SLOWWWW Celeron 667 machine

[mcfaddenator]

Hello CH Forums,
I primarily use a nice fast computer, but my mom has an 8-year-old Celeron 667 HP Pavilion machine. Its specs are as follows:

Celeron 667MHz (i think P2 based)
256MB PC133 RAM
30GB Hard Disk
82810E graphics
5MB internet connection over 10/100 LAN
Came with 64MB RAM and WinME, upgraded to 256/WinXP SP3
It has suddenly become VERY slow since the last time I used it, especially in internet speed. The speed tests show the proper speed, but it takes forever to load a page that my home computer (Core 2, 2GB RAM, 8400 GS) can do very quickly. Is it hardware-related? Any ideas on what caused the sudden slowdown?

[Zylstra]

Well, your kind of hitting yourself over the head with a 667MHz processor and Windows XP. Sure, it meets the minimum requirements, but, the word minimum is important.
All you need to read a book is fingers for brail, but, wouldent you rather see the words with your eyes?
(I've been working on metaphores lately)


Anyways, one question about the specifications you listed:
"5MB internet connection over 10/100 LAN"
There is no such thing as a 5MB Internet Connection. Or were you talking about the download speed, measured over speedtest.net?

And, now for full scaled troubleshooting:
What antivirus, spyware, and adware scanning programs do you have?
The number one cause of sudden system performance decrease is a virus.
Or did this happen over time?

You might consider cleaning out your temporary files, and the system registry using a program called Ccleaner, available for free at www.ccleaner.com
It probably wont help an incredible amount alone though. While you are running that program, go to the Tools panel, and then "Startup"
Disable (but, dont delete) any startup items which you do not use on that computer.
Second, go to the Uninstall area. Remove what you do not use.

[Trizle1]

During memory upgrading, did you add a higher memory to your PC or did you replace the old RAM with the new one? If you added an additional memory(RAM), your PC speed will run at the rate of the slowest Memory, and secondly RAM gets weak with time. My suggestion for Memory upgrade is to get a new compatible RAM of greater capacity but must meet your motherboard requirement. Goodluck Ovie aka Trizle

[BC_Programmer]

and secondly RAM gets weak with time.

what does that even mean?

[Zylstra]

Flash memory (Kind you find in a memory card, or flash drive) can in fact get weaker, however, RAM Will not. RAM has no memory effect whatsoever.

[Dias de verano]

RAM gets weak with time.

Nonsense. Please do not post stupid rubbish on this forum.

Check this guy's other posts!

[computeruler]

wow most of them are about ram getting weaker!

[BC_Programmer]

OMG like totally ROXOR.

[mcfaddenator]

Doh!

I realized she downloaded a fake antivirus (Pro AntiSpyware 2009), with bundled adware. Will get permission to uninstall and replace with a real one(probably Avast), then check back.

[DaveLembke]

I would look for an upgrade solution to this hardware, I wouldnt waste any money on this system to add Ram or swap the CPU for a Pentium III in which the microcode in the bios might not support PIII CPU if a throw away type box.

 Not to solicit in favor of Tiger Direct, but in my oppinion, I have had great success with Tiger Directs Refurbished HP and Compaq models. You can buy a reconditioned HP or Compaq Desktop Small Form Factor Pentium 4  - 2.80 Ghz with 40GB HD, 512MB Ram, and Windows XP Pro, with a 1 year warranty to hardware for under $200. And if you really want to skimp on cost you can get a first generation Pentium 4 1.7 or 1.8 Ghz for around $120 with warranty which would blow the side panels off of that celeron 667 box.

Most of the refurbs are off-lease systems from corporations, that get blown clean and resold at a bargain price.

That celeron 667 is only good as a Linux box or old school software ...sorry to say... I have a celeron 500 that i use as a FTP and Web Server, other than that its worthless for anything CPU intensive, and I am running Linux Fedora Core distro on it with 256 MB Ram.

[BC_Programmer]

their asking for help getting an old computer running. they aren't looking to purchase a new computer, even though it is a good deal

That celeron 667 is only good as a Linux box or old school software

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing this type of BS. I used a 350 Mhz AMD K6-2 for 7 years with windows XP and I never had a single problem, speed related or otherwise. Warranted, the most intensive game I ran on it was Quake 3 (at a comfortable 60fps at 1024x768), but it was mostly for programming. The fact is, the only thing required is careful selection of software that will run.

