computer running slow

P

pcnewbie26m

Geek Trainee
whats wrong when my pc runs very slow my hard disk seems to have a lot of space. dos it have to do with my RAM? since my CPU is an old but nice Intel Pentium 4 processor with an ECS P4 chipset
 
pcnewbie26m said:
whats wrong when my pc runs very slow my hard disk seems to have a lot of space. dos it have to do with my RAM? since my CPU is an old but nice Intel Pentium 4 processor with an ECS P4 chipset
Click to expand...

Your computer running slow very likely has nothing to do with how full your HDD is.

Can you tell me more about your computer?
  • How much RAM does your computer currently have?
  • What operating system do you have installed (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista)?
  • Do you have any antivirus/antispyware software installed? If so, what is the name and is it up-to-date? Is the subscription current?
  • How long has it been since you've defragmented your HDD?

Please answer these questions at your earliest convenience so we can help your more efficiently.

Thanks,
Fred
 
  • How much RAM does your computer currently have?
  • What operating system do you have installed (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista)?
  • Do you have any antivirus/antispyware software installed? If so, what is the name and is it up-to-date? Is the subscription current?
  • How long has it been since you've defragmented your HDD?

RAM is 256MB
Operating System is MS Windows XP
Norton Anti virus but not up to date
2 days ago
 
256 is too low for windows XP..You need to have at least 512 to make it run ok.. I would install 1 gig (1024) if it was me.. Also remove ALL traces of Norton and install a lighter
AntiVirus..Also , when was the last time you Defragged ?
 
Ghostman 1 said:
256 is too low for windows XP..You need to have at least 512 to make it run ok.. I would install 1 gig (1024) if it was me.. Also remove ALL traces of Norton and install a lighter
AntiVirus..Also , when was the last time you Defragged ?
Click to expand...

defragged just last two days ago
 
pcnewbie26m said:
RAM is 256MB
Operating System is MS Windows XP
Norton Anti virus but not up to date
2 days ago
Click to expand...

As Ghostman1 said, 256 is quite low for XP, even with a bare operating system on it. Once you start adding applications such as anti-malware products and instant messengers, it will slow down. You're going to want to upgrade to 512MB - 1GB.

Furthermore, as Ghostman said, Norton is a heavy and poorly programmed antivirus. Also, judging by your "not up to date" response, I'd guess its also not under subscription. I'd also recommend you uninstall it and install a more lightweight, efficient program.

Because your antivirus is not up to date, you're going to want to do a malware scan to make sure the RAM is not your only problem by going to housecall.trendmicro.com and doing a free online virus scan. Because of the speed of your computer, it is likely going to take a couple of hours.
 
I would try AntiVir by AVIRA... It is real lite on systems resources plus it is FREE..
Also get ghostwall for your firewall..
 
Check to see what kind of background tasks are running, and clear out anything that you don't use (ie programs that are running in the background taking up resources)

Upgrading to more ram would be a good move.

Get rid of norton, it does not work very well, and is a resource hog, i suggest moving to avg, it is free for download, just google it.
 
guys, are all those anti virus programs really free since yu'll need to buiy it to hae the full protection of your pc.
 
^avg is completly free for download, and is arguably the most wide spread used among tech people. It is also argued that it is the best free anti-virus availible. Nod32 is good but it is not free. Go with avg.

PS. pcnewbie26m, under your computer specs it says the psu is "built is"...a psu can not be built in. It is either a generic psu that comes with a case, or a quality one that you buy seperate, such as a corsair, or PCP&C.
 
luke992006 said:
^avg is completly free for download, and is arguably the most wide spread used among tech people. It is also argued that it is the best free anti-virus availible. Nod32 is good but it is not free. Go with avg.

PS. pcnewbie26m, under your computer specs it says the psu is "built is"...a psu can not be built in. It is either a generic psu that comes with a case, or a quality one that you buy seperate, such as a corsair, or PCP&C.
Click to expand...

oh i see yes you are right it comes with a case thats is why i typed it as "built in"
 
Avg is very good, but draws allot of resources... that is why i said Antivir.. It is FREE..
there are allot of FREE AV's out there if you look... just do a Google search..
 
NAV is not very good & almost impossible to remove without a clean reinstall of XP
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google nortan antivirus removal mate, it is not almost impossible, and you do not need to do a fresh install be any means.
 
luke992006 said:
google nortan antivirus removal mate, it is not almost impossible, and you do not need to do a fresh install be any means.
Click to expand...
thanks for the correction, NAV was almost impossible to remove about 5 to 10 years ago

i need people like you luke992006 to make sure i'm correct

BTW: i'm living in the past as usual :beer:
 
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