My PC is sooooooooooo slow I fear it's inherited another virus.

I have a Dell Inspiron 530 with Vista so never gonna win any races but it does it's job ok.

Norton slows it down further but still ok, but now it's pathetic and can take a minute to load a page - in fact it still hasn't loaded all the smilies yet on this one  >:(

I have Spybot, A Squared and Ad Aware and run them regularly but it's no better.

Suggestions please.............

Check the amount of used space on the HDD. Tolerate no more than 85% full.

How much Ram has it got?

What was the last application you installed?

A simple suggestion, throw that POS Norton away ;) It's a system hogger, an up to date version of a free AV program like AVG or Avast and your windows firewall will be more than enough.

press cntrl+alt+delete to enter "Task manager"

1. How many "processes" are running - figure in bottom left corner ?

2. don't move anything for 5 seconds, what is CPU usage in %  ??

click on the "performance" tab

3. What is the PF Usage showing left hand square box .. a thin green line at the bottom or a really thick one filling the box ??

try using msconfig to remove unnecessary programs at start up

http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html

ps: be careful if you decide to remove Norton ..(take back up)

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:16:

press cntrl+alt+delete to enter "Task manager" 1. How many "processes" are running - figure in bottom left corner ? 63 2. don't move anything for 5 seconds, what is CPU usage in %  ?? click on the "performance" tab 4% 3. What is the PF Usage showing left hand square box .. a thin green line at the bottom or a really thick one filling the box ??

Just under half full - 884MB - Full at 2GB

.

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:18:

try using msconfig to remove unnecessary programs at start up http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html ps: be careful if you decide to remove Norton ..(take back up)

Oohh yes - be very carefull if trying to remove Norton. If you don't get it just right you will have a mess that needs hours of web surfing, file deletion and regisrty hacking to sort out.

...so speaks the voice of painful experience  :(

okies .. you have something running quite hard in the background ...

cntrl+alt+del again .. then hit the "processes" tab along the top ..

now click the CPU box twice .. this will put the column in to usage order ...

top one should be "system Idle process"   the others might now flick about a bit .. youi ned to read what processes are working whilst you do nothing .. don't touch mouse/keyboard and have as many other programmes turned off as you can ...

Bandit127 wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:25:

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:18: try using msconfig to remove unnecessary programs at start up http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html ps: be careful if you decide to remove Norton ..(take back up) Oohh yes - be very carefull if trying to remove Norton. If you don't get it just right you will have a mess that needs hours of web surfing, file deletion and regisrty hacking to sort out. ...so speaks the voice of painful experience  :(

yep..

Bandit127 wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:25:

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:18: try using msconfig to remove unnecessary programs at start up http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html ps: be careful if you decide to remove Norton ..(take back up) Oohh yes - be very carefull if trying to remove Norton. If you don't get it just right you will have a mess that needs hours of web surfing, file deletion and regisrty hacking to sort out. ...so speaks the voice of painful experience  :(

Best way to remove norton is to download the "removal tool" from the norton web site .. ridiculous I know .. but it actually saves a load of hassle in the long run ...

Bandit127 wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:12:

Check the amount of used space on the HDD. Tolerate no more than 85% full. How much Ram has it got? What was the last application you installed?

I think it has 2GB and physical memory used is 47%

Some other data that may help:
OS (C) 241GB free of 288GB
Recovery (D) 5.86GB free of 9.99GB

MSMXL 4.0 SP2 Published by Microsoft Corp 1.26MB was last install.

other experiments

http://www.ghacks.net/2008/04/17/fix-for-poor-network-performance-in-windows-vista/

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:07:

My PC is sooooooooooo slow I fear it's inherited another virus. I have a Dell Inspiron 530 with Vista so never gonna win any races but it does it's job ok. Norton slows it down further but still ok, but now it's pathetic and can take a minute to load a page - in fact it still hasn't loaded all the smilies yet on this one  >:( I have Spybot, A Squared and Ad Aware and run them regularly but it's no better. Suggestions please.............

If you have upgraded to to the latest SyBot then you will find an additional icon in the task bar or system tray (bottom right corner). I can't remember whats its called but had the same effect on my PC. So I uninstalled it and went back to the old version and hey presto; speed restored.  :y :y

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:21:

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:16: press cntrl+alt+delete to enter "Task manager" 1. How many "processes" are running - figure in bottom left corner ? 63 2. don't move anything for 5 seconds, what is CPU usage in %  ?? click on the "performance" tab 4% 3. What is the PF Usage showing left hand square box .. a thin green line at the bottom or a really thick one filling the box ?? Just under half full - 884MB - Full at 2GB .