Doh!

I realized she downloaded a fake antivirus (Pro AntiSpyware 2009), with bundled adware.

Make a post in the malware forum about removing that. It is scamware that slows down the PC and hijacks the browser. The uninstaller either won't work, will say that it's "required for functionality".

In fact; this program is likely one of the causes of your slowdowns. I recommend however doing another scan, since a fake anti-virus is about as useful at detecting and removing viruses as a piece of cheese shaped like george clooney, and in fact many double as trojan downloaders, and purposely infect the machine to try to show how much you "need" to purchase the full version.

[Trizle1]

I mean its performance reduces as it works with time.

[Dias de verano]

I mean its performance reduces as it works with time.

Not only is that meaningless, it is even more rubbish than what you wrote before. RAM performance does NOT degrade with time. You have now been told TWICE. Do not spam this forum with nonsense.

[patio]

I work with Time all the time...are you saying my performance is degrading the more i work with Time ? ?

[computeruler]

well technically hes right because the performance does decrease when it breaks

[patio]

well technically hes right because the performance does decrease when it breaks

This is worse than his comments...you guys should quit while you're still ahead.

[fgdn17]

is it by any chance running Norton OR McAfee? If it is with xp and that small amount of memory your going to be dead all the time...both the above mentioned anti-virus programs are resource hogs...if your running either they are most likely slowing that system down....increase the memory to start...

Good Luck

[computeruler]

norton does suck it slowed down my 3ghz p4 1gb ram computer

[killerb255]

Okay peeps, we already have the problem (old machine that's slower on the net than even its usual slowness) and what the OP is doing (found rogue anti-malware program--will clean it off and put good anti-malware program on).  No need to go further until we hear back from him.

Yes, we know Norton sucks.

No, RAM does not deteriorate over time.  FLASH memory has a limited number of write cycles, but not physical RAM.

Yes, you can be happy with an old PC if its capabilities suit your needs and your mind is used to the pace in which the PC performs.  However, it's difficult to address any hardware problems that may occur on older PCs, as available replacement hardware is either nonexistent, existent only by special order, existent through auctions like eBay, and/or costs as much as new hardware, creating a situation where you're throwing good money at bad...or bad money at good...or however the expression goes.

[Dias de verano]

throwing good money at bad...or bad money at good...or however the expression goes.

Where I come from, we say "throwing good money after bad" to describe that situation.

Can I just say that I really hate it when people write "SLOWWWWWW" to mean "slow"? It doesn't make us understand the word "slow" any better, because we understood it OK already.

[BC_Programmer]

Can I just say that I really hate it when people write "SLOWWWWWW" to mean "slow"? It doesn't make us understand the word "slow" any better, because we understood it OK already.

come to think of it, that would be similar to writing the word "incomplete" as "incomp"

trying to introduce phonetic onomatopoeia in such a fashion doesn't work very well.

[Dias de verano]

My other pet hate is when (mainly Americans, I'm afraid) want to express "cuteness" they write an 'a' followed by a huge number of 'w's like this

oh look a cute little kitty awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[BC_Programmer]

My other pet hate is when (mainly Americans, I'm afraid) want to express "cuteness" they write an 'a' followed by a huge number of 'w's like this

oh look a cute little kitty awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

yeah, wouldn't the proper grammar be something like, "oh look, a cute kitty. I am in awe to it's cuteness"

and I say 2 is the limit with the informal use of the word aww. The extra w's do nothing to enhance it's meaning. Heck, just put a bar over top like with numbers that go on.

[killerb255]

Can I just say that I really hate it when people write "SLOWWWWWW" to mean "slow"? It doesn't make us understand the word "slow" any better, because we understood it OK already.

In that particular case, it's not an issue of understanding the word.  It's a matter of understanding the degree or intensity of it.

I would see "SLOWWWWW" to mean "extremely slow" or "slower than a turtle."  Sometimes this is a good way to convey an extreme when compared to a gray area.  This is helpful in a world where many people are taught to think only in black and white and shun away from "complicated gray areas."

