[ihavenews0cks]

I have recently adopted our old family computer, and having had 4 users on it, I have deleted some user accounts and programs.
I've tried to clean up the computer as much as possible, but I am really scared that I am going to delete on of the windows components.
I don't have the Windows installation disc, but I basically want to start the computer from scratch, deleting everything on it except the windows components and Microsoft Office.
(I have backed up all my needed files)
Will this make the computer run faster and free up some space?

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Desktop or Laptop?
Name brand or custom built?
Make and model if name brand
Did you delete programs or go through the Add\Remove Programs area in the Control Panel?
Since you have done what sounds like a lot of the owrk so far let's see what you have going on right now.

Download Autoruns from the link in my signature below:
1: Extract the Autoruns Zip file contents to a folder.
2: Double-click the "Autoruns.exe".
3: Click on the "Everything" tab
4: Remove any entries that mention "File Not Found" by right-clicking the entry and select Delete.
5: Go to File then to Export As or Save in some versions.
6: Save AutoRuns.txt file to known location like your Desktop.
7: Attach to your next reply.


Download and install Free Everest Home Edition
Open it.
1: In left pane expand Computer folder.
2: Click once on Summary
3: In upper menu, go Report
4: And then to Quick Report-Summary
5: Save it in text file, and paste it in your next post.
Click the + by computer, click on Sensor. Get a screenshot and post it so I can check your temps and voltages...

DO NOT INCLUDE ANYTHING UNDER THE LINE THAT SAYS "DEBUG- PCI"

[rshaffer61]

Desktop or Laptop?
Name brand or custom built?
Make and model if name brand
Did you delete programs or go through the Add\Remove Programs area in the Control Panel?
Since you have done what sounds like a lot of the owrk so far let's see what you have going on right now.

Download Autoruns from the link in my signature below:
1: Extract the Autoruns Zip file contents to a folder.
2: Double-click the "Autoruns.exe".
3: Click on the "Everything" tab
4: Remove any entries that mention "File Not Found" by right-clicking the entry and select Delete.
5: Go to File then to Export As or Save in some versions.
6: Save AutoRuns.txt file to known location like your Desktop.
7: Attach to your next reply.


Download and install Free Everest Home Edition
Open it.
1: In left pane expand Computer folder.
2: Click once on Summary
3: In upper menu, go Report
4: And then to Quick Report-Summary
5: Save it in text file, and paste it in your next post.
Click the + by computer, click on Sensor. Get a screenshot and post it so I can check your temps and voltages...

DO NOT INCLUDE ANYTHING UNDER THE LINE THAT SAYS "DEBUG- PCI"

[ihavenews0cks]

--------[ EVEREST Home Edition © 2003-2005 Lavalys, Inc. ]------------------------------------------------------------

Version EVEREST v2.20.405
Homepage http://www.lavalys.com/
Report Type Quick Report
Computer BUTLER
Generator Caitlin
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional 5.1.2600 (WinXP Retail)
Date 2010-01-04
Time 11:32


--------[ Summary ]-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer:
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
OS Service Pack Service Pack 3
DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
Computer Name BUTLER
User Name Caitlin

Motherboard:
CPU Type Unknown, 1666 MHz (10 x 167) 2400+
Motherboard Name Asus A7S8X-MX (2 PCI, 1 AGP, 2 DDR DIMM, Audio, Video, LAN)
Motherboard Chipset SiS 741GX
System Memory 480 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
BIOS Type Award (11/02/04)
Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
Communication Port ECP Printer Port (LPT1)

Display:
Video Adapter SiS 651_661FX_741_760_760GX_M661FX_M661MX_M741_M760_M760GX (32 MB)
3D Accelerator SiS 330 Mirage Integrated
Monitor Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB] (HMCQ120218)

Multimedia:
Audio Adapter SiS 7012 Audio Device

Storage:
IDE Controller SiS 5513 IDE UDMA Controller
IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
Disk Drive WDC WD800BB-00JHC0 (74 GB, IDE)
Optical Drive PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-109 (DVD+R9:6x, DVD-R9:6x, DVD+RW:16x/8x, DVD-RW:16x/6x, DVD-ROM:16x, CD:40x/24x/40x DVD+RW/DVD-RW)
SMART Hard Disks Status OK