When looking in Task manager look at what is using the CPU you probably have [in processes] something there that is hogging power  eg svchost.exe there will be several of these if one as a crazy % like could be 90% delete it!
Also as someone said previously norton is a system hog  Try the AVG freebie it will do the job :y
Also you may have lots of programmes starting up in the background that you dont realise ....typr msconfig in RUN box & go to start up tab & untick some .....link here for a guide to what you can safely shut down..
http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php :y GL

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:26:

okies .. you have something running quite hard in the background ... cntrl+alt+del again .. then hit the "processes" tab along the top .. now click the CPU box twice .. this will put the column in to usage order ... top one should be "system Idle process"   the others might now flick about a bit .. youi ned to read what processes are working whilst you do nothing .. don't touch mouse/keyboard and have as many other programmes turned off as you can ...

Top of the list are

iexplorer.exe 70,640k
ieuser.exe 3,776k
explorer.exe 19,236k
dwm.exe 14,180k

if you remove Norton by any means the system sooner or later will require a fresh install..Because it makes the system really unstable..And personally I wouldnt trust a PC in that state.. :-/

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:37:

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:26: okies .. you have something running quite hard in the background ... cntrl+alt+del again .. then hit the "processes" tab along the top .. now click the CPU box twice .. this will put the column in to usage order ... top one should be "system Idle process"   the others might now flick about a bit .. youi ned to read what processes are working whilst you do nothing .. don't touch mouse/keyboard and have as many other programmes turned off as you can ... Top of the list are iexplorer.exe 70,640k ieuser.exe 3,776k explorer.exe 19,236k dwm.exe 14,180k

those look pretty normal to me

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:28:

Bandit127 wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:25: cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:18: try using msconfig to remove unnecessary programs at start up http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html ps: be careful if you decide to remove Norton ..(take back up) Oohh yes - be very carefull if trying to remove Norton. If you don't get it just right you will have a mess that needs hours of web surfing, file deletion and regisrty hacking to sort out. ...so speaks the voice of painful experience  :( Best way to remove norton is to download the "removal tool" from the norton web site .. ridiculous I know .. but it actually saves a load of hassle in the long run ...

You are right. But - you have to get exactly the right version of removal tool. Or you are left with a mess of ... (as per previous post).

Bandit127 wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:48:

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:28: Bandit127 wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:25: cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:18: try using msconfig to remove unnecessary programs at start up http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_vista.html ps: be careful if you decide to remove Norton ..(take back up) Oohh yes - be very carefull if trying to remove Norton. If you don't get it just right you will have a mess that needs hours of web surfing, file deletion and regisrty hacking to sort out. ...so speaks the voice of painful experience  :( Best way to remove norton is to download the "removal tool" from the norton web site .. ridiculous I know .. but it actually saves a load of hassle in the long run ... You are right. But - you have to get exactly the right version of removal tool. Or you are left with a mess of ... (as per previous post).

I can live with the 2 second delay caused by Norton - it's the 30+ delay in loading OOF pages that's getting me down - and don't even get me started on Ebay speed  :'(

my idea is : your internet explorer is damaged somewhat..Try other internet tools , if not slow you need to repair ie

As willyboy says .. that looks normal for a vista machine ....  :(

I'm guessing that norton is checking every single aspect of every page before loading it, therec is a way of turning off page checking somewhere .. but as i don't use norton I can't remember how ... :(

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:52:

my idea is : your internet explorer is damaged somewhat..Try other internet tools , if not slow you need to repair ie

Sorry Cem, I lost that one in translation....say again. :y

cem is suggesting you try something like mozilla as a web browser in case internet exploder is faulty .. :)

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:57:

cem is suggesting you try something like mozilla as a web browser in case internet exploder is faulty .. :)

How do I do that then?  

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:52:

my idea is : your internet explorer is damaged somewhat..Try other internet tools , if not slow you need to repair ie

Agreed.

Try turning your modem, router and PC off. Switch back on in reverse order - leave 60 secs between each.

Try the following, in order:
The latest version of IE (if on v.7 revert to 6 and re-install v.7)

Open a command prompt. Type:
ipconfig /release
then
ipconfig /renew

Remove your network adapter from the hardware list. Reboot and let it re-install.

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:55:

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:52: my idea is : your internet explorer is damaged somewhat..Try other internet tools , if not slow you need to repair ie Sorry Cem, I lost that one in translation....say again. :y

I have this experience with internet explorer many times..To proove this you can use something like firefox..if its fast it means  ie registry is damaged ..You need to repair..But not easy to do. google how to repair ie 7 vista..