To me, anything slower than 1.5 GHz is slow.  A Celeron 667 MHz is "SLOWWWW" to me.  That's just opinion, though, as a Celeron 667 can be functional enough for many (as BC_Programmer has indicated earlier with his AMD K6-2 350 MHz).

As for the OP's use of the term...it might just be a little too dramatic here.

come to think of it, that would be similar to writing the word "incomplete" as "incomp"

"Incomp," on the other hand, doesn't really convey any additional meaning other than someone was either in a hurry or was just being lazy.

As long as what's typed is understandable, I don't care.  If I can easily correct someone's spelling, grammar, or punctuation, then I can understand the meaning of their message enough to reply to it appropriately.  If I'm confused as all *censored* to the point where I can't correct it, then there's something horribly wrong.

[Dias de verano]

As long as what's typed is understandable, I don't care.

Well, thank you for sharing that with us. In general I tend to agree with you, but one of the good things about humanity is that we're all different. I get a bug up my arse ("*censored*" for N. Americans) about things like "ewwwwww" and "awwwwwww" and "plzzzzzz" etc but that's just me I suppose.

[killerb255]

Well, thank you for sharing that with us. In general I tend to agree with you, but one of the good things about humanity is that we're all different.

Agreed.  Of course one of the bad things about humanity is that we all have a subconscious want for others to be the same to keep things simple for ourselves, but as long as we keep in mind that this isn't realistic, and that we are, indeed, different, then no harm no foul.

I get a bug up my arse ("a*s" for N. Americans) about things like "ewwwwww" and "awwwwwww" and "plzzzzzz" etc but that's just me I suppose.

Nah.  It's not just you.   Everyone has their pet peeves.

I'm not a big fan of "plzzzzzzz" myself--comes off as either laziness or just trying too hard to be "cool."  Not much we can do about it, though.  That's why I resigned myself to "If it's understandable, I can work with it."

One of my pet peeves is when I hear someone from the ghettos of North America mock the way I talk because I don't speak in (I'll try not to be politically incorrect here) "Ebonics" or "African-American Vernacular English," despite being black myself.  Who are they to tell me how I should talk?  It's no different than "a*s" vs "arse," right?

[Dias de verano]

One of my pet peeves is when I hear someone from the ghettos of North America mock the way I talk because I don't speak in (I'll try not to be politically incorrect here) "Ebonics" or "African-American Vernacular English," despite being black myself.  Who are they to tell me how I should talk?  It's no different than "a*s" vs "arse," right?

I understand exactly. Even though I am a Londoner, I do not talk like a Cockney, and I get a similar pressure from those who do, as if I am somehow betraying what they see as "my background", or sometimes they allege that I am somehow getting above myself. The plain fact is that I can't help the way I talk.

[BC_Programmer]

To me, anything slower than 1.5 GHz is slow.  A Celeron 667 MHz is "SLOWWWW" to me.  That's just opinion, though, as a Celeron 667 can be functional enough for many (as BC_Programmer has indicated earlier with his AMD K6-2 350 MHz).

Which is faster: a 1.2Ghz Machine trying to Run Vista or a 40 Mhz 386 running DOS 6?

The "trick" is to use the OS and software that best matches the hardware; when I do that, I can almost always get a decent speed.

I got so used to the speed of my old computer, that when I got this "new" one, by the time I noticed a slowdown from an malware infection, it was quite deep! (with my K6, I usually could tell when their was a single malware process... they aren't exacty optimized for speed...)


additionally; CPU differences other then speed play a big factor. I don't think a Celeron 667 would be any faster then my K6, since, AFAIK, the Celeron line was stripped of some of it's On-die cache.



As far as linguistics, I've only recently overcome my peeve for words that should be spelled with ou spelt with an o, such as "colour" "honour", and so forth.

The neat part came when I wrote my own colour library, since all the standard color stuff was using the americanized word, Color, I could simply use the standard Colour and not have to worry about naming conflicts.


One curiosity for me has been the words Grey, and Gray. Which one is the original and which one is correct?

[patio]

I believe Grey is the original...
Course i also believe they are different shades...

[Dias de verano]

I believe Grey is the original...
Course i also believe they are different shades...

Gray is a color.

Grey is a colour.

[patio]