Partitions:
C: (NTFS) 76308 MB (28773 MB free)

Input:
Keyboard Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse PS/2 Compatible Mouse

Network:
Network Adapter NETGEAR WG111v3 54Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter (192.168.1.5)
Network Adapter SiS 900 PCI Fast Ethernet Adapter

Peripherals:
Printer Canon iP6210D
Printer doPDF v6
Printer Microsoft Office Document Image Writer
Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer
USB1 Controller SiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB1 Controller SiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB1 Controller SiS 7001 PCI-USB Open Host Controller
USB2 Controller SiS 7002 USB 2.0 Enhanced Host Controller
USB Device Logitech Mic (QuickCam E2500)
USB Device Logitech QuickCam E2500 #2
USB Device Logitech USB Camera (QuickCam E2500)
USB Device NETGEAR WG111v3 54Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter #3

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Attached Files

•  AutoRuns.txt   103.33KB   121 downloads

[rshaffer61]

First issue is this
System Memory 480 MB (PC3200 DDR SDRAM)
I would suggest going to 1 gig to give the system the best possible memory and help speed everything up.
Hard drive looks good so far but let's see what Autoruns show now.

Go to HERE and run the Crucial online scanner.
This will give you the exact memory configuration for your system.
You do not have to buy the memory from there, but write down the information and if you need assistance in purchasing the upgrade memory GTG can assist with suggestions also.

[rshaffer61]

Open Autoruns, click on "Logon" tab, and UN-check:

"iTunesHelper"
"QuickTime Task"
"PHOTOfunSTUDIO.lnk"
"FlashPlayerUpdate"



The next file needs to be manually disabled and is only needed if you use multi language on your keyboard. If you do then skip the step.


To turn off just ctfmon.exe go to:

Control Panel then to Regional and Language Options

Click on the Languages Tab then click the Details button

Click on the Advanced tab

Check the box that says Turn off advanced text services option

Click A and then OK



When done restart computer and then:



Download TFC by OldTimer to your desktop

• Please double-click TFC.exe to run it. (Note: If you are running on Vista, right-click on the file and choose Run As Administrator).
• It will close all programs when run, so make sure you have saved all your work before you begin.
• Click the Start button to begin the process. Depending on how often you clean temp files, execution time should be anywhere from a few seconds to a minute or two. Let it run uninterrupted to completion.
• Once it's finished it should reboot your machine. If it does not, please manually reboot the machine yourself to ensure a complete clean.

Download Auslogics Defrag from the link in my signature below. Auslogics Defrag in my opinion is better because:
It does a more comprehensive job at Defragging
It will actually show you what it is doing
At the end of working it will show you how much speed you picked up
You can view a online log of the files that Auslogics defragged

[rshaffer61]

Something else i see is you have AVG installed which is a resource hog and can slow the system down.
I would suggest uninstalling it and then using one of the free ones like Avast or Avira
I use Avast myself and below is why.
Please download Avast from my signature below. Please make sure you do the registration as it is good for a year or more. When it is due simply just reregister it.
Avast in my opinion is better because:
It's FREE to the Home User
It Updates it's Definitions daily
You can scan Individual Files, Folders and Drives
No buying new versions every year

http://www.avast.com...avast-home.html

[ihavenews0cks]

Disk Defrag

Disk Size 74.52 GB
Free Space Size 29.07 GB
Clusters 19535032
Sectors per cluster 8
Bytes per sector 512
Started defragmentation at 4/01/2010 3:20:23 PM
Completed defragmentation at 4/01/2010 3:22:54 PM
Elapsed time 00:02:30
Total Files 58848
Total Directories 9487
Fragmented Files 928
Defragmented Files 928
Skipped Files 0
Fragmentation Before 1.84% |
Fragmentation After 0.00%



Currently installed memory:

512MBDDR PC3200 EMPTY
Each memory slot can hold DDR PC2700,DDR PC3200 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

*Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory
Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
Available Memory Slots: 1
Total Memory Slots: 2
Dual Channel Support: No
CPU Manufacturer: AuthenticAMD
CPU Family: AMD Sempron™ 2400+ Model 8, Stepping 1
CPU Speed: 1667 MHz

