What the crap
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Topic started: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 11:51Log-in or register to post to this topic.
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:21
There could be something wrong with your Hard Disk. I'd backup and important stuff you have on your HDD and then perform a check on your HDD
If this doesn't find any errors you might want to defrag your HDD.
You can use the Error-checking tool to check for file system errors and bad sectors on your hard disk.
Open My Computer, and then select the local disk you want to check.
On the File menu, click Properties.
On the Tools tab, under Error-checking, click Check Now.
Under Check disk options, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box.
Open My Computer, and then select the local disk you want to check.
On the File menu, click Properties.
On the Tools tab, under Error-checking, click Check Now.
Under Check disk options, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box.
If this doesn't find any errors you might want to defrag your HDD.
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:47
TwoADay wrote:
Any ideas? I'm sort of in the dark on this one.
Kings recompend about backup/HD scan is on the money, but i general assume spy/mal ware first. Seemingly reasonless performance loss almost always ends up being some god awfull spyware trojan thats reporting every move you make back to its place of origin. Cause the comp to slow, does alot of HD access, and ties up the internet all at once.
I'm sure you know of adware, but just incase, thats one fo the best free scanners. Same for spydoctor. Also hit up trendmicro.com for a free webbased virus program thatll scan and clean for no charge. Very usefull and cant be infected so its the best means of damage control i have found.
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Mon, 18 Sep 2006 14:30
Sounds like it's time to flatten the C drive - best maintenence there is for Windows machines.
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:05
LUPOS wrote:
TwoADay wrote:
Any ideas? I'm sort of in the dark on this one.
Kings recompend about backup/HD scan is on the money, but i general assume spy/mal ware first. Seemingly reasonless performance loss almost always ends up being some god awfull spyware trojan thats reporting every move you make back to its place of origin. Cause the comp to slow, does alot of HD access, and ties up the internet all at once.
I'm sure you know of adware, but just incase, thats one fo the best free scanners. Same for spydoctor. Also hit up trendmicro.com for a free webbased virus program thatll scan and clean for no charge. Very usefull and cant be infected so its the best means of damage control i have found.
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yeah, I should have mentioned that I've run AVG anti-virus, and nothing was found, nor with adaware, or Spyware Blaster. I also went over to pcpitstop and did their free virus scan (deep scan) and there wasn't anything to be found there either.
the system is currently running okay now (fingers crossed) so I'm going to check the HDD and see if there's problems there, as was suggested.
My dad said "get a mac." while a nice option (as those new MacBooks and Macbook Pro's look very nice) it's not quite as practical as fixing the one I already have - especially as it's not exactly out of date (2.0 GHZ P4, 128 Radeon, 512 RAM - so it can run most games out there)
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 23:44
TwoADay wrote:
My dad said "get a mac."
VERY smart man, your dad.
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:32
DoctorDee wrote:
VERY smart man, your dad.
Obviously, he makes enough money to be able to think macs are reasonably priced. Must be smart to have a job that pays him that much ;)
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Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:07
LUPOS wrote:
Obviously, he makes enough money to be able to think macs are reasonably priced. Must be smart to have a job that pays him that much ;)
http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/features/macproprice/index.php
http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/opinion/dellmacprofollowup/index.php
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:21
DoctorDee wrote:
http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/features/macproprice/index.php
http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/opinion/dellmacprofollowup/index.php
http://www.macworld.com/2006/08/opinion/dellmacprofollowup/index.php
Would it be asking too much to link your URLs?
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:48
DoctorDee wrote:
links speak louder than words (even the unclickable kind!)
WOO! Next tiem i'm looking to go grab a 3-6k workstation it's apple all the way for me ;)
In the mean time, have any comparisons on the actual "consumer" models? The one that make up liek 95% percent of sales? The ones, some one like me might buy?
Let's get a bit crazy here:
APPLE iMac, as its their only consumer level desktop, with:
2.16ghz core duo
2gb 667mhz sdram
250gb ata
128mb nvidia 7300
1 year protection plan
24" monitor
2,343
Dell xps410
2.13 ghz core duo (believe its the same chip just cocked dif, not sure)
2gb 667mhz sdram
250gb ata (With dell data safe?)
