your dislike of change. That's fine. It's human nature.

I was offering a bit of perspective for those who might be fed up with Windows. This is the technology forum right? Is this particular technology unwelcome?

Best,
Tick

nah, you're fine Tick. I would venture a guess that there are many here who wouldn't really know the first thing about it. I certainly don't. Heck I just realized that pushing down on my mouse wheel automatically opens a link in a new tab.

I'm admittedly too ignorant of the inner workings and too lazy to learn at this point.

Save your strawman, it's not dislike of change, it's dislike of having to take on a project, in reality a hobby because of the never ending revisions, that doesn't interest me. I would suggest a large percentage of this board do understand this shit because of their vocation/background, and might even find it an interesting avocation as well. What I'm saying is, I don't. I'm sure I'm not alone in that, but I only speak for myself.

Whoa, where the fuck did that come from? You were at no point being censored. You offered an opinion, your point of view, and so did I. I suspect there are people that don't agree with either one of us.

Actually I agree with both of you. Linux can be a wonderful environment to use. The problem is that it can be a bitch to set up and maintain.

One of the things I like about Macs is that you get all the sturdiness of unix with the usability from Apple. Best of both worlds.

"Linux is only free if your time has no value"
-- Jamie Zawinski

Linux
 

I have been using computers for a very long time.

I've known Bruce almost as long. Seriously.

Linux is a project. Unless you're doing software development or do IRC and IM continually, it's a major project to try and replicate a desktop environment and find equivalents. This is coming from someone who has used almost every major flavor of Linux, has compiled e17 from source, and who runs RHEL at work for mission-critical servers. I've had Linux desktops. I am running Win7 and Snow Leopard for my primary desktops, with a Vista desktop for testing. I do have Ubuntu in a VM somewhere that I haven't started in a while.

About the only thing I ever got working well for users was WINE with multiple versions of IE (4, 5, and 6) under Ubuntu. That took me an afternoon with WINE from CVS to get working correctly.

Even then, many of the good apps just don't plain work in Linux, such as Quickbooks, ERStudio, DBArtisan, Visual Studio, SQL Server Management Studio, and even Flash Player. Wine and DOSBox work very well for old DOS and Win9x-era games, but not for many modern apps. The apps that do work are few and far between, and woe be to the one who tries to use OpenOffice for classwork due to Impress going nuts and not handling the fonts correctly. Java and Flash just don't work well on the desktop there, and the video drivers and X still take alchemy to set up when s*it hits the fan. Sound is a joke and takes a ton of work when it fails. Printing has its issues too, and Mac OS X has many of the same issues due to the same printing subsystem (CUPS) being used. Don't even get me started on the e-mail program in Ubuntu and the world of suck that it is.

Many of the tools I can use to administer Linux work better on Windows, such as mySQL Admin.

Even surfing the web with Firefox takes a lot of work due to the fonts.

Many of the people who evangelize Linux just don't understand the use cases that many people have won't work for it, or the amount of work involved to even get a rough equivalent put in place for basic home or office needs. Those that are truly dedicated to the task will figure it out. Those that want their UNIX tools will run either Mac OS X or Cygwin to get their tools if they can't stand Linux.

Linux is a great server and kiosk OS, and is great for when you need a tightly controlled environment. However, it just isn't there for a general use desktop for home users, no matter how much some try to make it so.

That is good writing. The conclusion makes sense even for people who had no bloody idea what he was talking about for most of it.

This is where we are now:

Linux is not a good choice because it doesn't run the specialized tools I need to run, some of which are Windows development tools, and even Flash player.

In order to understand this, we need to alter it just a tad:

The iPad is not a good choice because it doesn't run the specialized tools I need to run, some of which are Windows development tools, and Apple actually prohibits Flash.

Doesn't make sense, right? But the iPad is not such a different device. It's just a computer with a wireless interface and a touch screen.

And so it turns out that running Quickbooks, Flash, and Windows development tools is not the future end-all/be-all of computing.

In fact, the iPad has no printing capabilities at all.

Perhaps that's why it's in such huge demand.

Isn't the I-pad basically an oversized cell phone?

Yes, and the modern cell phone is a small computer with more processing power than 20 year old desktop computers.

lol - I think the cell my son just got is better than the computer I had till last week.

The iPad is not a computer
 

UT,

I know and respect your history with Linux. You were hosting downloads of it in 1992.

However, the iPad is not a point of comparison because unless you jailbreak it, it isn't a computer, rather a companion device that needs iTunes on a PC or Mac, and it is sold/marketed as such. Jailbreaking it does make it much more useful, however, and turns it into one IMHO. One of the first app ports over from Android to it was Flash, and the rest of the compatibility needs can be met with Citrix or LogMeIn, which are two of the most popular apps out there for it.

