Your problem machine is in definite need of some help.
You/re telling me, this is only one problem area.
I have a slower machine with more RAM (Win98 SE, 300 MHz and 384 MB). The boot drive is 80 GB and the slave is 120 GB. Using Norton Utilities to defrag and speed disk normally takes less than 1-2 hrs. in the worst case for either drive.
Although these problems may not be yours, you can try them and see if it helps:
- consider more RAM. You can double what you have for $30-$50. With nearly every application today trying to run their own background processes and the prevalence of bloatware, simply adding more RAM can mean a big increase in speed and reliability.
I installed additional RAM in this machine myself. (Up from 16 MB) I was told by the RAM store that I am now maxed out for the type of memory that this machine uses.
- make sure the RAM you have installed is compatible/recommended for your system. The Dell website will have all the info, trouble shooting guides and original drivers you need for download. More often than not, I find that incorrect RAM is a leading cause for performance problems.
- check to see that your drive(s) are set up properly for your system.
They should be set to DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode and proper drivers installed. If your drives are set to PIO mode (default for some OS such as Win 2000), it can slow your system and transfer rates significantly.
They are set up for DMA.
-remove unnecessary hardware (temporary) and support software/drivers/etc. Reconnect/reconfigure them one at a time until you see a significant change in performance. In fact, this would be a good time to reformat your drive(s) and reinstall your operating system. If you choose to do this, then do it first. Make sure you back up anything you want to protect.
I’ve been working at this, sometimes accidentally. My scanner is no longer working, I think I’ve removed something as the computer no longer recognizes that the scanner is attached. (Plug and play)
- check your background processes. They can eat up performance quickly. Disable Office, Norton, etc. to see if there is significant improvement.
I’ve been doing some of this too. I’ve disabled the screen saver, task manager, and instant messenger, and sometimes don’t log onto my home network, all to no avail. I’m reluctant to disable the firewall and virus protection. I do the alt + control + delete thing every once in a while just to see what is running but am not familiar with what the display is telling me.
If you want more detail in troubleshooting, you should tell us what you are using (PC model, peripherals, software, etc.) and any recent changes, mods, or other problems you may have had.
It’s a Dell XPS R400 with as I said 128K of RAM. I have an Epson Perfection 1650 scanner and a HP DeskJet 1220C printer. I run 2 versions of AOL, 4.0 and 9.0. The 4.0 is a backup because the 9.0 sometimes crashes. I have both AIM and MS Messenger but don’t open them unless I want to use them.
My main use of the computer is in working on my genealogy. I scan pictures and documents, print items to add to my files, download and upload information to web sites, and share information with anyone who requests it.
I bought it from a friend of my son who used to record music. He has installed a HP CD Writer Plus, the unit’s second CD drive. There is some Turtle Beach and ZZ Top software that I am scared to mess with, but would like it removed.
It has not always behaved badly, it came on slowly, starting with Windows Explorer getting slower the more I used it until a reboot restored it for a bit. I suspect I have made things worse by trying to solve this problem myself.
Dell