8 month old build slowing down. Help troubleshoot, plz?

S

semisonic9

Gawd
Joined
May 2, 2005
Messages
769
My new(er) baby seems to bog down a lot more than it used to lately. I'm not sure why.

Specs:
2.4 ghz Q6600 (OC'd to 3.2ghz)
4gb DDR2
640gb WD HD spinning at 7200rpm.
GTX 260, stock.


Steps I've taken:
  • Defragged and optimized data with SmartDefrag.
  • Checked RAM and CPU temps. All look good.
  • Most of the time my CPU seems to idle at around 2ghz. All of my RAM is showing up for roll call.
  • Tried a new security suite and scanned computer for issues. Went from a copy of Avira to an updated Norton Security '09 (and who ever thought they'd use Norton again?)

What else can I do here?

It's hard to pinpoint what exactly has changed, but it's just not as fast as it used to be. I'd like to streamline my startup protocols (need to google how to do that in Vista), but even during regular usage it seems to "hang" on what should be simple multitasking operations. Like opening a browser window if I'm watching a movie, or opening WMP if I'm working on a Word document.

-S
 
1. You could have installed a multitude of crap that eats resources.
2. You could have visited crap sites and had crap installed.
3. You installed Norton. GG.
4. You can reinstall your OS.
5. We can't diagnose anything for you.
 
Back up any important files, and reformat. Clean install. Then get a GOOD AV, such as Avira, and use common sense.
 
Jon55 said:
Back up any important files, and reformat. Clean install. Then get a GOOD AV, such as Avira, and use common sense.
Click to expand...

You mean that girl that says she wants to do me now and is my neighbor... IS A LIE!?
 
WIndows will just start going slower and slower... (fragmented system files, error and memory dump files wasting space and cpu processes)

+1 on reformatting...

if you hate to reformat every few months, but want the 'clean' feel of a new OS installation, invest some money on Acronis True Image...

70-100GB OS partition, install everything(drivers, OS, programs) once, clone this partition.... apply the clone every few weeks/months if you think it's slowing down
 
Mmmm. The one thing I don't have right now is 600gb of back up harddrive space to dump all this stuff on while I reformat. :rolleyes:

Clumsydenial said:
CCleaner?
Click to expand...

I'll look into it.

Jon55 said:
Back up any important files, and reformat. Clean install. Then get a GOOD AV, such as Avira, and use common sense.
Click to expand...

Just a note...if you haven't checked out the new Norton, don't knock it.

They finally got off their asses and built a good "security suite" that doesn't just cruise on name recognition and hog up all my resources. Check out the reviews of their '09 suite from whoever you depend upon for reliable reviews, and you'll notice quite a change from previous years.
 
Thanks for the responses, guys!

Mmmm. Reformat, huh? The one thing I don't have right now is 600gb of back up harddrive space to dump all this stuff on while I reformat. :rolleyes:

paperwastage said:
if you hate to reformat every few months, but want the 'clean' feel of a new OS installation, invest some money on Acronis True Image...

70-100GB OS partition, install everything(drivers, OS, programs) once, clone this partition.... apply the clone every few weeks/months if you think it's slowing down
Click to expand...

This, I wish I had known about before. I know I've been lazy, and should have backup drives, but none of this data is really that important. Just a PitA to go out and collect again, if I were so inclined. :D

Clumsydenial said:
CCleaner?
Click to expand...

I'll look into it.

Jon55 said:
Back up any important files, and reformat. Clean install. Then get a GOOD AV, such as Avira, and use common sense.
Click to expand...

Just a note...if you haven't checked out the new Norton, don't knock it.

They finally got off their asses and built a good "security suite" that doesn't just cruise on name recognition and hog up all my resources. Check out the reviews of their '09 suite from whoever you depend upon for reliable reviews, and you'll notice quite a change from previous years.

-S
 
Just a note...if you haven't checked out the new Norton, don't knock it.

They finally got off their asses and built a good "security suite" that doesn't just cruise on name recognition and hog up all my resources. Check out the reviews of their '09 suite from whoever you depend upon for reliable reviews, and you'll notice quite a change from previous years.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, Norton 2009 is #12 out of 16 at av-comparatives.org, so there are worse choices now.
 
Ok, fine. The Norton is a trial version anyways, that's 5 days from expiring. I'll swap it out with something like Avira or Kapersky. Moving on...

-S
 
Last edited:
semisonic9 said:
Just a note...if you haven't checked out the new Norton, don't knock it.

They finally got off their asses and built a good "security suite" that doesn't just cruise on name recognition and hog up all my resources. Check out the reviews of their '09 suite from whoever you depend upon for reliable reviews, and you'll notice quite a change from previous years.
Click to expand...

So I've heard, and I'm thrilled to hear it. But many other AVs (such as Avira) have still shown to be better both at detection and how much it impacts the system, so why settle for second best, especially when many of the alternatives are free?

Microsoft Security Essentials, when it's finally out of beta, will be another awesome choice. I've replaced Avira with it.
 
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