We have an iPad at work we're using to test with Citrix. It runs our ER app under XenApp faster than the $4K Panasonic Toughbook handhelds with Intel Atom chips. And, I may add, the screen is awesome. Installing the XenApp client under Linux was an exercise in pain for me. I did get it to work, but after 2 hours and googling of multiple different sites (Citrix doesn't use the unified keystore for digital certificates in their Linux client like the Windows or Mac versions do, and manually installing certificates is not my idea of fun).

My point of comparison from my POV was getting someone like myself to switch over. At no point did I say that it could not be done, because it can be. However, it is not easy, and should not be painted as such.

All users are dependent upon applications for their primary computers so that they can use them. Unfortunately, there are many applications that can prevent users that do not want to spend a lot of time researching solutions from switching. I only gave the examples that I use during my day at work. If I were to ask the same question of other users, I would get different answers.

Presenting Linux as a "cure-all" from Evil Windows, and using loaded words to talk about Microsoft et al as a cartel only out to screw users over is the quickest way to turn average people off. People only want to use their computers. The magic use case of having Grandma check her e-mail is a simple one. Having someone do home banking is not.

Presenting Linux as something that is a magic bullet when in reality, they'll even have trouble with online banking with some banks, using remote access to work, using Blackboard for taking classes (the POS that it is, I still have to use it!), Facebook games (Zynga games run like crap under Linux), or even downloading/running a game from the Internet is not the way to go. I really tried to use OpenOffice for class, but the Powerpoints in it just wouldn't display right.

Also, all the apps don't automatically update :(.

Presenting Linux as an alternative that requires some work, however, is the way to go. It's not OS X or Windows. You're going to have a steep adoption curve, even if you use Ubuntu. You still will have security issues that screw with your data, only its a different set (there are enough Linux Kernel, Firefox, Thunderbird, glibc, and application vulnerabilities out there. People in glass houses should not throw stones, and I mean you, every Linux user that crows about this "achievement" without looking at Secunia and seeing the real story that shows how vulnerable you still are). Wine will not work 100%, and will make your PC run really slow on some trivial Windows apps. People need to have the expectation that not everything will work, much the way it is with an iPod, iPad, or cell phone. However, there are communities which are geared toward using it, such as the engineering, software development, and embedded design ones. These are not your average users, and these are users that will work around those issues.

To your average user, a PC is an appliance, and you can buy parts, programs, and accessories for it at Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, or around the corner. With Linux, that isn't there anymore, and the expectation has to be set that the Linux programs that you pay for (Crossover Office is highly recommended) have to be purchased online, as your local computer store (unless you're in California) probably will not have them. At least Apple has their own stores, and Best Buy carries their SW too (at least the one near me in Plymouth Meeting dows).

Like any other change, be it from PC to Mac, or Mac to PC, there are trade-offs. However, in this case, it's a chasm that requires a lot of work, and the expectations for converting users need to be tempered with pragmatism.

My argument isn't that people should abandon Windows for Linux on what they think of as a desktop computer. Win 7 is an excellent desktop and there is little reason to switch from it.

Well, unless you're a business, such as DaimlerChrysler or Autozone, and want to avoid ridiculous licensing hassles and paying much more money for each user.

My argument is probably that, if they want or need to switch, it's now roughly as much work, learning, annoyances, etc. as Windows. Does running Windows require no work or learning or tips or effort? Please.

The big Windows advantage is that it is made of a framework and vocabulary that people are already aware of. Most people have heard of the "Control Panel" as the place where they might go to switch settings and such, and most people will not recognize Gnome's "Control Center".

Not requiring another device is not the definition of a computer.

Increasingly, all people really want is a browser, and however they get it is fine with them.

Buying parts, programs, or accessories for it at Target, Best Buy or Walmart is not something most people do. They used to buy Turbo Tax and yes, Quickbooks -- but now, like almost all software, Turbo Tax and Quickbooks have online versions. And if you browse the dwindling software shelves at Target you will find it is almost all games (that people haven't figured out how to use Steam for yet), educational software, and add-ons for The Sims.

And a computer is increasingly an appliance, yes. But what kernel are you going to run if you build an appliance? (Everyone with a TiVo is running Linux and they don't know it...)

And if you have Powerpoint problems I feel bad for you son. I got 99 system problems but sharing stupid business slideshows nobody really wants to see ain't one. This is not part of the argument, but Powerpoint exists because public speaking is most people's #1 fear. It's a crutch, and when people stand up there and just read their slides, I get irate.

