Slow PC Speed after loading new software

Question

Hi there.  We recently loaded about a half dozen new programs on my computer and it is now running extremely slow.  (OK - I didn't, but my mother thought she was helping by buying and installing new ed. software for my kids.)  Anyway, my computer is EXTEMELY slow now and I'm sure it's due to the new software programs.    I have run Norton, Ad-Ware, Spybot, Microsoft Defender and have not found anything new.  I have cleared programs out of my 'start' list (right click on Start, go to explore, etc...).  I was going to try to play with my msconfig but am terrified that I will take something out that I need and crash my computer or something.  I searched Dell's site and Microsoft's site for info but the quantity of technical info in there made my eyes cross!   I tried running Disk Cleanup, tried defrag.  Didn't help....even opening the most basic window takes forever.   Any other ideas?   I have a Dimension DIM4550 with an Intel Pentium 4 CPU with a 2.4GHz hard drive and 256 MB of RAM.  I am running Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2.  It has always run wonderfully until this week!!!

SR45 · Answer

Below procedure will provide a faster boot up, and eliminate wasting memory on programs that are not in use at this time……Start Up Programs: Click on START, Click on Run, than put in the box MSCONFIG Click OK. Now you are in the System Configuration Utility Program. Click on START UP you see on the top of this Utility Program. Uncheck the programs from here that you do not want to start at boot up, leaving the anti virus, and any third party firewall alone. You can always go back into this program to restart them. They will not be uninstalled. Click on APPLY, than it will ask you if you wish to reboot the system. Do so. After it boots up again, you will be presented with another window from the System Configuration Utility Program telling you that you have made an adjustment. If you don't want to see this pop up each time you boot up, put a check mark in the little box in the lower left corner of this announcement.http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php   Link to a site that can explain what you have starting up, if you do not already know, and which ones you can safely un-check. It’s a long list. 1. Use at least two spyware programs that might be slowing down the system 2. Download the most current anti virus updates and run the program The more you install and uninstall programs, the more the Registry gets bloated and sometimes this to will be a cause of some slow downs.  Only way to clean the registry is to do a system reformat and reinstall.  Last resort.  But do get more Ram.  If your hard drive is full or near full this to will slow the system down a bit Message Edited by SR45 on 05-06-200605:58 PM

joe53 · Answer

VerBonn:

If adding these new programs has slowed down your PC, it is likely due to them loading at startup. Unchecking their entries in msconfig>startup tab will not crash your PC. You can safely stop just about all the programs listed there from loading, except your Antivirus, firewall, and antispyware applications. Here is a good guide to most of the programs you might see in your startup list, describing their function, and whether or not they need to load at startup:

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

VerBonn · Answer

OK - in a perfect world, I'd run right out and buy more RAM (in my world, I have to buy groceries instead).  But the fact that the computer worked well a week ago suggests that adding more RAM is not the only solution to this problem.  Any other, more practical, suggestions to this problem?

OLDF · Answer

256 ram is the bare min.for wimdows xp. suggest 512 ram at least to solve your problem..lol

gudgeon · Answer

Don't be too dismissive - memory for the 4550 is pretty cheap from Crucial and will make a big difference - my 4550 is much more responsive with 768 Mb than its original 256 Mb.

However, something else seems to be going on here - it's possible that one of these new programs has compromised a protected system file. Try going to Start / Run and typing in "sfc /scannow" (without the quotation marks and noting the space before the /), then OK. Have your Operating System disk handy (the purple one) as Windows may ask for it. Windows will check your system files and replace any that are missing or corrupted. For safety's sake, create a Restore Point before you carry out this procedure.

chuket · Answer

You might try this. If you have the install CD's for those new programs, do a system restore to a date before the installation of all of them. Then add (install) them one at a time (letting a day or two or more in between) to see which one caused the problem.

louiemctool · Answer

Actually, low memory propably is THE problem. An easy way to check is to bring up the Task Manager (control+alt+delete), then click the performance tab.  If you system is using all, nearly-all, or more (via the paging file) memory than your PC has installed, every task you ask the CPU to perform will take a while to finish.  As an analogy, if I gave you a coffee cup and asked you to fill a gallon jug, you could do it within an acceptable time-frame.  Now, image I flop a gully the size of Lake Michigan behind the house and ask you to use that same cup to fill it.  You could (theoretically) do it, but it'd take awhile.  That is probably the cause of the slow down.  The suggestions I read on this thread are by-and-large good starting points for some tempory fixes.  If you don't need every program that was just installed, use either the program's own Uninstaller or the Add/Remove Programs tool in the Control Panel.   If you don't mind slightly used components, either ebay or Newegg sell your memory relatively cheap.  Trust me.  The more memory your PC has, the better.  You'd be amazed at how adding as little as 128MB will improve your Dimension's performance...

VerBonn · Answer

So - can anyone give me specifics as to what type of memory to purchase?  Thanks again for your help.

louiemctool · Answer

Greetings!

Here's a link to the documentation for your PC:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4550/

Also, if you check the "Parts for My Dell" link within the main Dell website, they will tell you the memory which Dell recommends. I usually just look to see what standard my memory is (i.e. PC133, PC2100, etc.) and then check ebay, newegg, etc. It kinda depends on whether you want brand new, warrantied memory or if you can live with used modules.

Your system can take up to 1 gigabyte of PC2700 RAM, via 2 512-megabyte modules. If you can afford it, max out your system. There's a computer-geek saying to the effect of "there's no such thing as too much memory," especially since newer applications use more memory to create their oh-so-pretty graphical interfaces.

Also, don't forget that using non-Dell brand memory effectively void any remaining warranty your system may have.

Lastly, to echo what's been said previously, uninstall any non-essential, rarely-used software. Or better yet, copy any files you want or need to keep, then do a clean re-installation of Windows. Install your anti-virus/internet security suite first, then go through and add only those programs you intend to use. And be very vigilant when doing your installs. A lot of programs (I'm looking at you, QuickTime) add "helper" modules to your OS or web browser(s) that aren't necessary and are simply a waste of resources.

Good luck!

Windows General

Slow PC Speed after loading new software

Was this post helpful?