Why is my computer so slow?

[Derek Peters]

Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm running
XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but it takes
minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run Task Manager
all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the CPU, even when I
have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help please, it took me
half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this page

[Bob I]

My computer is running slow what steps can I do to fix it?
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000179.htm

Derek Peters wrote:

> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm running
> XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but it takes
> minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run Task Manager
> all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the CPU, even when I
> have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help please, it took me
> half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this page
>

[rjk]

"Bob I" > wrote in message
...
> My computer is running slow what steps can I do to fix it?
> http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000179.htm
>
> Derek Peters wrote:
>
>> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm
>> running XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but
>> it takes minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run
>> Task Manager all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the
>> CPU, even when I have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help
>> please, it took me half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this
>> page
>>
>

In addition to all the obvious things, hardware problems or faults -
incorrect bios settings or bios configuration dropping back to safe defaults
/ badly fragmented hard-disk etc. / the minefield of your own unique and
unhappy software mix including problems with drivers - lots of unecessary XP
services running etc.,
....a few months ago XP Home ed. SP3+ on my main PC dropped back to PIO
mode - causing hard disk performance to crawl !
(...had a stubborn DVD disk that wouldn't play ball )
It could be worth checking that your drives are running in the fastest
available, (for your hardware), UDMA mode.
http://winhlp.com/node/10

regards, Richard

[rjk]

"Bob I" > wrote in message
...
> My computer is running slow what steps can I do to fix it?
> http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000179.htm
>
> Derek Peters wrote:
>
>> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm
>> running XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but
>> it takes minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run
>> Task Manager all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the
>> CPU, even when I have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help
>> please, it took me half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this
>> page
>>
>

In addition to all the obvious things, hardware problems or faults -
incorrect bios settings or bios configuration dropping back to safe defaults
/ badly fragmented hard-disk etc. / the minefield of your own unique and
unhappy software mix including problems with drivers - lots of unecessary XP
services running etc.,
....a few months ago XP Home ed. SP3+ on my main PC dropped back to PIO
mode - causing hard disk performance to crawl !
(...had a stubborn DVD disk that wouldn't play ball )
It could be worth checking that your drives are running in the fastest
available, (for your hardware), UDMA mode.
http://winhlp.com/node/10

regards, Richard

[rjk]

....b****y Tiscali NNTP c**p service ...... (my ISP)
....never know whether posts are coming or going !

regards, Richard

[NeedsHelpALot]

Virus' or software you may have downloaded. Almost all software slow down
your computer: Limewire, iTunes etc. etc. And Virus' are self-explanetory.

"Derek Peters" wrote:

> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm running
> XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but it takes
> minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run Task Manager
> all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the CPU, even when I
> have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help please, it took me
> half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this page
>

[Paul]

Derek Peters wrote:
> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm running
> XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but it takes
> minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run Task Manager
> all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the CPU, even when I
> have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help please, it took me
> half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this page
>

A possible reason for the computer slowing down, is the disk
operating in PIO mode, instead of the faster DMA mode. DMA
or direct memory access, moves data to system memory without
processor intervention for each byte of data. PIO or Polled I/O
mode, moves the data using the processor. PIO may manage 4MB/sec
transfer rates, while DMA goes as fast as the media or the ribbon
cable allow.

You can use HDTune, for a disk benchmark. A normal disk transfer
curve, might be curved in shape, start at 60MB/sec near the beginning
of the disk, and end around 40MB/sec. If instead, you saw a "flat
line" for the benchmark, and the transfer rate was 4MB/sec over the
entire disk surface, that means you're likely in PIO mode.

(Download version 2.55 here and give it a try).

http://www.hdtune.com/download.html

To fix the low transfer rate problem, scroll half way down this
page, to the "Workaround" section. Windows changes the transfer
speed, in response to detecting errors during transfers, and
you end up in the (slow) PIO mode, if enough errors are detected.
The "Workaround" process resets the transfer rate, at least,
until more errors are detected.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817472

*******

The "System Idle Process" in Task Manager, is what
runs when there is nothing else to run on the computer.
As such, it provides a mechanism for tracking how busy
the machine is. If the Idle process is active 100% of the
time, then the machine is "completely idle". Any other computing
process is more important than the idle task - if any other
process wants to run, it has priority over the idle task.
So, as you see the idle task percentage drop, it means
other, real processes are getting their turn to run. There
is nothing abnormal about this. So the Idle Task is a
tracking mechanism, for determining how busy the system
is. If the CPU is "pegged" by a real compute job, then
Idle should be getting zero percent.

