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Slowness...killing me.


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#1
buddha603

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Lots of issues with laptop. Slow boot (about 15-20 minutes). PC itself running slowly. Behaves as though there are several applications running at once. Opening MS Word is an 8 minute affair. Advice?
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#2
wannabe1

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Hello buddha603...

There are a number of things that can cause slowness in a machine's operation...including malware. Let's look at a couple of possible causes in the hardware first, though.

Right click on My Computer and choose "Properties". Click the "Hardware" tab and then the "Device Manager" button. Expand (click +) IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.

Right click on the Primary IDE channel, choose "Properties", then click the "Advanced Settings" tab. List the Current Transfer Mode for each device shown for this channel.

Right click on the Secondary IDE channel, choose "Properties", then click the "Advanced Settings" tab. List the Current Transfer Mode for each device shown for this channel.

wannabe1
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#3
buddha603

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Only have primary ide. Both devices list as pio.
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#4
wannabe1

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Right click on Primary IDE channel and choose "Uninstall"...accept the change.

Reboot and Windows will reinstall the channel and any devices assigned to it...you will then be asked to restart your machine...do so.

Does your machine boot and run faster after the second reboot?
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#5
buddha603

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OK. Did as you suggested. Boots pretty darn fast now (almost as good as new, but not quite...nothing ever runs as fast as when its brand new). Apps open quite quickly as well. My humble thanks to you for your help.
Since I'm not exactly tech savy, what was the issue? I'm one of those that just can't help knowing. Even though it's running pretty well now, I guess I should check for malware also shouldn't I?
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#6
wannabe1

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The issue was the transfer mode being used. Your Primary channel transfer mode was set to PIO (Programmed Input Output) which forces the machine to use the processor for everything you do on the machine. This causes a bottleneck and slows down the processor. When we uninstalled and reinstalled the channel, we forced it back to DMA (Direct Memory Access) which uses the RAM memory and frees the processor up to do the job it was intended to do.

Should the channel go back to PIO mode on it's own, it may be a good indicator that you have a device on that channel that is going bad...probably the HDD. It would be a good time to get in the habit of keeping good backups. This does not mean the HDD is bad...the channels will set themselves to PIO mode for a number of reasons, but a weak HDD can certainly do it. Just something to keep in mind...

It's never a bad idea to check for malware and make sure your machine is secure.

Glad that fixed you up! :)
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#7
buddha603

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You're the best!
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#8
MahatmaGandi

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If i have the same problem should i do the same with the secondary IDE channel and if i do
, do i first uninstall the primary IDE and then reboot
or do i uninstall them both of them and then reboot?
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#9
wannabe1

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If you have the same problem, you can uninstall both channels at once and reboot...then reboot again.
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#10
MahatmaGandi

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it is now set on DMA mode and i think it is working
but i cant say for shore yet.

thank you so far and
i l post my results

THANKS!!!!!!!!
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#11
MahatmaGandi

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it is a lot better now but it still isnt as it was before!

i can not run two programs normally at the same time (audition- guitar rig )
i could do that before with no problems at all

if you have any other suggestions i would
appreciate it a lot!!!
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#12
Mr Freeze

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do a little cleaning

http://www.stevengou...o...&Itemid=223 >>Cleaner

from the start button

Start/Run/ dfrg.msc /click ok

click defragment

heres something else you could do to tune up your system a bit

try doing a chkdsk /r

Start/run/ chkdsk /r /click ok

notice the space between the k and the /
At the command prompt type the letter y press enter
chkdsk cannot run at this time...another volume is using it
restart your computer.... takes about 2 hours to run
Do Not Disturb This
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#13
wannabe1

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How much RAM do you have installed on the machine?
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#14
ClickRight

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Looking through the information in this thread, I see the controller your hard drive is on reverted to PIO mode. I'd be inclined to say you have a hard drive issue, but I'd like to do some investigation first.

Please download HDTune 2.55 from here and install it; then follow the steps below:

  • Launch HDTune from your Start Menu
  • Make sure your hard drive is selected in the upper left hand corner, it should be selected by default.
  • Click on the "Health" tab when the program opens
  • Click the blue note-like button that says "Copy information to clipboard"
  • Paste the information that it copied into this thread.

Edited by ClickRight, 14 July 2008 - 01:22 PM.

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#15
wannabe1

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You need to pay attention, ClickRight. This is a different machine than the first instance and it has not reset to PIO...at this point the HDD appears to be fine. The HDTune (free version) you suggest will check far less than the free utility from his HDD manufacturer's website.

Some additional cleanup may be needed and, perhaps, some additional RAM, but we won't know that until MahatmaGandi replies with the information.
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