Getting the most out of my computer

[Tim Flat4]

I've built my current computer and as time drags on and internet usage/downloading continues I'm noticing that my computer is slowing down. I've done the basics such as clearing the cookies, running disk cleanup, defragmenting, and using ad-aware but it's still not as fast as it was.

Does anyone have any recommendations on things I can do to speed it back up or find out why it's slowing down?

Here is a quick run-down on my current system:

AMD Athlon 64 Processor +3500 2.2ghz
2gb of RAM
ASUS A8V-E SE Motherboard
ATI Radeon RX1600 graphics card

[ajmilton]

There's a bunch of stuff that can affect your computer's speed/performance ... you might have a bunch of extraneous processes running - stuff like browser toolbars, lots of instant messaging progs, "agents" for various software
The big problems I've seen are the extra processes. There's some software out there *gestures to teh intarweb* that will analyze the processes you're running and let you copy/paste them, or tell you whether it's a system process etc.

under the assumption that you are properly keeping the computer clean (no spyware/adware/viruses etc, defragging) like you posted, i'd guess that performance is going to either be affected by lots of processes (with potential lots of memory leaks) or maybe just a grouchy isp that decided to throttle your bandwidth

it's kind of hard to give a diagnosis without knowing what you're running, but some general tips are:

minimize the amount of programs that automatically start up. some are listed in the "Startup" folder in the start menu-> programs, some are easier to manage from the registry editor (start, run, regedit, check uh ... My Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Wind ows\CurrentVersion\Run ... and also check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, with the same path) ... just be careful that you don't delete something that's critical to windows. google is your friend here. you can also turn some off from 'msconfig' in winXP ... run msconfig from start -> run, and check out the stuff under the startup tab
if you're using a bunch of messengers, try something that will combine them into one .. gaim or trillian come to mind, but there's a couple others out there
also, you may want to make sure that no services are running that you don't need ... those can be disabled in start, settings, control panel, administrative tools, services. again, google is your friend. be careful if you disable any services because some of them are interlinked, and have dependencies on each other

apart from that, it may just be psychological ... when you first get a computer it seems all nice and nifty and fast cuz it's new, and you may just be remembering incorrectly :P
i've probably left out something useful, but i don't think i've given you any "bad" advice per se. just remember if you're not sure about disabling something, google it or ask somebody. some stuff won't cause any problems to your computer, but if you go randomly deleting keys in your registry you may face a reinstall :p
damn, that was wordier than i intended. luck getting your computer faster :p

[gaz_the_chav]

http://www.hijackthis.de/

1)Download this
2)Save the log it records
3) Enter the log on the website
4)Analyze the log and delete necessary things as shown


This is a wicked program which I use regualary

[CanaBalistic]

Hey, i've had lots of my friends come up to me asking for help because thier computer is a lot slower than it used to be. If you've done the usual scanns and cleanup and it still doesnt seem to fix it, its the registry. Every time you run/edit/install/modify/delete/browse a little note gets stored in the registry so the computer knows what programs you've run recently and what you've installed and un-installed. Un-installing sucks because the program allways leaves a trace behind so it will know the next time you want to install that program that you've excedded your trial or your subscription is valid for another month. Its all garbage information that you dont need anymore but your computer has to scann through this massive list of things you probly dont use or do anymore. This boggs the computer down giving you crappy performance.

My tip is a program. Registry Mechanic. You'll see a huge performance boost, guaranteed! It comes with a trial but you can purchase it from there website. Download the trial and see how many problems it finds, it will fix some but you have to purchase it in order to fix them all.

[Silenced_Coyote]

I want some cool info!;)

[Tim Flat4]

Hey, i've had lots of my friends come up to me asking for help because thier computer is a lot slower than it used to be. If you've done the usual scanns and cleanup and it still doesnt seem to fix it, its the registry. Every time you run/edit/install/modify/delete/browse a little note gets stored in the registry so the computer knows what programs you've run recently and what you've installed and un-installed. Un-installing sucks because the program allways leaves a trace behind so it will know the next time you want to install that program that you've excedded your trial or your subscription is valid for another month. Its all garbage information that you dont need anymore but your computer has to scann through this massive list of things you probly dont use or do anymore. This boggs the computer down giving you crappy performance.

My tip is a program. Registry Mechanic. You'll see a huge performance boost, guaranteed! It comes with a trial but you can "purchase" it from there website. Download the trial and see how many problems it finds, it will fix some but you have to "purchase" it in order to fix them all.

Purchase, ha! lmao...


Pisst... PM me for some cool info on the program *wink wink*

RM "came" with my computer along with windows ;)

[CanaBalistic]

So you've allready used the program and your still having the problem?

My old neighbor called me up once saying that his computer was unsualy dead slow. He didnt explain it very well over the phone so i went over. It was so god damn slow. It took 2 minutes(actual) to open notepad. I could see it was still working but was bogged down drasticly. I installed RM from a utillity and back up disk i had made prior. I ran the scan and found a massive amount of problems. I did the repair and after, his computer ran like new.

Its easily the best utillity program i've ever found. I use it monthly/religiously

[EPYK]

i use the software, System Mechanic, its pretty useful. not free though. its 29.99 here... it does loads of stuff and also can be schedualed to a time when your not using your comp

[Redundant]

I use the program CCleaner (at ccleaner.com) to remove all the old registry entries and to remove all the temporary files. I got one of my teachers to use it and it found like 150 MB of junk temp. files on it!
Without it, this Pentuim II :p (will upgrade this winter) wouldn't still be runnin. 8)

Edit: PS: (It's completely free, not a trial version.) I found it in a Pop. Sci. Magazine a few years back
so it has no spyware, etc.