Why has my laptop gradually got slower?

Bones

Bones

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Is it inbuilt obselescence to make me buy a new one is is there a reason that can be rectified? If so, how? I have done defrags and chkdsks but neither seem to have made much difference. The hard disk seems to rattle away as if it is busy doing something when I'm not even usinfg the thing. Any utilties out there that might identify/fix the cause?

Thx
 
Bones said:
Is it inbuilt obselescence to make me buy a new one is is there a reason that can be rectified? If so, how? I have done defrags and chkdsks but neither seem to have made much difference. The hard disk seems to rattle away as if it is busy doing something when I'm not even usinfg the thing. Any utilties out there that might identify/fix the cause?

Thx
Click to expand...

Just reinstall it and it'll be fine...

Mine is 2004 never reinstalled and a bit slow, but I can't be bothered to do a reinstall..

Alternatively install Ubuntu on it and have to op systems. For most things ubuntu is all you need.
 
Download a little piece of free software called ccleaner (http://www.piriform.com/). Clean both the system and the registry. Slow systems are usually due to loads of rubbish in the main system - usually old temp files and internet cache - cluttering up the HDD. Also the registry becomes full of obsolete entries meaning that the computer has to sort through the enlarged registry - the more books you have the longer it takes to find the one you want if you like.
 
It's because its running a microsoft based operating system and it has fundamental flaws in its design that make it run slower over time.

This in turn helps Intel (and AMD) build faster more power hungry chips to offset the problem OR do Intel build faster chips so the microsoft developers dont have to try so hard to optimise their operating systems and/or software. Chicken and egg scenario that keeps alot of people in a job (including me)

Do MACs have the same problem? Does Linux OS have the same problem ?
I have never owned a MAC but know someone that has been using the same one now for 10 years. No issues. You'd never get that out of anything from microsoft.
I have a Tivo (digital tv recorder with a 120 GB hard drive) It has not been rebooted in 2 years (had it since '98) and it is still as fast a the day i got it. That runs Linux.

Anyway running crap cleaner as mentioned above will do a little, but a rebuild is the best performance step you can take. As the necessary microsoft updates get redownloaded onto you system after rebuild, you'll notice a gradual decline in performance.
Another big resource eater is antivirus s/w. Depending on how this is configured can really make a difference. COMODO is free and does not chew loads of CPU either.

So my recommendation would be to

1. Rebuild PC and install s/w todo with h/w i.e. camera/printers etc
2. Install updates and all s/w you had before
3. Install COMODO
 
PM me the details of your laptop - I do this type of work for Insurance companies....

One of the biggest issues I've found is in fact the internal over-heating of components. Fluff & Dust are common problems that get sucked into the units from being used on table-cloths, duvets or perhaps just on one's lap.

This is something you should check perhaps......... heat is the worst enemy!!!

Software as per previous advice could be to blame as well, but don't ignore the hardware problem possibility
 
Whats really happening is the power supply is getting older and it can't put out the right amount of volts to keep it running fast.

They just get old and tired.. Clean the plug terminals with a heavy duty contact cleaner, mr sheen should do it.

Then push the plug in hard to make sure its connected properley.

You should be ok now - if not , a new power supply with extra volts always helps. :thumb2
 
GoosePilot said:
PM me the details of your laptop - I do this type of work for Insurance companies....

One of the biggest issues I've found is in fact the internal over-heating of components. Fluff & Dust are common problems that get sucked into the units from being used on table-cloths, duvets or perhaps just on one's lap.

This is something you should check perhaps......... heat is the worst enemy!!!

Software as per previous advice could be to blame as well, but don't ignore the hardware problem possibility
Click to expand...

Hi GoosePilot, I'm not ashamed, so here are the system details for all to see.

It's a Dell Latitude D610, Intel 1.86GHz Centrino Pentium processor 504MB of RAM, 60GB c: drive of which 60% is free. Running XP profesional
 
Kaister said:
Whats really happening is the power supply is getting older and it can't put out the right amount of volts to keep it running fast.

They just get old and tired.. Clean the plug terminals with a heavy duty contact cleaner, mr sheen should do it.

Then push the plug in hard to make sure its connected properley.

You should be ok now - if not , a new power supply with extra volts always helps. :thumb2
Click to expand...

That's intertesting. I have a spare (hardly used) power supply. I will give it a go. Does cleaning the mains plug really improve output. I might have to start cleaning the plugs on all my 'mains' appliances.
 
Thanks all

Thanks to all for your replies. I have installed ccleaner and will do a reinstall if I have to. I hate to think how many OS updates there have been since I bought this thing
 
Bones said:
Thanks to all for your replies. I have installed ccleaner and will do a reinstall if I have to. I hate to think how many OS updates there have been since I bought this thing
Click to expand...

My daughter has the same laptop , she had the same symptoms , eventually the laptop stop working . We had to have a rebuild ( full reinstall ) of the laptop. Works perfectly now. She is a heavy user, school work, leisure .
 
Go download Startup Control Panel and install. It puts an applet in control panel that easily lets you turn off all the helpers and programs that run at startup that have mounted up over the years (things like camera detection software, printer tools, MSN, etc). Just go through the lists and toggle off anything that looks dodgy or you know you don't use anymore. Google other entries to see if you need them. This will free memory, processor cycles, and also improve boot times by not having all this crap running in the background. If you find programs that don't work correctly you can toggle their resident part back on (Acrobat reader is one).
 
Kaister said:
Whats really happening is the power supply is getting older and it can't put out the right amount of volts to keep it running fast.

They just get old and tired.. Clean the plug terminals with a heavy duty contact cleaner, mr sheen should do it.

Then push the plug in hard to make sure its connected properley.

You should be ok now - if not , a new power supply with extra volts always helps. :thumb2
Click to expand...

Having worked in IT for many years I have never ever heard that...... sounds like a wind up to me....

The reasons for the slowness have been mentioned, over sized registry full of invalid data, badly fragmented Hard Drive.

A rebuild is the best option but also the biggest pain in the arse.

I would recomend downloading a free 30day trial of Diskeeper from http://www.diskeeper.com/trialware/trialwareproducts.aspx and defrag your drive, if it is very badly fragmented you will see a huge difference.
There are free defraggers out there but they are pretty useless and make little difference to performance.

I also use 'Regcure' to clean my registry (costs a few quid) and this made a huge difference on a recent machine I was working on.
http://www.regcure.com/

Do the above before rebuilding as diskeeper is free for 30 days and the few quid for regcure is worth not having to spend days (or longer) getting your PC back to normal.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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