System Restore Question?

[BULLman]

It seems that my computer is running slower and slower.

 

I've used CCleaner and Registy Defender and their effects are not as potent as they once were.

 

I'm thinking of wiping everything off [backing-up files first], would using the System Restore do what I want? Or, do I need to do a Destructive Recovery?

 

I am using XP, HP Pavilion 751n

[BULLman]

I did find this on the HP webstie.

 

Thanks for the help

[Damean]

you also might try going to the start button/run, and then in the field, type msconfig. It will show what is running when you start up your computer, as well as other things.

[BULLman]

you also might try going to the start button/run, and then in the field, type msconfig. It will show what is running when you start up your computer, as well as other things.

 

Problem is that I don't what needs to running vs what is actually running.

[Jerry Johnston]

The first thing I would do is run your virus checker (hopefully it's up to date). If you haven't any maleware or virus then you've probably installed too many programs that start when booting up (for the amount of memory you have). That's assuming you run defrag ocassionally. You can add memory and is suggested if you have less than 1gb - 2gb is better. Hopefully you're not using Symantec for your v.c. It will make your system slower than AVG or Trend Micro.

[BULLman]

Virus checker checked. Using Yahoo's & Verizon's virus program - updated to the Norton program, and I noticed just the program run a lot slower. I don't know if it makes the entire system slower.

 

I've added memory.

 

After I got a new HD [after crash], the computer was waaaaaaaay faster.

 

Another thing, would Automatic Windows updates slow down my machine?

 

[Aluminum_Butt]

If you're willing, download and run Hijack This and either post the log here or e-mail it to me (bob.burchfield REMOVE @gmail.com). The log will tell us a lot about what is happening.

 

DO NOT select things for removal unless you're sure about what you are doing. You can do damage!

 

FWIW, I disagree with those who condemn Norton/Symantec entirely. Norton Antivirus and Symantec Antivirus are great products IMHO.

 

Norton Internet Security and Symantec Internet Security, which include AV as well as firewall, content filtering, etc, are pigs and I don't use them. But, they're no worse than McAfee products that try to do the same thing.

 

 

[Jerry Johnston]

I agree ! McAfee is no worse but it's also no better. Both Trend Micro and AVG let the computer run much faster. Also I've never been able to completely remove Norton from the registry. It must leave 500 entrys.

[Jerry Johnston]

Automatic updates by itself will only slow the computer down while doing the update. I always turn it off and manually turn it on every so often and do the updates while I check to see exactly what the update is. You haven't mentioned if you've run Defrag. If you can go back to the date you upgraded the hard drive in system restore you might see if it runs faster. If it's been more than 4 months I wouldn't bother. What processor and how much memory do you have? I'm assuming you're using XP. Also do you have the latest graphics card update and DirectX? How long ago was it you updated to a new hard drive? If it's a very large drive it would be more important to run Defrag since there's more area to cover looking for program bits.

[BULLman]

Its a Intel Pentium® 4 CPU 1.8 Ghz, 736 MB RAM

 

Its been a lot longer than 4 months since I updated the HD. Its 80 MB. It is almost 87% full.

 

No updated graphics card.

 

I've just purchased a external HD. It took almost a day to back-up everything.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BULLman]

sent you and email

[Todd_Z1]

(1) Defragment your hard drive

(2) Turn stuff off Start>>Run>>MSconfig>>Startup tab

(3) Internet Explorer>>Tools>>Internet Options>>Advanced>>Scroll

down and check the "Empty Internet File folder..." checkbox

(4) Download, update and run Spybot Search & Destroy repeatedly

(5) Download, update and run Adaware repeatedly.

(6) Start>>Settings>>Control Panel>>Systmem>>Advanced>>Visual

Effects select "Adjust for best performance"

(7) Windows Desktop>>Right click on Recycle Bin and select the

"Do Not move files to recycle bin..." option. Also check the

"Display the delete confirmation dialog" checkbox.

