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Author Topic: Netbook hangs and freezes  (Read 5209 times)

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salachic

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    Netbook hangs and freezes
    « on: June 18, 2016, 07:30:34 PM »
    I have an  Acer Aspire One that I purchased 11/09. 2gb memory, 250gb HD. Intel Atom Z520 processor, Vista Home Basic
    AO751h-1279
    I don't use it for much, basically just occasionally looking for something on the internet.... but it mostly used very rarely because it is sooooo slow. Just doing a simple google search....sometimes it never shows me anything.  Also, quite often once it is left alone, when I come back, it will not wake back up.... requiring a hard reboot.
    I run malwarebytes, superantispyware often. I have recently followed the directions on this site for clearing temp files and scandisk etc. No improvement.

    I will be leaving in 2 weeks to go abroad to take a class and will need a small computer. Is this something that can be fixed? Or should I be shopping for a newer netbook? Thanks.

    Geek-9pm


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    Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
    « Reply #1 on: June 18, 2016, 08:24:58 PM »
    Quote
    I will be leaving in 2 weeks to go abroad to take a class and will need a small computer. Is this something that can be fixed? Or should I be shopping for a newer netbook? Thanks
    Short answer is No, you will not fix it in time. You can buy a good computer from many outlets. Here in the USA you can get a good price on a computer at a Walmart store,. But if they do not have what you need in stock, then can pull it from another store with no shipping change.
    IMO, a refurbished laptop is your best option. You just want it to work and don't care about fashion.
    http://www.walmart.com/browse/electronics/refurbished-laptops/3944_3951_1089430_1230091_1230092
    No, this is not a endorsement. Other discount vendors \have some of the same stuff at about the same price. What matters in the kind of warranty they support.

    DaveLembke



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    Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
    « Reply #2 on: June 19, 2016, 05:48:42 AM »
    Quote
    Also, quite often once it is left alone, when I come back, it will not wake back up.... requiring a hard reboot.

    Back around that time period some systems were having issues with power management with hibernation. You can try setting it to never go to sleep. But the issue here is that the netbook is weak. I have a netbook myself with a 1.66Ghz Atom N280 ( 1 single physical core with 1 hyperthread acting like 2 cores ) and its quite slow. Its processing benchmark is the equivalent of a Pentium 4 2.53Ghz with Integrated graphics. Additionally back in the day i use to play youtube on it in 360p and it would be somewhat ok, but these days it chokes on video streaming etc. I bought my netbook around the same time November 2009 on a black friday deal. Modern computing is a bit much for it 7 years later for an already weak CPU then 7 years ago, its that much weaker today to handle todays processing needs as everything becomes more complex and CPU processor hungry.

    One thing you can try to get this laptop fixed if its more problems then it just freezing after walking away from it is, create restore media or use restore media on it and set it back to clean build just as the day you bought it and first turned it on, then perform all updates and maybe that will help.

    But when it comes to the Intel Atom processors, they are quite weak. You might want to buy a new computer or a refurb that is more powerful. What type of stuff do you need to run on the computer? ( Such as if you into graphic design or programming or CAD or anything requiring lots of computer use, you definitely will want to get a faster computer to make for better productivity of your time vs having to crawl on a slow computer.

    salachic

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      Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
      « Reply #3 on: June 19, 2016, 07:15:23 AM »
      Thank you for the replies. I don't run anything super out of the ordinary on this machine.... yesterday I tried to check my yahoo mail and it just kept spinning and spinning... finally had to pull out a different devise. :(
      I just need to be able to check my online emails, use google docs/sheets, view the occasional youtube video etc. If I could run Microsoft products like Word as well, that would be a plus.
      When I first got the machine, it ran fine. I am not running anything different on it. What is restore media? Does that clean out all the "gunk" that might be somewhere hidden? Or is it more like a factory reset button?

      strollin



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      Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
      « Reply #4 on: June 19, 2016, 07:23:16 AM »
      Vista has always been known as a resource hog.  If I had that machine, I would get a copy of either Win 7, Win 8 or Win 10 and install it.  I have owned a number of Acer Aspire One netbooks that originally came with XP installed.  I have run Win 7, Win 8.x and Win 10 on all of them and they worked great.

      The Intel Atom processor is roughly equivalent to a Pentium 4 cpu in performance.  Not particularly bad but much slower than any of the Intel Core i processors (i3, i5, i7).  The Atom's main design goal was (and still is) power efficiency because it was designed for mobile devices (like netbooks).

      If you decide to look for a newer netbook because you want something small to carry around, I would recommend that you look into a Windows tablet.  A Windows tablet is great as it can run all the same software as a netbook or laptop which an iPad or an Android tablet can't do.  Most Windows tablets run a newer version of the Atom processor and do quite well running Windows 10.  Many Windows tablets come with the Home/Student version of MS Office.  Check out the Dell Venue 8 Pro 3000 for a decent Windows tablet for less than $200.

      Another option to consider would be a Chromebook.  Chromebooks can't run MS Word like a Windows tablet can but they integrate really well with Google Docs.
      « Last Edit: June 19, 2016, 07:43:12 AM by strollin »

      salachic

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        Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
        « Reply #5 on: June 19, 2016, 07:36:58 AM »
        Thanks. I have a chromebook from work, and yes, it runs very smoothly. However, I will be traveling this summer and do not what to take something with me that is not really mine.  Also, where I will be this summer, I will not always have internet available. So I am thinking that if I got a new netbook (small, with a real keyboard and actual harddrive) then I can keep working. :)

        Any suggestions on a diagnostic tool I can use on my current one so I can know what the problem was before I use it for target practice?

        salachic

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          Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
          « Reply #6 on: June 19, 2016, 12:23:57 PM »
          Ok, so I have been playing with this thing a bit and here are my updates:
          1. apparently I must have upgraded at some point because it is running Win 7 Home Premium
          2. I ran the memory diagnostic tool - all good
          3. I ran the system file checker scan - all good
          4. I tried to do the F8 Repair you computer option --- but couldn't remember the admin password
          5. I am now trying to run the Windows Experience Index but when I try to get a recent rating it crashes to a black screen (2x)


          patio

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          Re: Netbook hangs and freezes
          « Reply #7 on: June 19, 2016, 04:12:43 PM »
          Give up the ghost...and prepare for your trip.
          " Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist should have his head examined. "