24" monitor
256mb ati radeon x1300
2,184
Now, as for extra features, port counts, open slots, bundles software, etc.. Well, I'm not writtign a 3 page editorial. But just as a quick, first system i tried, $150 dollars isnt huge, but its something. One could argue for the imacs small form factor, but the same could eb said for the upgradeablity the standard desktop gives you, and its not my fault dell doesnt make imacs. Also the video card is note worthy, as the next level up on the imac was a higher chip set than the next dell.
At any rate Macs are admitedly better off price wise now than they where, say, 5 years ago. But they are still a tad pricey and most configurations are rather unconfigurable.
A few years back a friend accidentaly destroyed the power supply in his high end mac and in order to replace it had to buy a $300+ PS from apple. A part that, if it where for a PC, wouldnt have cost more than 50-100 dollars at the time.
They are lovely, well built, well designed machines. But for me, i enjoy Tycho's( of penny arcade) point of view. Windows PC's are like roughing it. The mac is sort of an RV parked in a "camp ground" with runnign water and electricity. Sure, theres trees and a river and hiking to be had, but theres no sense of acomplishment associated with it. (not an exact quote by any means)
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Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:31
Okay, two points:
1) For your PC, visit www.mlin.net and download the Startup Control Panel. It will list for you everything that runs on your machine, and you can untick whatever rogue programs you don't want running. If you're not sure what something is, google its name first and find out. I did this, and managed to really speed up both my own and my Dad's PC. It also helped a friend when their browser was playing up and slowing down, etc. Mlin.net also does a variety of other tools you may find useful.
2) Macs - they are pricey. But you can get good second hand and refurbished systems. From ebay or specialist suppliers. I recently bought a second G4 PowerMac from www.scrumpymacs.co.uk for a paltry £165. Although admittedly, it came to £250 by the time I added monitor, keyboard and mouse, etc.
However, if you're really in the market to get a new Mac, if it's for professional use, I'd probably wait till all the software has successfully been debugged for Intel processors. Probably the middle of next year is a good time to buy a new machine, when the 2nd generation Mac Pros are out, and it's all settled. The laptops and iMacs have been Intel for a while, so it's safer buying them, but I've a feeling we're still waiting for Adobe software to become Universal Binary aren't we? Eitherway, the Intel shift does mean you get some good deals on second hand PowerPC models now.
In the meanwhile, good luck with your P4. Try the Startup Control Panel to speed things up, but also the advise already given before about backing up your files incase one day it doesn't startup at all, should be taken into consideration. I recently had my motherboard die on my PC. =P That can be another problem.
1) For your PC, visit www.mlin.net and download the Startup Control Panel. It will list for you everything that runs on your machine, and you can untick whatever rogue programs you don't want running. If you're not sure what something is, google its name first and find out. I did this, and managed to really speed up both my own and my Dad's PC. It also helped a friend when their browser was playing up and slowing down, etc. Mlin.net also does a variety of other tools you may find useful.
2) Macs - they are pricey. But you can get good second hand and refurbished systems. From ebay or specialist suppliers. I recently bought a second G4 PowerMac from www.scrumpymacs.co.uk for a paltry £165. Although admittedly, it came to £250 by the time I added monitor, keyboard and mouse, etc.
However, if you're really in the market to get a new Mac, if it's for professional use, I'd probably wait till all the software has successfully been debugged for Intel processors. Probably the middle of next year is a good time to buy a new machine, when the 2nd generation Mac Pros are out, and it's all settled. The laptops and iMacs have been Intel for a while, so it's safer buying them, but I've a feeling we're still waiting for Adobe software to become Universal Binary aren't we? Eitherway, the Intel shift does mean you get some good deals on second hand PowerPC models now.
In the meanwhile, good luck with your P4. Try the Startup Control Panel to speed things up, but also the advise already given before about backing up your files incase one day it doesn't startup at all, should be taken into consideration. I recently had my motherboard die on my PC. =P That can be another problem.
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 16:40
LUPOS wrote:
But for me, i enjoy Tycho's( of penny arcade) point of view. Windows PC's are like roughing it. The mac is sort of an RV parked in a "camp ground" with runnign water and electricity. Sure, theres trees and a river and hiking to be had, but theres no sense of acomplishment associated with it. (not an exact quote by any means)
That's all well and good but you don't want to rough it all the time, do you? Well I don't anyway - not at my age. I'll take the RV, thankyou very much, and an OS that works.
