Slow computer!!!

[Ann1]

My laptop is running slow, to say the least!!!!! It started playing up on Sunday, and I thought it was the wireless connection, then Mr Ann's started doing the same yesterday (which is a desktop) I phoned tech support, thinking it was the connection, but that apparently is alright! She suggested I change my browser (Google chrome) as it seems the problem is bringing up web pages, but I don't really want to do that only as a last resort!! Any ideas? I've done the usual - defragged, cleared browser history, run spyware progs etc, but nothing seems to work!!!! It's driving me nuts!!!! Bear in mind I'm not very technically minded, so words of one syllable will do it

[Pollypeterborough]

ann try a registry power cleaner you can get it on the webb. about 20 pounds for a year. that sould do it. it did for me.

[Ann1]

Thanks polly, thing is though, Mr Ann's computer is the same, and they both went more or less at the same time!! Plus I'm a cheapskate and will explore all the free things first ;D

[Deleted]

Ann, some questions if you don't mind.

By slow do you mean your PC was finding it difficult to load pages from a specific web site or several web sites?

If you come out of the web how does it run?

Was either machine downloading automatic updates for MS XP, Vista, 7 etc. or any other applications you have loaded, in the background?

Do you have a scheduled virus check set up for that time?

Was either of you streaming video or music at the same time?

Have you cleared your local cache as well as the history?

Is your browser running the latest version?

Have a think about that lot and give me some answers then I'll pick it up again with you later............

CWL

[Ann1]

1. It's slow doing anything, and any web page, even going from page to page on the forum!!!

2. Not sure I know what you mean out of the web CWL! It's not too bad using the CCleaner or defrag.

3. Not as far as I know, it usually does the updates overnight and when I switch it on in the morning, it says that updates have been installed, but I've not had that for a while now.

4. My AVG check comes on a 9am

5. What's a local cache, and where is it? I've done the history.

6. Don't know, it's the one I downloaded when I went from Firefox to Chrome, a few months back now.

The strange thing is though, Mr Ann's went slow the day after my laptop!! He uses the main PC and it's not "connected" to mine, apart from using the same live box!! I first noticed it on Sunday, then I tried to use BBC iplayer, that didn't work, then went off it when I couldn't watch the match!!!!! I've got a little icon on the thingio along the bottom (where the start button is) which is like two computers overlapping, and what looks like a CD round thing. Usually a little light flashes between the computer screens, and that is how I know I'm connected. This only happens now and again, which is why I thought I'd lost connection.

But when I phoned the techies, they said the connection was OK!!! It's driving me nuts, and I'm afraid to do too much, 'cos I don't really know what I'm doing, and might delete something vital - I've done it before, and it caused no end of trouble!!!!

[Nattfare]

Give it a kick up its backside and tell it to hurry up.

[Nattfare]

Could it be that it is running a demanding program in the backround that slows down the computer?

Have you checked in the task manager?

[Fairscup]

Do you use Firefox and have you upgraded to version 4.0? If so there are issues, amongst others certain programs "not responding" and others running slowly. Can be sorted by changing browsers.

[grimreaper]

Apr 12, 2011 14:50:58 GMT 1 Ann1 said:

1. It's slow doing anything, and any web page, even going from page to page on the forum!!!

2. Not sure I know what you mean out of the web CWL! It's not too bad using the CCleaner or defrag.

3. Not as far as I know, it usually does the updates overnight and when I switch it on in the morning, it says that updates have been installed, but I've not had that for a while now.

4. My AVG check comes on a 9am

5. What's a local cache, and where is it? I've done the history.

6. Don't know, it's the one I downloaded when I went from Firefox to Chrome, a few months back now.

The strange thing is though, Mr Ann's went slow the day after my laptop!! He uses the main PC and it's not "connected" to mine, apart from using the same live box!! I first noticed it on Sunday, then I tried to use BBC iplayer, that didn't work, then went off it when I couldn't watch the match!!!!! I've got a little icon on the thingio along the bottom (where the start button is) which is like two computers overlapping, and what looks like a CD round thing. Usually a little light flashes between the computer screens, and that is how I know I'm connected. This only happens now and again, which is why I thought I'd lost connection.

But when I phoned the techies, they said the connection was OK!!! It's driving me nuts, and I'm afraid to do too much, 'cos I don't really know what I'm doing, and might delete something vital - I've done it before, and it caused no end of trouble!!!!

You say you like downloading freebies in a earlier post.
Have you got Malware freebie.
Glary Utilities freebie.
AVG freebie.
Free Internet Eraser.
Those are the only 4 I use never paid for security in my life and won't start.
AVG I have learnt to switch off the check,no need for it becauuse it takes over and slows your computer down.AVG I only have on because it gives me a firewall.
When I think I have a virus or I am unhappy at the speed or something just doesn't feel right I run the Malware program that seems to solve the problems.Cleaning I use Glary for a super quick check.
Internet Eraser for a clean and a tighten up.
Then just to make sure I defrag in the background at least twice to make sure that all is blue and good.

Last but not least if your connection still goes down do what the engineer all ways tells you.
Switch off your modem for about a minute also your wireless conection.
Then turn them back on..go to Control Panel..click on Network Connections........you will see area connections appear probably 2 monitors.....if both have red cross's on them click on the second one and press support at the top.
This will then open and you will see the word repair press on that and it will relocate your IP address and then hopefully you can go back online.
Hopefully I am not treading on anyones toes here,I am not a computer geek but the simple things I remember after 20/30 times... ;D ;D
Gotta go match in progress.
UTB.

