Recently I've been having some computer problems. It may or may not be the registry that is wrong, but here's the story.
Computer specs: 2 gigs ram 2.0 dual core Turion 64x2 Processor NVidia GEForce 7300 Video Card with 250 megs of memory Windows XP Professional and an extra chill matt to boost.
So, the problem is that recently it's been freezing up and acting slowly on me. Sometimes, when it's feeling good, I get no problems. But other times, lots of other times, crap happens. Windows Media freezes up all the time while the music still plays and I can't do a thing to stop it. Winamp does the same. Pretty much the only programs that don't give me lip are my browsers and 3D Max, which consumes far more PC power than Windows Media, Photoshop CS2 and my browser, COMBINED. Heck, even After Effects is cool with me.
With a computer like mine, this is bull and shouldn't be happening.
I was thinking of doing a full system restore, after backing up my licenses, but I haven't done it because there is one program that my brother installed that we don't know how to back that license for. I'm just waiting for tech support to get me back on that one, but in the mean time I'd like to find something other than Norton, to optimize my system. At least until I can get rid of whatever is doing this to it.
EDIT: Even Windows Explorer and my Start Menu are acting up. When I press the Start button, it doesn't do a thing, until maybe 10 seconds later. But for the most part, my Start Menu stops working. It just stays there static regardless of how many times I press it.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Hmmm...I saw this problem. Try creating a new user profile and see if that clears up some of the problem (The person who had this problem had a bunch of corrupted files controlling their profile, so it screwed a lot of stuff up.) You'll probably need to copy your documents and stuff over if this is the problem, but hopefully you didn't enable that stupid "Keep my files private" option that annoyed the heck out of me today.
Alternately, RegCleaner is a pretty handy utility for digging through the registry and pulling out stuff you don't use/need anymore. In addition, do the typical anti-virus/anti-spyware scans and make sure your hard drive isn't heavily fragmented.
If you're using Norton/McAfee, ditch them and use AVG instead.
PS...Right-click C:->Properties->Tools->Check Now (under error checking)
Posted by striplingrz (Member # 9770) on :
ccCleaner is a great tool... it does alot of the same as RegCleaner (haven't used that in a while)... It also shows you what is set to autostart when you boot your computer... you can kill a lot of crap there (quicktime anyone?)... other than that i'd go see if you have all the MS updates for wmp just to be safe... what you describe sounds very much like a virus to me... you might also pull up task manager and go to the processes tab... you can recognize alot of stuff there, and for the others you can do a google search and find if they are good to have or not... i've found viruses that way before.... good luck
Posted by Adam_S (Member # 9695) on :
I'd just stop by www.majorgeeks.com they've had terrific stuff/advice for registry cleaners and whatnot for me before
Posted by Xaposert (Member # 1612) on :
You want the best registry cleaner there is?
::mails sledge hammer::
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Just clearing stuff in the startup section when running msconfig speeds up my system.
Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :
You can always try the NES method of taking a piece out, blowing in it, and then turn it back on, maybe gently hit the computer on the side as it is starting. You might even need to blow into the computer itself.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
I like the new profile idea. I would also try using CCLeaner to clean out all the crap in temp folders. It also has a mild registry cleaner. Do the msconfig thing, an antivirus check that is not Norton or McAfeee, and a defrag.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
quote:Originally posted by Xaposert: You want the best registry cleaner there is?
::mails sledge hammer::
Really? Because I've always wanted one of those.
I think I'd use it for something other than hardware and software computer uses though.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
The best registry cleaner I've found so far is, sadly, a Linux distribution.
Posted by Jutsa Notha Name (Member # 4485) on :
<obligatory>
Just buy a Mac
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
I would also recommend using a hard drive utility of some kind (most are available for free from the drive manufacturer's webpage) to do a complete surface scan to determine if your drive is developing bad sectors. Sometimes crucial files are written on parts of the hard drive that end up going bad, making them inaccessible and slowing windows or other applications down. When you start developing a lot of bad sectors, it is time to buy a new drive and clone your data NOW.
Also, windows xp has a built in disk scanning utility, though it may not be as good as the drive manufacturer utility.
Whatever you do, make sure you do the FULL SCAN option, which will take about and hour per 100gb.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jutsa Notha Name: <obligatory>
Just buy a Mac
I disown you and you are out of my will.
Not only have I always hated Macs, it's also impossible to upgrade them, let alone build your own. To top things off, I get more bang for my buck by keeping my PC. Macs are incredibly over-priced.
Besides, have you ever tried to use 3D Max on a Mac? It's like trying to run a marathon underwater.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
You've tried to run a marathon under water?! You are soooo cool!
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