(8) Clean your computer using ccleaner

(9) Compact your registry it is a database and they get

fragmented Free Registry Defrag 2.35

(10) Compact your Outlook PST file. Right click on your mailbox

in Outlook, select the advanced button and select Compact

Now!

(11) If you have multiple internal hard drives create multiple

pagefiles. Start>>Settings>>Control

Panel>>System>>Advanced>>Performance>>Settings>>

Advanced>>Custom.

(12) Uninstall Yahoo and Google Toolbars. They consume a lot of

system resources.

(13) Add more memory, it's dirt cheap.

 

There's more but I am getting carpal tunnel typing this.

 

Cheers!

 

Todd

 

 

[BULLman]

Thanks, for the help.

 

Now the problem is that I can't find the System Recovery program

 

They are suppose to be in a HP Tools folder, but its not there. Supposely, you can preform a Recovery during startup by pressing f10. Didn't work.

 

Went thru HP customer service and they said it was missing and they only way to do it is to buy a new version of XP.

 

The other way, is to see if they are still have the recovery disks in stock at the HP store. I'll get to find out in 4 and 1/2 hours.

 

They did however, help me get my sound going again [don't ask ]

 

 

 

Would System Recovery be in another location?

 

I am sure this is becuase of when I replaced the HD.

[Jerry Johnston]

You can easily install System Restore if you can find one of your friends with an XP disk, perferably the same version. Just go to C:\Windows\INF and find SR.inf Right click it and chose Install. It will look for a file on your CD – send it to the i386 folder to find the file and it will be installed on your computer. It will be too late to use it this time but will start saving copies of your Registry every few days for future use.

Since System Restore isn’t a cure all, a better way is to make a bootable backup of you drive C on to another drive of equal size.(or larger). You can buy 160gb drives now for as little as $43

 

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I just had to do it as something on one of the sites I was cruzin' (no it wasn't porn) changed the standard windows font to some thing strange. I run Norton 360 and regularly do backups along with setting a restore point every time I let windows do an upgrade. As luck would have it, I had just done exactly that about 3 hours prior to the goof. Corrected the problem.

[BULLman]

So........ [rant]

 

I need to get a job soon so I'll quite trying to make my crappy computer run faster!

 

Still having problems. Haven't gotten system recovery.

 

Talked to 3 HP different customer service reps, who weren't any help. I "pay" for their "help" when they said they could burn me a system recovery disk. After they took my CC info, they sent me to "technical" person.

 

I even mentioned that it was strange that they could burn me a new disk when I was told I needed to buy XP. [should of hung up then].

 

Rep #2 tells me to turn off computer and then hit f10. As she said that, I told that it doesn't work. She said "fine, we'll go to the HP Help Folder" and go to..." I interrupted her explaining that I don't have that folder on my computer. [Note: the computer hadn't completely booted up yet]. She told me she couldn't help me.

 

I immediately say "Why did tech#1 send me to you when I knew that I didn't have that folder! I told him another tech said I needed to buy XP, why wasn't that a clue that I might not have that folder?" She didn't have an answer for that.

 

I immediately asked for a refund, as my computer still hadn't completely restarted yet. She told me it would take 48hrs to get a refund and it would have to be approved by a supervisor. I told her that this was TOTALLY unacceptable, I would like to her supervisor.

 

I hung up the phone while trying to put my phone on speaker. [totally my fault]

 

Talked to tech #3, explained the situation and she would get my CC credited for the $49 fee.

 

I still wanted to talk to a supervisor. Couldn't.

I wanted an email stating they would credit my CC. Couldn't.

 

Checked my CC balance to make sure there wasn't a charge. Yesterday, a $105 bill appeared on my CC. Not $49 - $105!!!

 

They didn't credit my account, they obviously charged my account twice!

 

Talked to tech #4, she told me that there was a credit on my account, and I needed to talk to my CC company.

 

She couldn't tell me why they amount wasn't $49.

