I'm SICK of my computer

RPGC Assistance Forums Technical Support Forum
1

Seriously. The flaws and quirks that have accumulated in it over the years are driving me nuts. If I could, I would just buy a new one already, but that won’t be possible in the next few months (I’m going to be moving soon and I’ll have other expenses.)

So here’s a laundry list of its problems, to see if anyone can help me solve at least some of them:

  • It takes about 5 minutes to start up. AND THEN it takes another five minutes to start responding to my commands (even after the desktop has loaded!)

  • It works OK for about two hours, then starts slowing down, even freezing.

  • It restarts by itself sometimes, especially if I watch videos online (this is particularly annoying as I’m planning on giving up Cable in favor of watching TV shows and videos online once I move.) And then I have to wait ANOTHER 10 minutes, plus restart the download…

-This may be a problem of Mozilla rather then the PC, but it’s annoying nonetheless: My Firefox keeps crashing, at least once every day. Thankfully I get the option to restart right away and I rarely lose any data that way. Still, IT SUCKS. Anybody know if this is a bug of the latest version (it didn’t use to do this until recently) and if so if there’s a patch already?

Anyway, I’ve already done everything I’ve been told to help it: ran several antispyware, deleted old programs, deactivated most of the self-starting programs, even cleaned the insides with a vacuum cleaner!

Someone suggested buying more memory. Would that help? If so, how much would it cost?

Oh, and If anybody knows about really cheap computer offers (I’m not up to date on those) let me know.

2

format c:

If you’ve never done it, yeah, shit’s gonna pile up.

3

Memory is decently expensive. Do you know what your current memeory is? Newer programs are requiring more and more memory and currently 1GB is a minimum you’d want to be at for decent running. Currently, a two-pack of 1GB sticks of RAM (2GB total) will run you about 70 dollars. If you have that much RAM (or decently close to it) it’s more likely to be different issues.

4

Here’s my system data:

Computer: AMD Sempron 2200+

Windows XP 2002 (service pack 3)

1.49 GHz, 224 MB of RAM

Note: my PC burned up once and was repaired by an acquaintance of mine. That was years ago. I have no idea what changes he did (other than he added disco lights to it (??) It worked Ok afterwards however.

Also, a lightning bolt disabled its inner modem, I’m using a external motorola one now (and a linksys DSL router).

The floppy disk reader doesn’t seem to work anymore either.

5

Personally, I’d try and find a new desktop. It seems like it’s getting along in age, and it’s sorely lacking memory. Memory itself, however, is expensive, and doesn’t always solve all your problems. Besides, there are some good deals on desktops nowadays for less than $500.

Other than that, it’s possible there could be something else wrong with your computer. Hard for me to figure these things out without actually seeing it in action. Sounds like more memory certainly could help though, but the cost isn’t worth it compared to getting a new computer (in your case).

I know Best Buy has a deal going on right now where you can save some money off a new desktop and get a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it comes out. We’re picking one up tomorrow for about $400, since our old computer is starting to mess up internally and we’ve had it for about 5 years.

6

DDR (not DDR2 or DDR3) is fairly expensive and doesn’t take advantage of the always plummeting memory prices sadly… more RAM is always a plus though.

I’d recommend looking into which programs start when the computer does. Either run msconfig (use the run command in your start menu) or download Process Explorer (which is much more thorough).

What antivirus are you using? Norton and McAfee garbage are bloated and gross.

Just for shits and giggles, why not install and run a scan of SuperAntiSpyware (just make sure to tell it not to load when the computer starts in its preferences).

7

It’s not just Best Buy that’s doing that deal. Anyone that buys a PC within 6 months of Windows 7 releasing gets it for free.

With the information you’ve provided, the memory is the easiest solution to try right now. If you purchase memory and the worst quirks, especially the ones involving crashes, don’t go away you can return the memory from where you got it. Double check the return policy though - I accidently got desktop memory for my laptop from Fry’s once and didn’t realize it until I’d opened it. I was able to return it, but I’m not sure if every place will let you return it opened. This is just speculation on the returns issues as I feel that some more memory would help greatly with program crashes.

Edit: Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has worked better than SuperAntiSpyware for me in the past.

8

Your computer was hit by a lightning bolt? And it has disco lights? This is quite an interesting machine.
Have you tried using a different browser to see if it is firefox messing up?

9

If you’re running anything optional in XP or have any unneeded startup processes you’re probably hitting the page file as soon as windows loads. The page file is a section of your hard drive that acts like RAM when you run out of physical memory, and hard drives are slow as shit so no wonder it takes forever.

I would suggest formatting, then disabling everything possible in XP, then never installing anything that adds a startup process.