Attached Files

•  AutoRuns.txt   103.61KB   103 downloads

[rshaffer61]

Autoruns look good now.
How is the system running now?
You have almost half of the drive freed up now. I don't think without doing some serious uninstalling of programs you can get much cleaner.
If you want you can go to Control Panel then to Add\Remove Prgrans
Open the window up as long as you can and take a screenshot of the list. You may need two so that you can get everything.To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard. It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
Now go to Start and then to All Programs
Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop
Attach it to your next reply
I can then look through to see what i can suggest uninstalling to help clear out more free space for you.
Please hold on to the Defrag program as you will need it once this is all done to help straighten everything up again.

[ihavenews0cks]

The system seems to be running okay. The internet is being extremely slow. I don't know if that is a usage issue or not, it's getting to the end of our usage month, so i'm guessing.

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[rshaffer61]

OK below is the list of programs I believe you can uninstall and what they are. Let me know if any you do not want to uninstall any and i will try to explain wht I say they should be.
Any video convertor... used for converting movie files
Dvd Decryptor.. DVD ripper program
DVD Region Killer....Used with the above program
DVD Shrink... Another used with the above
Frostwire.... Bit torrent software
Hijack this... used for malware diagnostics
Idump....not needed if you do not have a IPod
Itunes... music download site usually associated with the above program

Any others you see you are not sure about let me know and I will try to explain what they are for.
When you are done uninstalling these then reboot and then rerun Auslogics Defrag
Let me know how system is running once this is all done.

[ihavenews0cks]

I use all of those programs so I cannot uninstall them.
After the defrag the computer is working slightly faster. I think it is an issue with the RAM.
With the Crucial website, I am slightly confused. Is it possible to buy new memory there and download it straight to the computer?

[rshaffer61]

OK just as a warning then...
Although using P2P programs like Frostwire are not illegal, the files downloaded could contain potential infections. By continuing to use these programs will put you at a higher risk for infection.

At this point we have done everything to clean up the system and open as much free space as possible. The next option would to be to purchase a larger Hard drive and clone everything over. Then use your existing hard drive as a slave drive for storage of data.
one more thing i would like to look at and that is how your hard drive is setup. Please do the following...

Go to Start then to Run
Type in compmgmt.msc and click Enter
On left side click on Disk Management
On right side you will see you hard drive.
Now I need you to take a screenshot and attach it to your next reply. Do the following to take a screenshot while the above is open and showing on your desktop.

To do a screenshot please have click on your Print Screen on your keyboard. It is normally the key above your number pad between the F12 key and the Scroll Lock key
Now go to Start and then to All Programs
Scroll to Accessories and then click on Paint
In the Empty White Area click and hold the CTRL key and then click the V
Go to the File option at the top and click on Save as
Save as file type JPEG and save it to your Desktop


Attach it to your next reply

[ihavenews0cks]

I'm thinking of updating the memory on the computer. I found 2 options:

ASUS A7S8X-MX:
• 184-pin DIMM Banking: 2 (2 banks of 1)
• Chipset: SiS 741GX
• Error Detection Support: Non-ECC only
• Graphics Support: AGP 8X
• Max Component Density: 512Mb
• Max Unbuffered DDR SDRAM: 2048MB
• Module Types Supported: Unbuffered only
• Supported DRAM Types: DDR SDRAM only
• USB Support: 1.x Compliant




512MB, 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC2700 memory module
CT6464Z335
• Module Size: 512MB
• Package: 184-pin DIMM
• Feature: DDR PC2700
• Specs: DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 64Meg x 64 •

1GB, 184-pin DIMM, DDR PC2700 memory module
CT12864Z335
• Module Size: 1GB
• Package: 184-pin DIMM
• Feature: DDR PC2700
• Specs: DDR PC2700 • CL=2.5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR333 • 2.5V • 128Meg x 64 •

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[rshaffer61]

The memory would help speed the system up but it won't do anything for free space.
The only way to increase free space is by putting a larger hd in the system. I would suggest at least a 160 gig.

[ihavenews0cks]

Okay, I'll visit my computer guy with all the info.
Thank you so much for your help.