She also couldn't email or fax me a statement that my CC was getting credited.

 

She did tell me that tech#1 should of never charged my CC as HP no longer supports my computer [its 6+yrs old].

 

Talked to my CC company and they have nothing on their screen. They did mention that if I don't see a credit by Monday, I should fill out a dispute form.

 

I even tried going thru my DSL provider. Apparently, my bandwidth is more than acceptable. At least I now have a link to check my DSL speed.

 

Verizon said I needed to go thru Microsoft if I was having problems with IE. Microsoft said I needed to go thru HP, but did send to the Micosoft self-help website.

 

I downloaded SP 3. And tried many things that the website suggested. Nothing worked.[/end rant]

 

 

 

So the good news.....

 

I was able to find a Recovery CD kit for $27 that will re-load all my drivers and original software!!!!

 

But, I still don't have a System Recovery.

 

So still fed up IE, I downloaded Sarfari and it seems to be working great!!!!

 

No more google and yahoo web bars, but the speed is great!!!

 

Any suggestions or tips on Safari? Having problems quickly accessing my old favorites for IE.

 

Thanks for listening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob Palin]

Safari is kind of an oddball browser under Windows - is there a version of Firefox or SeaMonkey you could use? They should be able to rescue all your favourites from IE and give you the Google and Yahoo toolbars.

[BULLman]

Safari is kind of an oddball browser under Windows - is there a version of Firefox or SeaMonkey you could use? They should be able to rescue all your favourites from IE and give you the Google and Yahoo toolbars.

 

I'll give it a try.

[SeanC]

That all sounds like good advice -- I'd also recommend disabling Windows Indexing Service (My Computer > right-click the drive > uncheck "Allow Indexing Service" > apply changes to subfolders and files) -- but if Bullman's hard drive is 87% full, I don't think any of this will make that much of a difference. And if it does, the performance gains will be relatively short-lived. He needs a bigger disk. Get a 300 GB and re-install.

[Jerry Johnston]

I missed that, if the hard drive only has 13% space left it'll be extremely slow doing a defrag. May have to update the bios before using a 300gb hd. With a larger (even 160gb) drive and more memory there should be a large increase in speed. If a new hd is installed it would be best to reinstall XP. A OEM version of the home edition is generally about $80.

[BULLman]

I missed that, if the hard drive only has 13% space left it'll be extremely slow doing a defrag. May have to update the bios before using a 300gb hd. With a larger (even 160gb) drive and more memory there should be a large increase in speed. If a new hd is installed it would be best to reinstall XP. A OEM version of the home edition is generally about $80.

 

I fixed the HD issues by deleting a bunch of movies I had saved for my Itouch. I am now at 53% of HD [34.6 GB free out of 76.5 GB]

[Jerry Johnston]

You should be fine depending on how you use the computer. Loss of hard drive space will sneek up on you though and hard drives are cheap.

[BULLman]

Okay, I finally solved my problem....

 

I bought a new system

 

Man its fast!!!

 

HP Pavilion a6400f

Dual Core Pentium.

500MG HD

3 GB RAM [expandable to 8]

Video Card

8 - 2.0 USBs

Lightscribe DVD SuperMutli Drive / CD-W

HP Pocket Media Drive Bay [not even sure what that is ]

 

It was in Circuit City's Outlet store. I purchase it thru their pick up service and got it $42 cheaper when I picked it up, makeing it very close to $400 mark.

 

Didn't want to make a purchase right now, but the old computer was running slow, external DVD-W wasn't working right. I couldn't do a system recovery without buying XP and than I had to buy the system reovery disks, blah-blah-blah :dopeslap:

 

Really new out the box. I've set up the Verizon / Yahoo Secruity Sutie and will be making my recovery disks next!!!

 

Hopefully Vista won't be nightmare that I've heard about

[bakerzdosen]

Remember that MS has said that you can always downgrade (upgrade?) to XP with a Vista license.