Its all a personal taste thing but I prefer Mozilla Firefox  beats IE  all the time never use IE hardly unless Mozilla not allowed on M-soft sites, then I have to use it ... ::)

PS type in Google   IE 7 problems theres a list a mile long ! :y

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:59:

Entwood wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 21:57: cem is suggesting you try something like mozilla as a web browser in case internet exploder is faulty .. :) How do I do that then?

download and install firefox..So you will have 2 different explorers..

Now I use firefox and ie8 beta at the same time..They can stay together..

Download Mozilla firefox from here ...

http://developer.mozilla.org/devnews/index.php/2008/06/17/how-to-get-firefox-3/


IMHO its way better than IE anyway .. :)

You have to keep IE because

1) windows won't work without it ..

2) some sites use MS version of HTML so won't display properly in Mozilla ..  very few but it happens .. :(

After shutting down and restarting per Bandit advice I note "Norton antivirus detection is out of date and turned off"

Is this a factor?

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 22:13:

After shutting down and restarting per Bandit advice I note "Norton antivirus detection is out of date and turned off" Is this a factor?

probably no..

did your license with norton expired

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 22:13:

After shutting down and restarting per Bandit advice I note "Norton antivirus detection is out of date and turned off" Is this a factor?

you could well have a virus in that case

even if there's a virus my money is on ie broken registry..viruses or trojans rarely slow down a pc to that extent..I passed similiar paths many time..

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 22:16:

did your license with norton expired

No, the licence is good for another 200 days

Let the Norton stay then..if you play up with it, will bring other problems.. :-X

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 22:24:

Let the Norton stay then..if you play up with it, will bring other problems.. :-X

Ok. Firefox downloading as we speak. :y

Not sure Firefox is any better - I just got this message

Network Timed Out

The server at www.omegaowners.com is taking too long to respond.

The requested site did not respond to a connection request and the browser has stopped waiting for a reply.

   * Could the server be experiencing high demand or a temporary outage?  Try again later.
   * Are you unable to browse other sites? Check the computer's network connection.
   * Is your computer or network protected by a firewall or proxy?  Incorrect settings can interfere with Web browsing.
   * Still having trouble? Consult your network administrator or Internet provider for assistance.

I also need some plug ins for other sites, so I'll play around and let you know how it's going tomorrow.

Thanks guys  :y

Ok..Last things coming to my mind try this

http://www.ghacks.net/2008/04/17/fix-for-poor-network-performance-in-windows-vis...

I,m sorry but this isnt help as such but... I dumped Winblows 4 years ago for Linux,I have never looked back.

From my experience helping others with clogged up xp and vista installs,the so called 'Free' Norton was a big factor in the Equation.
All I do is remove all the personal data on to a usb hard drive and strip the OS back to a bare install-then install Clamav.
The next step is to convince the user to set up a user account and stop using the bloody thing as Administrator all the time!
The only time you should log in as Admin is to do updates or install some new software etc.

Eddie

cem wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 22:52:

Ok..Last things coming to my mind try this http://www.ghacks.net/2008/04/17/fix-for-poor-network-performance-in-windows-vis...

if you can reach, check this adress info important..

apart from the known speed issue caused by norton, is the pc speed ok when not web browsing?  Does it take a long time to boot (the time from when you enter your password, the screen goes blankish, till the time the desktop is up, and all icons are present)?

download advanced windows care from http://www.iobit.com/beta.html
once installed click the big blue care button, also in settings set pc to top performance to get best out of it

Sounds like u got something nasty on there which is nicking bandwidth - changing browser unlikely to help if thats the case.

Try and get hold of Hijack this and run - save output as log file.

If u pm me then & email log file 2 me I may be able to identify issue and help.

Chopsdad wrote on 14. Oct 2008 at 22:45:

Not sure Firefox is any better - I just got this message Network Timed Out The server at www.omegaowners.com is taking too long to respond. The requested site did not respond to a connection request and the browser has stopped waiting for a reply.    * Could the server be experiencing high demand or a temporary outage?  Try again later.    * Are you unable to browse other sites? Check the computer's network connection.    * Is your computer or network protected by a firewall or proxy?  Incorrect settings can interfere with Web browsing.    * Still having trouble? Consult your network administrator or Internet provider for assistance. I also need some plug ins for other sites, so I'll play around and let you know how it's going tomorrow. Thanks guys  :y

Errm. I responded earlier with 'uninstall SpyBot', did you do it? The latest version of SpyBot installs a resident program which checks the content of everything 'web related' that you do. Try it, I take it you've got the original in your Download folder.