The "System" entry, is for kernel threads. It is a
measure of certain kinds of operating system activity.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768129.aspx

"The system process

This process contains system threads, which are kernel mode threads.
Windows and various device drivers create system process threads for
various reasons. For example, the memory manager creates system threads
for performing virtual memory tasks, the cache manager uses system threads
for managing cache memory, and the floppy disk driver uses a system thread
to monitor the floppy drives."

You would prefer that one, the "System" entry, to only use
a few percent of the machine.

HTH,
Paul

[Jim[_33_]]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:13:02 -0800, NeedsHelpALot
> wrote:

>Virus' or software you may have downloaded. Almost all software slow down
>your computer: Limewire, iTunes etc. etc. And Virus' are self-explanetory.
>
>"Derek Peters" wrote:
>
>> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm running
>> XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but it takes
>> minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run Task Manager
>> all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the CPU, even when I
>> have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help please, it took me
>> half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this page
>>

Virus - yes : software - no .

[Bob I]

Skip Tiscali, go direct, use this link.
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general

RJK wrote:

> ...b****y Tiscali NNTP c**p service ...... (my ISP)
> ...never know whether posts are coming or going !
>
> regards, Richard
>
>

[Ken Blake, MVP]

On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:51:02 -0800, Derek Peters
> wrote:

> Can somebody give me an idea of what is slowing my machine down? I'm running
> XP Home SP2, I've done all the usual things to keep it clean but it takes
> minutes to load a web page or start an application. When I run Task Manager
> all it shows is the System Idle Process using 98% of the CPU, even when I
> have only the desktop, and no programmes running. Help please, it took me
> half an hour just to navigate to and sign on to this page


I can't tell you anything for sure from the little info you've
provided, so answer the following questions please:

1. What is the hardware configuration of your computer?

2. What are "all the usual things to keep it clean" you've done?

3. Has it always been slow, or is the slowness a new phenomenon?

4. If it's a new phenomenon, when did it begin?

5. What did you did shortly before the slowness began? Installation of
new software, software changes, hardware changes, software
configuration changes, utilities run, etc.?

6. What utility programs do run (particularly those that tell you they
will keep your machine running well--many of them do just the
opposite)?

7. What anti-virus and anti-spyware programs do you run? Are they kept
up to date? Have they been changed recently?

If I had to guess what your problem was, I'd guess that you were
infected by a virus or other malware.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

[rjk]

> RJK wrote:
>
>> ...b****y Tiscali NNTP c**p service ...... (my ISP)
>> ...never know whether posts are coming or going !
>>
>> regards, Richard
>

"Bob I" > wrote in message
...
> Skip Tiscali, go direct, use this link.
> news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general
>

Thanks Bob, ....I do access msnews.microsoft.com server directly, in OE !
.....I suspect that partly because "binaries" are so prolific - people
distributing films etc via NNTP, my ISP's NNTP grinds to a halt during busy
periods, and Tiscali haven't got the sense, or expertise, to adjust their
equipment so that NNTP for relatively low-NNTP usage customers is allocated
enough bandwidth to function properly. I never had a problem with Orange,
....switched to Tiscali for an all in one 'phone+internet package a year or
so ago, ...am now thinking of switching to BT !!!

I've complained several times to Tiscali, and whilst those Indians, or
Pakistanis, (customer care via satellite), got back to me several times -
the last time they "got back to me," an Indian sounding man explained that
Tiscali no longer provides a NNTP service !!!

I don't really understand how all this NNTP ...OSI application layer for
email etc. works but, months ago I even bought some USENET mb's from
Usenet-News.net and still, between midday and midnight, NNTP in OE simply
does not work - so Tiscali is either strangling something / somewhere or
it's equipment is inadequate !!! ...there's thousands of complaints about
it in various discussion forums - i.e. Tiscali are useless !

regards, Richard