Jump to content

Welcome to Geeks to Go - Register now for FREE

Need help with your computer or device? Want to learn new tech skills? You're in the right place!
Geeks to Go is a friendly community of tech experts who can solve any problem you have. Just create a free account and post your question. Our volunteers will reply quickly and guide you through the steps. Don't let tech troubles stop you. Join Geeks to Go now and get the support you need!

How it Works Create Account
Photo

my computer is stuper slow because of excess "junk" how do i


  • Please log in to reply

#1
luckypunkrockgirl

luckypunkrockgirl

    New Member

  • Member
  • Pip
  • 1 posts
i dont even know where to start! :) i dont know alot about this craptacular computer but heres what i do know....... (c:) capacity-12.62GB free space-1.35GB 10% free space ( :) yeah sure like i know what that means!) its running windows xp (with sp2) with way to many programs & files! im hooked up to qwest broadband with microsoft. it has norton 360, ie7 (provided by myspace), silver light2, that i installed :) thinking & hearing that it would work best & faster but it runs even slower now! i've already removed so many aol, itunes, ipod, pictures, music, user accounts, temp files, ect, ect, ect! and to no end this bad boy just keeps getting slower & slower :upset: i was sure i was sure i was messin something up somehow so this morning i downloaded this program called errorfix it scaned what it said to be every inch of this thing and came back with just shy of 600 problems!! :killcomp: 600!! it removed some for free but left me with what it says are these problems... 57 active,ole,&com, 30 add/remove programs, 3 application paths, 21 shared files, 1 help file, 10 drivers, 5 sounds, 2 user settings, 186 history/mru lists, 57 invalid shortcuts, & 12 needed microsoft updates = 384 problems still remaining!!! :P im at a loss! i dont want to add/remove anything else or even look at this beast anymore in fear that its just gunna blow up, grow legs & run away, catch fire or attack me!! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEASE! :P
  • 0

Advertisements


#2
gnometorule

gnometorule

    New Member

  • Member
  • Pip
  • 5 posts
Some thoughts...

(1) Never run free programs off the internet suggesting to scan for your 'problems'. In a worst case, you just allowed the installation of malware - I would very much scan your computer using several AV/MW programs (there are enough for free on the internet to do this, but cross check their names with GtG or another reputable computer advice board, bleepingcomputers etc.). In a best case, that program shows you issues to incite you to download it...but the 'issues' are probably none. Or you might just catch spyware. Just stay away from stuff like that.

(2) As you indicate, you are aware that 10% is very litle space. You should ideally have more free space for the hd to operate efficiently.

(3) Go over the usual simple steps first and see if that helps:

- always clean out recycle bin, internet temp files etc
- defragment your disk. if you're never done that, you might see a good speed pickup (just in case, accessories->system tools->defragment disk

(4) At extreme low speeds, there is a good chance you have malware running on your computer. Your system might already be too infected to easily remove this, and maybe if you have malware, it has already set up house deep enough to disable scanners. But as under 1, do some malware checks. If it's a rootkit, there are 'how-to-guides' here you could follow. This is all a pain, but if you got mw/rootkits, you could have keyloggers or whatever else, and that's bad.

(5) Check for what you should be seeing in the startup tab under regedit. You might have way too many programs that autostart and so slow your computer down. Be careful with regedit changes as you could crash your computer, but you'll probably have at least 50% of programs starting up automatically that you don't need to start up. From memory, gibson and bleeingcomputer (maybe GtG too) have startup databases where you can check which processes you can safely disable. Careful with this.

I recently needed to completely reinstall my computer from scratch as well bc of a rootkit infection. After, works like a charm. If you want to go down that route, save your important files on any external medium, but don't trust it - if you are infected, infection would follow you. Scan your files from a friend's computer, and only after that check comes up clean, copy back over after reinstall.

If you really can't remove more programs, that's what I'd try. Gl.
  • 0

#3
Tom331

Tom331

    Member

  • Member
  • PipPip
  • 18 posts
Download CCleaner http://www.geekstogo...ner-file72.html

After installing run it and have a look through all the check boxes on the left, and untick the ones you want to keep (I recommend you keep firefox and ie cache ticked because that can free a lot of space)


Defrag your computer, this can take while to do so do it at a time that the computer can be left on
To defrag go onto the start menu > all programs > accessories > system tools > disk defragmenter

And as gnometorule said a lot of these programs that claim to clean your computer just tell you that you have hundreds of errors and ask you to buy the full version to remove them or are just malware

If you think you might be infected by malware read through this http://www.geekstogo...-Log-t2852.html

By the way this should probably have been posted in windows xp section of the forum http://www.geekstogo...2003-NT-f5.html

Edited by Tom331, 26 February 2009 - 10:20 AM.

  • 0






Similar Topics

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users

As Featured On:

Microsoft Yahoo BBC MSN PC Magazine Washington Post HP