Plomien wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 10:17:

download advanced windows care from http://www.iobit.com/beta.html once installed click the big blue care button, also in settings set pc to top performance to get best out of it

Just tried this out. Looks good - registry repair, lightweight spyware check, defragger and more. And it's free.  :)

Good find  :y

Bandit127 wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 13:34:

Plomien wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 10:17: download advanced windows care from http://www.iobit.com/beta.html once installed click the big blue care button, also in settings set pc to top performance to get best out of it Just tried this out. Looks good - registry repair, lightweight spyware check, defragger and more. And it's free.  :) Good find  :y

I've downloaded it and it found errors with:

1 Start up program
16 Add/Remove programs
6 File Extensions
1 Temp files
8 Custom controls
80 Deep scan

but it wants £29.99 to repair them - is it worth it?

Hi,
did you tried network performance arrangement in the link ?

Chopsdad wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:19:

but it wants £29.99 to repair them - is it worth it?

NO! It did mine for free... How strange.

My gut feeling is that it is due to networking. Have you done a speedtest?
http://www.speedtest.net/

Chopsdad wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:19:

Bandit127 wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 13:34: Plomien wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 10:17: download advanced windows care from http://www.iobit.com/beta.html once installed click the big blue care button, also in settings set pc to top performance to get best out of it Just tried this out. Looks good - registry repair, lightweight spyware check, defragger and more. And it's free.  :) Good find  :y I've downloaded it and it found errors with: 1 Start up program 16 Add/Remove programs 6 File Extensions 1 Temp files 8 Custom controls 80 Deep scan but it wants £29.99 to repair them - is it worth it?

Dont waste your money they find errors for fun  i can run some really good spy/adware programs then try one of those free downloads & it finds lots of errors (bolox) :y

PS did you look in task manager under processes like i said for svchost.exe there is usually several one is often a virus thing that hogs cpu ... :y

if your pc is running fine speed wise apart from wehn you are online, then you can limit the problems to browser or internet connection.

Since you have tried a differentbrowser that rules that out.

if you want a registry cleaner, use ccleaner, it is free and will repair problems for free, aswell as remove any unwanted temporary files you dont need which will help the general performance, but if the problem is your connection that will still remain.

there are some commands you can use to try and clear some issues with this, but it may be something beyond your contriol, i.e. your isp.

if you dont know enough to check these yourself, you could always pm someone here in the know and try to get a netmeeting set up, this will let them have a look and rule most things out, or at least give you an idea of what may be the problem, make sure its someone you trust tho, as they will have a fair amount of access to your pc.

I wouldn't go round in circles trying reg cleaners, if you've a virus or the such they wont help, and if its a reg issue your likely to have slow performance full stop.

jimbobmccoy wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 23:03:

if your pc is running fine speed wise apart from wehn you are online, then you can limit the problems to browser or internet connection. Since you have tried a differentbrowser that rules that out. if you want a registry cleaner, use ccleaner, it is free and will repair problems for free, aswell as remove any unwanted temporary files you dont need which will help the general performance, but if the problem is your connection that will still remain. there are some commands you can use to try and clear some issues with this, but it may be something beyond your contriol, i.e. your isp. if you dont know enough to check these yourself, you could always pm someone here in the know and try to get a netmeeting set up, this will let them have a look and rule most things out, or at least give you an idea of what may be the problem, make sure its someone you trust tho, as they will have a fair amount of access to your pc. I wouldn't go round in circles trying reg cleaners, if you've a virus or the such they wont help, and if its a reg issue your likely to have slow performance full stop.

As I said earlier, try removing/uninstalling SpyBot.

If you have, or can get a hold of an xp disk.  Whack it in and launch the command prompt.  Type in sfc /scannow, let it repair your files.

op.system is Vista :-/

oh, well if its vista the best thing to do is partition your hard drive, install xp, and enjoy a working pc again. :D :D

jimbobmccoy wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 12:42:

oh, well if its vista the best thing to do is partition your hard drive, install xp, and enjoy a working pc again. :D :D

Yep.. ;D

but we tried to solve the problem simply if possible :-/

gwa wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 10:47:

jimbobmccoy wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 23:03: if your pc is running fine speed wise apart from wehn you are online, then you can limit the problems to browser or internet connection. Since you have tried a differentbrowser that rules that out. if you want a registry cleaner, use ccleaner, it is free and will repair problems for free, aswell as remove any unwanted temporary files you dont need which will help the general performance, but if the problem is your connection that will still remain. there are some commands you can use to try and clear some issues with this, but it may be something beyond your contriol, i.e. your isp. if you dont know enough to check these yourself, you could always pm someone here in the know and try to get a netmeeting set up, this will let them have a look and rule most things out, or at least give you an idea of what may be the problem, make sure its someone you trust tho, as they will have a fair amount of access to your pc. I wouldn't go round in circles trying reg cleaners, if you've a virus or the such they wont help, and if its a reg issue your likely to have slow performance full stop. As I said earlier, try removing/uninstalling SpyBot.

