Please can you offer me advice on how to resolve a very slow computer. It's slow at start-up and when using most programs.

Thanks

Wendy

Start->Run-> type "MSCONFIG"

Select the Startup tab, and select which programs you want to run when the system boots. The less programs starting, the faster your boot will be.

Alternativly, use TuneUp Utilities to do this all automatically for you, as well as lots of other things to speed up a computer.

CHECK OUT MY MUSIC AT HTTP:\\ROAST.DMUSIC.COM

1Ghz PII 256mb RAM
Aopen MX3WPRO-E mobo
Intel 810 chipset
64MB Sapphire Radeon 7000 PCI

Also consider upgrading RAM. As long as you have 256mb your computer will never be that fast. Go to www.crucial.com and let the site inspect your memory banks for possible upgrade.

i_Xp/VistaUser

Excellent advice in both of the above posts!

Here is some help with msconfig
http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/

Here is some help with determining what some of the tasks in msconfig do:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/sta...
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Task...
http://www.processlibrary.com/

Aegis, cheers for the follow-up on MSCONFIG. That will help me too. :)

CHECK OUT MY MUSIC AT HTTP:\\ROAST.DMUSIC.COM

1Ghz PII 256mb RAM
Aopen MX3WPRO-E mobo
Intel 810 chipset
64MB Sapphire Radeon 7000 PCI

Thank you for all your replies. I have adjusted the msconfig settings and this has helped on boot up but using the PC is still very slow. I am aware that I don't have much memory but I have been able to work with this over the past year. It's only in recent weeks that things have slowed up.

Thanks

Wendy

QUOTE Wendy: "....but using the PC is still very slow......It's only in recent weeks that things have slowed up." UNQUOTE

Defrag HDD and check for viral activity....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQuJnnQuPWM&mode=user&search=

Rob, Central Coast
NSW Australia

btw, regards to msconfig.....i have been unchecking items in the start up in msconfig that i don't wish to start up. fine ! BUT some programs (when unchecked) don't "stick".

eg my Asus Probe, my Yahoo Messanger are unchecked and then i'll reboot to make that take effect.....check it on reboot, and great, it works ! BUT next time i do a start or reboot, there they are >>>> Probe and Yahoo are running on bootup and are listed as checked in msconfig ggrrr

???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQuJnnQuPWM&mode=user&search=

Rob, Central Coast
NSW Australia

To Robmoski....

You must either delete the entries, or disable them thru the associated programs.

Hope this helps. :)

CHECK OUT MY MUSIC AT HTTP:\\ROAST.DMUSIC.COM

1Ghz PII 256mb RAM
Aopen MX3WPRO-E mobo
Intel 810 chipset
64MB Sapphire Radeon 7000 PCI

"or disable them thru the associated programs"

good onya ! i did that and it works.
thanks !

cheers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQuJnnQuPWM&mode=user&search=

Rob, Central Coast
NSW Australia

Wendy, are you using a Security Suete?
If you are.....MOST of them are resource hogs. You may want to change to some other AV and Firewall that use less.

Norton, McAfee and Trend Micro are EXTREME resource hogs.

Some HELP in posting on Cnet plus free progs and instructions Glad to Help!

Robmoski, no problem.

XPUser is right...(Norton being the biggest resource hog)

Also, take care if your system is an Acer....I recently noticed that Acer machines have a lot of software pre-installed that really isnt necessary....Same if you have a Dell.

CHECK OUT MY MUSIC AT HTTP:\\ROAST.DMUSIC.COM

1Ghz PII 256mb RAM
Aopen MX3WPRO-E mobo
Intel 810 chipset
64MB Sapphire Radeon 7000 PCI

Is this a case of another abandoned poster?

No, it's not a case of another abandoned poster! I work away from home from time to time and can only access my PC on certain days of the week.

I use AVG not Norton so that's a positive sign for me but perhaps it's just a memory issue and nothing else.

Thanks

Wendy

Just out of curiousity, was Norton pre-installed on the PC? If so, I would suggest going to the Norton site and using their uninstaller. If any remnants of Norton are on the PC, AVG or and other AV won't function properly.

Some HELP in posting on Cnet plus free progs and instructions Glad to Help!

"I use AVG".....same here "not Norton".....used it once and altho it was very good, never again (and my nephew will kill me for saying that >>> he works for Symantec Australia LOL

"so that's a positive sign for me but perhaps it's just a memory issue and nothing else." i still think you should try a defrag and a credible updated virus check.....if that comes up all clear, you might consider a clean install of XP OS (gets rid of all those rubbish files that are clogging up your system) and perhaps partition your HDD. partitioning the HDD into (say) 3 or 4 "rooms" makes your PC more efficient and future defrags are much much quicker. instead of having one LARGE filing cabinet, you have 3 or 4 smaller ones.....each dedicating to its own type of program (OS partition, Games partition, other Programs partition , General Data partition, important Backup Files partition >>>> or perhaps another HDDrive for the Backup Files).

good luck with it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQuJnnQuPWM&mode=user&search=

Rob, Central Coast
NSW Australia

XpUser4Real:
"If any remnants of Norton are on the PC, AVG or and other AV won't function properly."

that just jogged my memory XPUser4Real......running TWO firewalls can slow down a system dramatically. i accidently did just THAT last year by installing and running a 3rd Party Firewall and didn't turn off my WinXP default firewall. the system c r a w l e d...

(just a stab in the dark here....)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQuJnnQuPWM&mode=user&search=

Rob, Central Coast
NSW Australia

Thank you for all your replies, they were really helpful. It is almost certainly a memory problem so I will increase that capacity.

Once again, thanks to all

Wendy