[eviltwin01]

My Dell laptop is running extremely slow. Nearly impossible to open any webpages, etc. when started normally. I have run AVG free version and it detects no problems. Also ran hijackthis, adaware and spybot on the advice of someone who is experienced in these matters. Unfortunately, he is bogged down with work issues at the moment and I'm not getting much help from him. The computer does run fine in safe mode with networking if that matters.

I apologize in advance to anyone who may offer to assist - I know very little about computers and you will have to walk me thru pretty much every step.

Thank you

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hi eviltwin01...welcome to G2G...

did you recently add any new software or update windows or any other software...how about adding any new hardware or drivers...
no...then ....if it runs fine in safe mode its probably a driver issue...use the device manager to look for any yellow ! marks or red X's

[happyrock]

hi eviltwin01...welcome to G2G...

did you recently add any new software or update windows or any other software...how about adding any new hardware or drivers...
no...then ....if it runs fine in safe mode its probably a driver issue...use the device manager to look for any yellow ! marks or red X's

[eviltwin01]

Thanks for responding. I don't think that there are any new additions/upgrades on my computer. I'm usually too impatient to let stuff like that just install. Um... ok.. I'll try to locate device manager and see what it says. Thanks again.

edit:

I did locate a device manager upon doing a search but it says it's an installer. Is that what I use? Trust me, when I say I know very little I seriously mean that. I'm afraid of doing additional damage by just clicking on things. Can you be specific? Like where to locate what I want and what I should do with it? Thanks!

2nd edit:

I did look at the device manager and there are no items that you said to look for. There is one yellow ? only.

Edited by eviltwin01, 21 October 2008 - 07:10 PM.

[happyrock]

There is one yellow ? only.

thats the missing or corrupt driver...what is it next to...

this site here ...DriverMax can scan your system to see what ,if any , drivers you need...it free...


or try ...DriverGuide...here...
you will have to register..
# Provides an easy step-by-step process for finding and installing drivers.
# Offers a huge searchable archive of hundreds of thousands of driver/firmware files, manufacturer information, and links.
# Includes discussion boards that give members the opportunity to interact with others with their hardware type, and learn from their experiences (very useful!).
# Offers a drivers found area where members can upload new and hard to find drivers for others to download.
# Provides a driver request board where members can make requests for specific drivers.
# Includes resources for Windows, Mac, Unix/Linux, and other platforms.
# Provides links to helpful tutorials, valuable utilities, and other resources.
# Offers a great collection of old, out of date, and hard to find drivers.
Membership gives you access to more downloads, more features, and is absolutely FREE! Members are given lifetime access to this site.

Edited by happyrock, 25 October 2008 - 06:15 AM.

[eviltwin01]

Hi - thanks for answering.

The yellow ? is next to ---> other devices - network controller

it says this drive is not installed and you can click on a place to reinstall it. I believe that was an old item on this computer prior to my owning it. It was purchased used from a business. I don't have it on a network at home.

I will try the items that you suggested however

thank you for the help

[happyrock]

what is the make and model of your computer...
the network controller is what allows you to connect to the internet...

[eviltwin01]

My computer is a laptop - Dell Latitude D600.

[happyrock]

did you do the driver scan...what does it show you need...

after the scan go here and get the network driver you need there are 22 of them to chose from...
thats the reason for the scan...to see EXACTLY which one you need...
while you at that site I suggest you get all of your drivers and burn them to a cd ...just in case you ever have to reinstall one ..you will have them on hand...

Edited by happyrock, 29 October 2008 - 05:06 AM.

[eviltwin01]

The driver max scan shows the following items with red "X's" next to them - meaning that I don't have the current version.

MOBILITY RADEON 9000 8.20.0.0 8.541.0.0
Intel® 82801DBM Ultra ATA Storage Controller - 24CA 5.1.2600.2180 5.1.2600.5512
Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Notebook Card 1.0.2.0 1.1.3.0
Broadcom 570x Gigabit Integrated Controller 9.52.0.0 10.85.0.0
SigmaTel C-Major Audio 5.10.0.3952 6.14.1.4180
Intel® 82801DBM LPC Interface Controller - 24CC 5.1.2600.2180 5.2.3790.1830
Intel® 82855PM Processor to AGP Controller - 3341 4.20.1007.0 5.2.3790.1830
Intel® 82855PM Processor to I/O Controller - 3340 4.20.1007.0 5.2.3790.1830
Intel® 82801 PCI Bridge - 2448 5.1.2600.2180 7.0.0.1011
Intel® 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C7 5.1.0.1006 5.1.2600.5512
Intel® 82801DB/DBM USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - 24CD 5.1.0.1006 5.1.2600.0
Intel® 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C2 5.1.0.1006 5.1.2600.5512
Intel® 82801DB/DBM USB Universal Host Controller - 24C4 5.1.0.1006 5.1.2600.5512

I am afraid to just start downloading a bunch of stuff without some direction from someone who is knowledgeable. I worry about hosing the computer more than it is at this point.