Spybot uninstalled - no better  :(

Bandit127 wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:34:

Chopsdad wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:19: but it wants £29.99 to repair them - is it worth it? NO! It did mine for free... How strange. My gut feeling is that it is due to networking. Have you done a speedtest? http://www.speedtest.net/

Speed test results: http://www.speedtest.net/result/340060228.png

> 55 kbps    :o
< 364 kbps  

Downloading free scan speedupmypc.exe from web site

cem wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 12:37:

op.system is Vista :-/

Sorry, same again though.  This time Vista disk, run command prompt as administrator.  sfc /scannow

Chopsdad wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 20:54:

Bandit127 wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:34: Chopsdad wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:19: but it wants £29.99 to repair them - is it worth it? NO! It did mine for free... How strange. My gut feeling is that it is due to networking. Have you done a speedtest? http://www.speedtest.net/ Speed test results: http://www.speedtest.net/result/340060228.png > 55 kbps    :o < 364 kbps   Downloading free scan speedupmypc.exe from web site

Well, that looks b*stard slow from here...  ;D

Do you usually get better than that? If so you must be sure by now that you don't have a virus/trojan/son/neighbour nicking bandwidth.

I guess it must be time for the long and winding road that is Tiscali tech support.   [smiley=thumbdown.gif]

Sorry Chopsdad. Let us know when you get off the phone in a couple of days  :( :( :( :(

P.S. just checked mine on the same server and all OK for my 2 meg cable - so it's your link and not the Speedtest server.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/340071402.png
Your ping is way high too.

Do you have anything 'wireless' [router, hub etc] connected that someone could be stealing bandwidth from?

Bandit127 wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 21:08:

Chopsdad wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 20:54: Bandit127 wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:34: Chopsdad wrote on 15. Oct 2008 at 19:19: but it wants £29.99 to repair them - is it worth it? NO! It did mine for free... How strange. My gut feeling is that it is due to networking. Have you done a speedtest? http://www.speedtest.net/ Speed test results: http://www.speedtest.net/result/340060228.png > 55 kbps    :o < 364 kbps   Downloading free scan speedupmypc.exe from web site Well, that looks b*stard slow from here...  ;D Do you usually get better than that? If so you must be sure by now that you don't have a virus/trojan/son/neighbour nicking bandwidth. I guess it must be time for the long and winding road that is Tiscali tech support.   [smiley=thumbdown.gif] Sorry Chopsdad. Let us know when you get off the phone in a couple of days  :( :( :( :( P.S. just checked mine on the same server and all OK for my 2 meg cable - so it's your link and not the Speedtest server. http://www.speedtest.net/result/340071402.png Your ping is way high too.

I told you it was slow  ::)

Sorry to ask, but can't remember seeing it in the thread. Have you tried rebooting your router, in fact switch everything of and completely disconnect the router (inc network cable). After a minute reconnect router, then start switching everything else back on. I say this cos its probably the first thing Tiscali will say [thats what virgin say].

gwa wrote on 16. Oct 2008 at 21:29:

Sorry to ask, but can't remember seeing it in the thread. Have you tried rebooting your router, in fact switch everything of and completely disconnect the router (inc network cable). After a minute reconnect router, then start switching everything else back on. I say this cos its probably the first thing Tiscali will say [thats what virgin say].

Yes. Good call but it has been done. Chopsdad's reply is about halfway up the thread. (14. Oct 2008 at 22:13)

the ping, or latency is fine at 20ms, i'd only expect the speed issues reported at 750ms or above.

if a router reboot hasn't helped, have you cleared your cache, etc.
also try flushing dns, prob wont do much but it may be that there is a problem resolving the dns to your isp server, however you would prob get other issues if this was the case.
try renewing the adapter (ipconfig /release, followed by ipconfig /renew)
However, the thing that confuses the issue is that your upstraem speed is about what it should be, it only seems to be the downstream that is way off. is it on a bt line, and if so is a microfilter in place, may be worth swapping it for a new one and also testing it with no other adapters in the socket, maybe even get a line test done.

All being said though, you'll prob be best of calling your isp and reporting the problem, they have been known to limit speeds for unknown reasons, and should be able to speed things up a bit.  One last thing, doi you know how far you are from the nearest BT exchange?