10

Ultratech: Trust me, I’d much rather just buy a whole new machine than mess around with this one (I know my limitations) but until I have the new expenses where I’m going to live (power, water, food etc.) figured out, I’m not going to make any major expenses, and that’s going to take months.

I wonder: I’ve heard that laptops are really cheap these days. I was never interested in one before but, might it be worth buying one mainly to watch videos in it, while I work on repairing the old one? (I wouldn’t be surprised if the average laptop today equals or beats my old PC.)

Khalbrae: I already tried the Msconfig thing, that’s how I shut down many of the self-starting processes. I suppose I could try Process Explorer too however…

As for anti-spyware, I’ve run Avast, Spyware Doctor and Spybot. (I did remove a lot of spyware, but the problems persist.) Is it worth it trying Superantispyware or Malwarebytes then?

Kasey: My PC was NOT hit directly. Rather a bolt struck near my house, causing quite some chaos (car alarms turning on, VCRs deprogrammed, people and animals freaking out etc.) but thankfully no actual damage. Except to my PC’s modem, but I was going to switch to DSL anyway so I never cared.

Oh, and the disco lights were NOT my idea. I guess my friend was just feeling creative. :hahaha;

I have to admit that despite all its troubles I still have a soft spot for my machine, I’ve had it seven years and I’m not going to junk it. But, I have to be realistic regarding my needs.

Rinn: I think you may be onto something. Of course I am not going to try to reformat the thing. As I said, I know my limits. If you think it’s necessary I’ll tell my friend to do it for me.

11

WTF, 224MB of RAM

I think it’s time to think about investing in a nice second-hand computer. Have a tech-savvy friend patrol e-bay for you.

12

Get. More. Memory. Even 1GB of RAM helps. Seriously.

Disable everything you do not need on startup (leave antivirus and firewall) and run a registry checker. I once too wondered why my computer was fubar after defragging, removing viruses and trojans… “Registry” and “A million programs loading on startup” were the reasons.

13

I went and did as Mabat suggested, and now my Pc is starting (and shutting down) MUCH faster! It still seems to slow down at times, tough. No crashes yet, but then I’ve barely used it these past few days due to interruptions in my net service (see the thread in the Main board.) I’ll let you guys know more later.

14

Mabat and Klez beat me to it. RAM is cheap nowadays. You can get 4 gigs for 100 bucks or less.

15

Except he uses DDR1 ram (judging by his current PC build), which may be slightly more.

16

That’s another thing: my friend told me he can get me memory cheap and install it, but he needs to know what type of RAM my PC uses. How do I find that out? (The papers it came with are long lost.)

Edit: Oh and both Mozilla and the PC are still crashing.

Edit the Second: I just ran a test from Crucial.com and, while it failed to identify my computer (?) it did analyze my motherboard and it claims it has an open slot where 1G of memory can fit (which they sell for 43$, +shipping and handling) or the whole thing could be replaced with 2G (86$, +S&H) I like the latter deal, but I’m a bit suspicious. Is this a good idea? Should I buy and install one G, see how it behaves, then replace the old memory? And what about the data I already have?

17

Khalbrae’s likely right in that you may use DDR1 memory. If you’re unsure, check here: http://www.computermemoryupgrade.net/types-of-computer-memory-common-uses.html
and compare your RAM.

As for testing the memory, it’s a good idea, but be sure that your computer can take the memory. Aren’t those older computers usually locked at 2-4 Gigs? Also, might wanna look at the return policy on the RAM, so you can return it if it doesn’t work.

18

if you want to keep your computer for a few more years you may want to get 2 gbs of ram. I’ve ordered from crucial 30+ times and never had a problem. Odds are with your current setup you aren’t running many programs that would fully utilize 2gbs of ram however as programs are getting more complex and using more system resources it is likely you would use it, but by that time it would be about time to upgrade your processor. I’ve repaired around 300 computers in the last 5 years and upgraded ram in a lot of them. My recommendation would be to get 1gb of ram because you won’t notice much of a performance difference between the 1.25gb and 2gb.

19

Oh, wonderful. I just moved back to my old house and now my PC WON’T START UP! :thud: It turns on, but there’s no image on the monitor. (I’m typing this from a friend’s house.) I asked my PC-wise friend and he told me to remove and reinsert the battery (and clean up the memory chip while I’m at it). I’m going to try it as soon as I get back home. I decided to mention it here, in case it doesn’t work and I need further help.

Assuming the best, I’ll be buying 1G of memory early next month, and hope that solves my other problems.

Btw even with the computer fixed I’ll still be 2-3 days more without net access since I still need to get it changed to my new address.

20

Dude, your computer really is a piece of shit. After you’re all settled in the new place, perhaps you might save up and get a cheap laptop?
Do the have Walmart in Puerto Rico? You can get a cheap ass laptop online for like, $400. You could even get a little netbook for like $200.