What do you suggest? Download everything it say I need updates on? Selected ones only? Also, you said download the drivers and burn them to a CD... do you mean all of the drivers it says this computer has? Even the ones that have the green checks next to them?

thanks again... sorry this is such a pain...

[happyrock]

you said download the drivers and burn them to a CD... do you mean all of the drivers it says this computer has? Even the ones that have the green checks next to them?

yep on this

YOU CAN ALSO LOOK ON YOUR COMPUTER AND FIND THE SERVICE TAG AND USE THE LINK I PROVIDED BEFORE AND CLICK ON THE LINK TO ENTER THE SERVICE TAG NUMBER...it will know exactly what was installed on your computer

[eviltwin01]

I downloaded/installed all the updated versions of the drivers with the exception of this one : Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Notebook Card 1.0.2.0 1.1.3.0. For some reason, it will not update. It seems to download fine, says it has been installed, yet still shows I don't have the latest version.

I also did go to the Dell site and downloaded all the original factory installed drivers onto a CD as you suggested.

Unfortunately, despite having done the updates, the computer performance has not improved. It seems to start a little faster but trying to open IE or any program takes quite a long time to start or load.

Fortunately, it does still run great in safe mode with networking.

I hate to ask, but what next?

Thanks.

Edited by eviltwin01, 30 October 2008 - 07:35 AM.

[The Skeptic]

Please do the following, running the computer in normal mode after each step. Report if there was any improvement. If yes, after which step.

Click Start > run. Type msconfig. Check Selective Mode and click the "startup" tab. Uncheck everything which is not essential. Leave only antimalware programs (if you change your mind latter you can reactivate those programs). Confirm and reboot. Upon rebooting a message will show up. Please check it and continue. For laptop users: do not uncheck items that clearly relate to the operation of the computer.

In Add/Remove programs, in Control Panel, uninstall all unnecessary toolbars such as Yahoo, google and others. Latter on you can download them again.

Please report what firewall you are using. If other then Microsoft's, uninstall it.

Have you installed SP-3 lately? If yes, can the slowdown be correlated in time for the installation? The same question related to Internet Explorer 7.0.

Switch off your router and uninstall AVG 8.0.

Please report your hard disk's volume and how much of it is free.

Please report your RAM volume.

[eviltwin01]

Ok... I've done what I could and the results are here

Please do the following, running the computer in normal mode after each step. Report if there was any improvement. If yes, after which step.

Click Start > run. Type msconfig. Check Selective Mode and click the "startup" tab. Uncheck everything which is not essential. Leave only antimalware programs (if you change your mind latter you can reactivate those programs). Confirm and reboot. Upon rebooting a message will show up. Please check it and continue. For laptop users: do not uncheck items that clearly relate to the operation of the computer.

did this, rebooted and the computer runs fast - seems to be running as fast as normal.

In Add/Remove programs, in Control Panel, uninstall all unnecessary toolbars such as Yahoo, google and others. Latter on you can download them again.

uninstalled Google toolbar

Please report what firewall you are using. If other then Microsoft's, uninstall it.

as far as I can tell, Microsoft is the only one

Have you installed SP-3 lately? If yes, can the slowdown be correlated in time for the installation? The same question related to Internet Explorer 7.0.

I don't know what SP-3 is and I have not updated IE in quite a while although it says the version is 7.0

Switch off your router and uninstall AVG 8.0.

unintstalled AVG

Please report your hard disk's volume and how much of it is free.

Please report your RAM volume.

I don't know where to find this information - please advise how to get it and I'll get back with you.

Thanks

[The Skeptic]

If the computer runs well after you did the first step you can gnore the rest.

However, I still would like to know disk and RAM volume:

Disk
Click My Computer and then right-click the icon of your hard disk. Click Properties. A "cake" diagram will show up. Please report "capacity" and "free space"

RAM
Press Control+Alt+Del to open Task Manager. Click Performance and under Physical Memory report "total" and available"

[eviltwin01]

My computer seems to be working well but I'm curious. Can I re-install AVG (or any anti-virus program) and the Google toolbar without totally messing it up again? What about all the things that are now unchecked on the start menu? Is it required that they do start when the computer comes on? I'd really like to understand what fixed it so if at all possible, I can prevent it from happening again in the future.

As you requested:

Local Disc - total size 55.8GB free space 37.3GB

Physical Memory - total 1047784 available 665876 (fluctuating) system cache 660048 (fluctuating)

Thank you again for all your help!