---- START NEW MESSAGE --- Received: from cherry.ease.lsoft.com [209.119.0.109] by dpmail10.doteasy.com with ESMTP (SMTPD32-8.05) id AAC7306D0116; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 22:33:43 -0800 Received: from PEAR.EASE.LSOFT.COM (209.119.0.19) by cherry.ease.lsoft.com (LSMTP for Digital Unix v1.1b) with SMTP id <10.00CC443C@cherry.ease.lsoft.com>; Fri, 30 Jan 2004 1:33:33 -0500 Received: from MITVMA.MIT.EDU by MITVMA.MIT.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8e) with spool id 1033 for PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU; Fri, 30 Jan 2004 01:33:27 -0500 Received: from MITVMA (NJE origin SMTP@MITVMA) by MITVMA.MIT.EDU (LMail V1.2d/1.8d) with BSMTP id 7283; Fri, 30 Jan 2004 01:31:29 -0500 Received: from bandit.rpmservers.com [207.44.248.37] by mitvma.mit.edu (IBM VM SMTP Level 430) via TCP with ESMTP ; Fri, 30 Jan 2004 01:31:28 EST X-Comment: mitvma.mit.edu: Mail was sent by bandit.rpmservers.com Received: from adsl-68-73-54-53.dsl.sfldmi.ameritech.net ([68.73.54.53] helo=ubasics.com) by bandit.rpmservers.com with asmtp (TLSv1:RC4-MD5:128) (Exim 4.24) id 1AmQOa-0006ZO-TQ for PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 22:36:45 -0600 User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.6) Gecko/20040113 X-Accept-Language: en-us, en, zh, zh-cn, zh-hk, zh-sg, zh-tw, ja, ko, ko-kp, ko-kr MIME-Version: 1.0 References: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - bandit.rpmservers.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - mitvma.mit.edu X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [0 0] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - ubasics.com Message-ID: <4019DF60.7080502@ubasics.com> Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 23:36:48 -0500 Reply-To: pic microcontroller discussion list Sender: pic microcontroller discussion list From: "M. Adam Davis" Subject: Re: [OT:] Windows XP intermittent performance To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU In-Reply-To: Precedence: list X-RCPT-TO: Status: U X-UIDL: 371856441 I usually use ad aware to find and kill the majority of spy/mal/adware type programs, and then a good virus program. Then you should disconnect any network drives you are not actively using (often XP will attempt to scan the drive tree when you open any file explorer window, which happens every time you save/open/etc) The only other time consumers I've found have been related to the individual program you're trying to interact with, or in some cases a driver problem (a scanner, for instance, which isn't connected but the driver keeps attempting communication with it which times out and blocks) But in nearly every case where people have payed me to 'fix' their machines, I've been able to: Run an up to date virus scan Run an adware removal tool Remove all programs not currently used Remove all drivers/devices not currently used Reduce number of items on desktop (no more than maybe a dozen) Run windowsupdate (load all critical patches) Turn on the built in firewall Set internet explorer and OExpress to high security settings (no executable attachments - few home users /need/ them) * other stuff In some case, on slower computers, I also reduce display candy, and remove the desktop background (which consumes an astonishingly huge amount of processor time to redraw...) I've yet to see an XP machine that doesn't speed up significantly after this. If that doesn't do the trick, then write down all the programs you use with their license information, backup your data, email, etc (can use the system transfer wizard to backup up nearly everything to a CD) and then reload from scratch. -Adam * Other stuff: Tell them to disallow their kids from loading any sort of music sharing software such as kazaa If they are somewhat computer savvy, explain to them how using a different browser, such as Mozilla, would limit their exposure, and then install it for them - setting it as the default for browsing. James Nick Sears wrote: >Hello, > >I have a Windows XP desktop that has been driving me crazy lately. Generally speaking, it runs fine for a few days and then will all at once (normally on a reboot) get into a slow motion state where it takes forever to boot, logon, open a folder, etc, sometimes to the point where it is completely useless. I then go through a regimen of defragging and running various Norton Systemworks tools, etc which typically will bring it back to life for a few days, in which it performs very well and then the cycle repeats itself. In this process I have also turned off the fancy display settings, disabled unnecessary services, set my paging file to one large constant file size, etc. > >Yesterday I had a major slowdown (couldn't even program a PIC with the damned thing), defragged my system drive and took a nap and all was well. I used it all evening into the night with no problems and shut it down before bed. I woke up this morning to work and BAM it's back running slowly again. Not as bad as sometimes, but very frustrating to use and I can't get it to program a PIC. I have defragged both partitions (several times actually) but this time the problem continues. > >As I said I have Norton Systemworks and run the virus scan and do the updates and everything so I think it's unlikely that a virus is to blame. I do have some processes running that I can't account for so I may have some spyware or something running, but killing them does no good. What is a good spyware/adware/etcware removal program (preferably free but I'd be willing to pay if it came with an excellent recommendation) to use. > >I'm starting to think it's time for a reinstall and always in the past I would have gone for it by now, but I would really rather not. Mainly I feel like MS has had sufficient time to get this stuff figured out that I SHOULDn't have to completely wipe my computer clean every few months and that there must be a better solution to keep a windows install going long-term. I wrote a software package for my full time job that manages their sales, reporting, etc and it is running on 2 XP systems that I built that are much lower end systems (all athlon XPs though) and it has been in place since 7/2002 with none of these problems. The point is that I use my computer pretty heavily and I'm sure that is largely to blame but what is the sense in having an 1.8GHz machine if you can only do with it what you would with a Pentium 100MHz without having it self-destruct. > >Anyway I am a pretty big fan really of MS stuff *when it works properly* so I hope I'm just missing something or have some adware leeching around. Any ideas would be appreciated. > >Thanks, >Nick > >-- >http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different >ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details. > > > > > -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body .