My Laptop is slow

[chadwick]

Any suggestions, ideas? I am not computer minded. Being a bloke, misplaced the manual on travels and not sure why the applications take so long to open and broadband is snail pace.

Thanks for any tips advice.

[ShyTorque]

Maybe you have bought a rubbish laptop?

[future captain]

Do a scan of your computer for viruses, spyware, adware and the like, if all else fails back up the stuff you need and format the hard drive

[Conan the Librarian]

After the Adware, Spyware routine, then get CrapCleaner, which is free to download. Run it and then defrag the hard drives. Then send a fiver to the usual address.

Conan

PS Data is all backed up regularly, isn't it?

[chadwick]

Great stuff, will give the suggestions a bash

Data not backed up

[DBTL]

Oops, cue for my line: "get them security updates for your OS 2xquick" (www.windowsupdate.com)

[Conan the Librarian]

Hi Chadwick,

there are two sorts of people. Those who have lost data and those who are going to. Delay entry to the last group before doing anything exciting, but remember emails, passwords, favourites and logons, as well as the more obvious, before attacking the lappie with a lump hammer. If you do have to reformat, (very unlikely, but) you should be ok as the manufacturer supplied restore/driver disks will remember the important system stuff. If you don't have a full ensemble of the aforesaid, then go into control panel - system and expand everything in the device tab, before printing it for safe keeping. That way, you have a record of what is fitted, should you have to go chasing drivers.

It is a good exercise, but really shouldn't be needed. However, a belt and braces approach never does any harm. It is not that I am some anally retentive pedant, (I think) but more that I learned the hard way.

Yours,

ARP (Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!)


Conan

[IO540]

The #1 reason for a slow laptop is a teenage son

So, remove all software unless actually required. Reboot the machine after each removal even if not prompted for it.

Remove all AV software - that slows down even a state of the art desktop noticeably.

Preferably, restore the machine to the shop config using the supplied CDs, or do the same from the hidden partition (if this option is available).

[BEagle]

My 'spare' laptop was always slow - even with no data stored and only a few programs installed. When Norton AV2006 was installed, it almost came to a grinding halt.

But Dell PC Checkup revealed that there was insufficient memory (128Mb of RAM) - so I bought an additional 256Mb plug-in module and all is now fine.

[FormerFlake]

I recently upgraded my RAM to 512 mb and it made a huge difference to my laptop. I would reccomend everyone to have at least 512 mb of RAM these days as you are always running Firewalls, antivirus, antispyware programs etc in the back ground.

[ExSimGuy]

Manufacturers who sell PCs labelled "Designed for Windoze XP", and fit them with 256Megs of RAM should be taken to the Trades Description Act!

512Mb is the minimum (unless you just want to run NotePad and Solitaire!)

Okay, I'm a lazy type and I tend to leave Outlook, MSN Messenger, Skype, and probably an Excel price database and/or a quote in Word, all open, but I immediately put in a 1GB chip and took mine to 1.25Gb, just to be certain

(who rememebrs when, not so long ago, users with a 486, 900Kb of Ram and a 60Mb hard drive were considered "power users"!)

[fabrifx]

Originally Posted by ExSimGuy

(who rememebrs when, not so long ago, users with a 486, 900Kb of Ram and a 60Mb hard drive were considered "power users"!)

I remember when I was a kid.in the 80's, I had my first computer, it was a tandy 1000, no hard disk, 5 inch floppy disk, 64 KB of ram(then expanded to 640 KB). Processor, ram and floppy drive all inside the keyboard!

Anyways, if the pc goes slow, it could be many reasons..maybe not enough ram and u like running many programs at the same time..if it's slow when windows is starting, it could be that many unnecessary programs start at the start up with windows.. to fix this problem you can go on start, then on Execute(mine is in italian so i don't know what it is on the english version) and type msconfig..when the new window opens, go on the last window on the top right, it should be written Start-up programs or something like that..when u click on that, you should get the list of all the programs that start up when windows does so u can choose.. all programs that aren't strictly necessary or that got nothing to do with the system, shouldn't be selected(msn,adobe,quicktime..etc)..