[Shadow]

Not at all Grim.

I'm like Ann-clueless when it comes to computers and everyones advice is welcome-no egos on here-just desperate people willing to try owt and thankfully people like yourself and some of the other guys willing to try and assist

Ive already had to pick some of the guys brains myself-wouldnt have an avatar for starters

[grimreaper]

Thanks Shadow still feels like a minefield at the moment.. ;D ;D
But don't worry me dad was a paddy and he taught me how to spot mines.
Stick yer fingers in yer ears and stamp yer foot in front of yourself.. ;D
Yes he died very young... lol

[Ann1]

Don'tworry Grim, all help very gratefully recieved Well, I've tried everything you've all suggested, and nowt has worked I think a trip to the computer hospital is in order, I can't be doing with it like this It's nearly gone out the window half a dozen times today!! My bleedin' Lava Lamp has gone phut as well I'll wait to see what the soddin' third thing to go is!!!!!

[Shadow]

Apr 12, 2011 20:48:14 GMT 1 grimreaper said:

Thanks Shadow still feels like a minefield at the moment.. ;D ;D
But don't worry me dad was a paddy and he taught me how to spot mines.
Stick yer fingers in yer ears and stamp yer foot in front of yourself.. ;D
Yes he died very young... lol

Grim-youre doing fine

Ann

[I'll wait to see what the soddin' third thing to go is!!!!]

Hope its not Mr Ann

Just remembering the tile saga

[Deleted]

Ann am I correct in thinking you are using a laptop with wireless connection and the main PC is hardwired directly to your modem?

If that is the case your network speeds will differ quite considerably between the two machines and when one is doing something, such as streaming or even loading pages and the like it may well affect the other. Even more so if you are using a bandwidth eater like iPlayer.

1. It's slow doing anything, and any web page, even going from page to page on the forum!!! The above may explain that one

2. Not sure I know what you mean out of the web CWL! It's not too bad using the CCleaner or defrag. I'm talking about when you are not connected to the internet at all. Have you also run the Disc CleanUp utility and removed such things as temp internet files as well as doing a deFrag?

3. Not as far as I know, it usually does the updates overnight and when I switch it on in the morning, it says that updates have been installed, but I've not had that for a while now. I suspect you do have your laptop set to automatic update for both MS apps and any others you have on the machine? That may well slow your machine down quite considerably if it was downloading version updates to your machine in the background while you are surfing the web.

4. My AVG check comes on a 9am Okay seeking some more clarity here. Is that just your AV running in the background but not actually doing a full sweep of your machine for any Malware etc?

5. What's a local cache, and where is it? [image] I've done the history. Your cache is a bit of memory allocated to store information in relation to internet usage, like URL's, IP addresses, cookies, web pages and other stuff to make the experience a bit more seemless. However this information can become corrupted over time and again slow your machine down or simply take up too much space hence again causing your PC to run less effectively. Some AV software includes a cache cleaner or it may be among the Tools in your Chrome browser. Try looking under Options, Advanced Tools for something like cache clear possibly under offline storage. It's also possible to set this so after each internet session the cache is automatically cleaned out although not quite sure if it can be done using Chrome.

6. Don't know, it's the one I downloaded when I went from Firefox to Chrome, a few months back now. If this is set to automatic it will just update anyway, although would have thought your AVG or the programme itself should have told you something had changed.

The strange thing is though, Mr Ann's went slow the day after my laptop!! He uses the main PC and it's not "connected" to mine, apart from using the same live box!! I first noticed it on Sunday, then I tried to use BBC iplayer, that didn't work, then went off it when I couldn't watch the match!!!!! I've got a little icon on the thingio along the bottom (where the start button is) which is like two computers overlapping, and what looks like a CD round thing. Usually a little light flashes between the computer screens, and that is how I know I'm connected. This only happens now and again, which is why I thought I'd lost connection.

But when I phoned the techies, they said the connection was OK!!! It's driving me nuts, and I'm afraid to do too much, 'cos I don't really know what I'm doing, and might delete something vital - I've done it before, and it caused no end of trouble!!!!

Ann I would start off by running a full AV check while disconnected completely from the internet. Then do a Disc Clean Up followed by a DeFrag.

Then reconnect back to the Internet with one machine only and go to the Chrome Landing Page (Home), Go into Tools as I suggested above and clean the local cache.

From the Home page surf to a favourite site, avoid this forum for time being, say something like NUFC.com and see how that loads.

If it's Ok come out of the internet altogether and fire up the other machine. Go on to the internet with that machine and find a suitable website for it to load. Then also fire up your laptop. Now try again to load say NUFC.com and see how it goes. If it runs slow try disconnecting the Desktop from the network and see if that imrpoves things again.

I appreciate this is a long winded way of trying to help, but you need to eliminate quite a few things if you are to determine exactly what the underlying cause of this may be.

Give it a go............

CWL

[Ann1]

Well, I've done everything, and it's still the same I think it's something to do with the connection, although the Orange techies say the connection is OK. But something is making it sporadic, it connects and disconnects all the time!! So I'm going to call someone tomorrow to come and have a look at them. TBH, we don't really know what we are doing, and after doing all the usual, we are stuck. All affie I've been flaffing on with it, and it's driving me do lally tap!!!! But thanks everyone for helping