Getting frustrated with slow laptop
This issue was first poted about in this thread. As a Recap: I have a Presario 2100 which I used to use for work. I reformated it when I got a new laptop for work, thinking that a fresh start would do it some good. After the reformat, it was slower, and I cannot figure out why. Eventualy, I determined that I must have simply been misremembering the previous speed of the system.
Since that time, this issue has gotten worse, and I am no longer convinced that the problem is in my head. This system is much slower than it ever was before the reformat. I was ablt to run F@H, Word, Excel, and trillian all at once with no slow down before. Now it can't even handle just having word open by itself without issues.
Here's what I've done:
checked to make surethat all of the drivers are fully updated.
Scandisked and Defraged the HD
run memtest (no errors)
run Hijackthis and had it analysed by the Icrontic SVT team.
run Adaware and Spybot (no entries found)
kept my virus scanner (Avast!) up to date the whole time.
Here's the thing:
It doesn't seem to be processing slowly; when a program is doing something that doesn't require my interaction it seems fine. What it's doing is responding slowly.
For example: Whenever I type anything, the characters don't appear on the screen for several seconds. If I click on a task on the task bar, to switch to it, it takes almost thirty second before the button even visually shows that it's been clicked, and then in takes almost an aditional minute actually complete the task-switch.
I'm almost at the point where I might try to reformat the HD and start all over again (again), but I'd like to abvoid that if possible, especially since I still don't know what's causeing the issue, so I don't know if a reformat at this point could even help.
Since that time, this issue has gotten worse, and I am no longer convinced that the problem is in my head. This system is much slower than it ever was before the reformat. I was ablt to run F@H, Word, Excel, and trillian all at once with no slow down before. Now it can't even handle just having word open by itself without issues.
Here's what I've done:
checked to make surethat all of the drivers are fully updated.
Scandisked and Defraged the HD
run memtest (no errors)
run Hijackthis and had it analysed by the Icrontic SVT team.
run Adaware and Spybot (no entries found)
kept my virus scanner (Avast!) up to date the whole time.
Here's the thing:
It doesn't seem to be processing slowly; when a program is doing something that doesn't require my interaction it seems fine. What it's doing is responding slowly.
For example: Whenever I type anything, the characters don't appear on the screen for several seconds. If I click on a task on the task bar, to switch to it, it takes almost thirty second before the button even visually shows that it's been clicked, and then in takes almost an aditional minute actually complete the task-switch.
I'm almost at the point where I might try to reformat the HD and start all over again (again), but I'd like to abvoid that if possible, especially since I still don't know what's causeing the issue, so I don't know if a reformat at this point could even help.
0
Comments
No.
edit: although, now that I think of it, I have gotten a 'low virtual memory message' twice while watching DVDs on the system. I just chalked those up to it being a fresh install, and that I haden't manually adjusted the swap-file yet.
K, I'll also do that when I get home. I knew there was more than one 2100, but I didn't know there were that many...
You shouldn't need to mess with the swap file. Low virtual mem means you are running out of memory which means you don't have enough RAM in your laptop for whatever it is you are doing. I'm betting you have 256megs of ram, which is shared with your video card leaving pretty much nothing left to run anything else. Windows is using up about half of that at any given time. Which leaves very little to run more then one other program at once.
it's a 2190US
It ran all this stuff and more just fine before the reformat.
Edit: Nvmnd, found it in the Device manager...
Erm.. The computer is a Presario 2190US, as I just saids a minute ago. The HD is a Toshiba, I just found it in the Device Manager.
I also found this thread from almost two years ago, and it seems I'm not alone in my inability to find a Toshiba Drive diagnostic program... :/
/me trundles off
I found a generic drive fitness test program from Hitachi, so now I need to go find a way to burn this iso...
http://icrontic.com/articles/advanced_data_recovery
:mad2:
/me shakes a fist and finally goes to bed
Also, are you formated to NTFS or FAT32?
Also, here is a link to the WinXP drivers page for your laptop if you don't already have it. I'm not positive that the problem isn't software related too somehow.