My computer..

[melanie2]

Ok so my computer is rather old...we bought it in the summer of 04...lately, whenever i come back to the computer, it takes forever for the screen saver to disappear...then it also takes a while for pages to load..i did a disk clean up yesterday and defragmented...yet it still does this..what's wrong? is the computer conking out finally? thanks...

 

[Volsung1]

Could be that your processor is too slow. Too little memory?

 

[Horus]

Guidelines for computers are...

A new system comes out every 18 or less months. If you're talking about a system from 2004, you are probably still running Windows 95 or 98.
I have already trashed/recycled all of my old systems. I downloaded the info via UBS to the newer systems or downloaded to a flash drive.

 

[melanie2]

it's windows xp...

 

[MistressValerie1]

A very slow computer could be a symptom of spyware or similar crap. Please see the article here. You may want to scan with the fully functional 15-day free trial version of the excellent Sunbelt Counterspy antispyware program, which might be a worthy purchase if you are still using Norton "Antivirus" 😉

 

[melanie2]

Wow Mistress Valerie you remembered..i'm impressed lol...thanks..i'll suggest that to the stubborn hubster...

 

[Smade1]

You'll find all computers choke up with installed stuff not fully un-installing, temporary files etc. after a while. You also get loads of stuff istalling itself to start automatically on boot and that kills the startup speed.

With Wiindows 2000 I find after about 2 years it's worth doing a new install and that's about right because that's when your drive is starting to get into possible failure rates.

The easyest way is to add a new and bigger drive as your primary one and keep the old one with all your files as a slave (second drive). That way you have instant access to all your files and you'll be amazed at how fast your system is. The downside is that you won't have all those programs you've installed and will have to re-install them all over again.

 

[SilverleafLycan1]

What has yet to be mentioned is the actual shelf life and runtime life of the mechanical components. CPU's running all the time will last 3-4 years before showing signs of what can end up being permanent slowdown. Harddrives are only made to last 10 years if you're lucky (especially with the large multiplatter one's that have been coming out). At 5 years, it might be worthwhile to look into new parts or a new computer.

If you have a Pentium 4 or a Pentium D, forget about upgrading. If you have a dual core you should be able to upgrade easily. New RAM sticks could solve the problem, they could be going bad or might have dead/bad sectors. A fresh install of XP should show an increase in speed due to lower installs, processes, and services running.

If you want to build a new computer look for something that is overkill for your needs. 4 gigs of RAM is most likely more then you would ever need/use but it will allow for more sectors to be used through it's lifespan essentially giving you more bang for your buck. Larger harddrives will allow for better segmentation of the drive. A 500 watt power supply will be major overkill for your system, but it will supply more than enough power which will allow everything to run better. Last of all, a higher speed processor will show little strain thus lengthening it's overall working life.

Mind the text block above. If you end up having specific questions or any clarification feel free to pm me. Hope some of that helped some.

 

[Journia]

delete temporary files and folders from the internet,
Check for spywars and adware
Do a couple of virus scans,
Check which programs, like chat programs, load up automatically.