But me, I'm a ham, and a born natural. I love public speaking, being up front and delivering to the people. Slides just distract, unless they are charts/graphs and such. I don't want people looking at the screen and reading, I want them looking at me and listening.

As for free OpenOffice not being an acceptable alternative for $300 software, I would say that depends on who's buying. These days Office sales are down, and use of Google Docs is way, way up. That means if open source and/or Google Docs can't open a Powerpoint, that is now a problem for Powerpoint, and not the other way around.

Microsoft agrees; that's why they're moving to Open XML formats.

A $400 computer with $500 of Microsoft software is marginally more useful than a $400 computer with free Ubuntu. I agree with that sentiment. It's just not $500 more useful.

UT,

I don't use PPT at work, thank god. I have to use it for class, where every professor has a PPT deck that might have something to do with the next week's quiz (I had one prof cherry-pick words to use for the quizzes). Work involves a lot of Word, Excel, and Access along with Outlook, Exchange, and Oracle Hyperion. The salespeople who come in use Powerpoint, and every last one I've met runs Windows. No OS X yet.

Powerpoint is a royal POS. However, the Open XML format is as encumbering as BIFF, with GUID references instead of straight memory dumps. It's not a solution, just Microsoft using a more modern file format because their own Office software falls down with the older formats more than I care to mention. I admit I use OpenOffice to fix corrupt Word and Excel documents.

I believe that Office sales are down for two reasons. Number one is the fact that it's some of the most pirated SW out there next to Windows itself, and doesn't (I think by design) have the draconian controls on the corporate versions that Windows 7 does. One of the slickest pieces of torrented SW I ever saw was the all in one Office disk that had Office Professional, Visio, and Project on one CD. It was better than the original, and installs more easily apparently. It also doesn't brick your PC like Windows Genuine Advantage did (that was their biggest gaffe I remember, telling 25% of their paying customers their copies were not genuine). The second reason is Google Docs, because many major universities are pushing Google due to the fact that they are giving it away for free or a very low cost (Temple University is completely on GMail for students), and because they are offering it to corporate and private customers cheaply (or free) too. The big issue with Google is privacy, which they admittedly were not prepared for, which also set them back with corporate adoption of their SW.

The version of Quickbooks Online, from what I remember, still has a ton of ActiveX dependencies for Windows, but it does run on OS X really well. It's almost like desktop software. I was able to use TurboTax online for my taxes under Linux years ago (think Red Hat 5.1 days), and it did work really well. The desktop version, which comes with a lot more features, is still huge, bloated, and restricted to OS X and Windows. Intuit will be able to get everything 100% online eventually.

The last time I walked into my local Target, they had a pretty impressive selection of software, parts, and accessories, plus a huge amount of games. Same goes for Best Buy and Walmart (though I admit the one by me in Willow Grove is unbelievably huge). There's still a lot of software that is still sold as shelfware that quietly sells millions of units a year. We're moving away from that, I agree, but if Target, Staples, or Office Depot is devoting the shelf space they are to software, someone's got to be making money from it. I've seen Antivirus, GPS software, educational software, Office add-ons, Office, specialized business software, Roxio's SW, and Print Shop more times than I care to mention, not to mention the throwaway printers that cost less than the ink which require "winprinter" drivers (like the POS HP Laserjet P1006 sitting in my house, not like the HP 1100 next to it that still works really well).

I have a huge amount of Linux devices at work when you count appliances, especially the Avocent smart PDUs, Mergepoint/DSR KVM over IP solutions, and our security appliances. Avocent calls them "firmware updates", as does Palm (WebOS is Linux), and Android. The other vendors just call them "software updates". The person who I have doing Avocent updates doesn't know the first thing about Linux, but she knows how to follow instructions to TFTP the updates to the devices.

All people want is a browser that doesn't suck and works with their stuff. Like I said before, the iDevices are getting a lot of traction, but they're still not 100%. When they are, Citrix will be selling a lot less licenses since they won't need to be delivering IE6 and IE7 to them (admittedly, many of the issues here are crap application code, I'm looking at you, Oracle).

Windows has one thing Linux does not...a huge support network, lots of For Dummies books next to the software in every major store that carries computer accessories, and lots of businesses who will help you with it. Apple has their Apple stores and Best Buy, and Linux you have to search for (Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon for starters).

It's a difficult switch. It's more painful than going from Windows to OS X (which I've also done), or OS X to Windows. No more, no less. Those pesky applications always get in the way.