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 17:07
ajmetz wrote:
usefull info
Thanks for that link, just ran ont he work PC and found a few sticky wickets to clear out.
also this page was usefull in quick searchign the processess.
Jay wrote:
That's all well and good but you don't want to rough it all the time, do you? Well I don't anyway - not at my age. I'll take the RV, thankyou very much, and an OS that works.
Pfft, your loosin your edge! ;)
Not that i knwo if you ever had one, truth be told. Yes i do always want to do things for myself. I want my computer to be as configurable as possible. To be as uniquie to me as possible, set up just how i want it. I want a console to be as simple as possible, but i want a computer to be as open and user configurable as possible. MS wants to make the xbox like a super user friendly pc for the living room, liek the ultimate webtv. for all the peopel otu there who cant be bothered with a real computer. Macs and there hand holding give me the same kind of "locked-out" feeling. How many grat things come from the open dev comunity. Even cracked xbox's provide a fantastic value for their owners. Yet you want a computer that by default offers a single mouse buttona nd calls it super? I just can't see it. Though to be fair i havent really used one to any great length in the past year or two.
Anywho, i'm certainly not in the market for a new comp right now anyway, but i will be sure to consider my optiosn more thuoughly next time "new computer day" rolls around.
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:01
LUPOS wrote:
ajmetz wrote:
usefull info
Thanks for that link,
>>Glad you found it helpful.
LUPOS wrote:
Yet you want a computer that by default offers a single mouse buttona nd calls it super? I just can't see it. Though to be fair i havent really used one to any great length in the past year or two.
IMO, Macs are better.
But I still like my PC. Great thing about Macs is, they're well designed, seldom crash, and give professional performance for professional tasks.
If you want to make music, get a Mac and Logic ( or maybe Pro Tools ),
if you want to make a games magazine, get a Mac and Quark or InDesign, if you want to make a movie, get a Mac with Final Cut Pro or Media100, if you want to do graphic design, get a Mac with Photoshop, Illustrator, Freehand, Fireworks, etc. It's THE machine for the creative professional. ( I'm talking G5 or Mac Pro desktops moreso than iMacs btw )
If you just wanna browse the web, you could get an iMac or a PC, or even a Wii really. ^_^ Heh-heh.
However, I do like the configuration of my Windows 98 PC.
Here's something I wrote on my blog:
Right....now instantly, if someone asks me which Operating System I prefer, I'm gonna say Mac immediately, with barely any hesitance.
It's brighter, it's more colourful, it's quick, it's fast, it's easy, etc...
But when I stop and think about it....I actually realise I like Windows more.
And the reason is simple.
With Mac, my work is on there. And the operating system is so easy, I don't really spend any time in it, I'm merely a single click away from doing my work, or whatever it is I may want to do.
With a PC, I can waste time in the operating system, before getting on with my work.
Sure, the thing crashes regularly, I have a driver conflict atm too, and since I'm Windows98SE, most of the windows are still drab grey.
BUT...I've really customised it...I've played about with the actual operating system itself. Y'know, people will come round my house, and ask me what operating system I'm using. When someone was fixing my PC, they had to ask me where My Computer was....I've got a command line interface integrated into my start bar....I've got no icons on the desktop at all...they're all on quick start. I've taken my control panel window, and turned it into a menu on the start bar, I have quick easy access to a menu with my recent items on it, directly from the start bar, my start bar is on the side...the clock has a pop-out calender...I barely use the Start Button at all, as I have all my programmes available to me direct from the start bar, and various menus, and of course quick launch. My start bar is on the side. I shut down my computer, simply by typing "shutdown" and hitting enter. I've spent time customising how my operating system looks, and it's totally unique to me. People have come round and even told me my PC is so different, it looks like a Mac! For Windows 98....that's impressive. =P
Of course, with a Mac, what I want to do is just one click of a bright and friendly icon away.
With Windows however, I can waste time by starting my programme in a myriad of different ways, using elements of the OS I've tweaked or customized. And if I want, I can waste yet more time faffing about with the OS.
So, the Macs are better, but I nonetheless like my PC 'cos I've made it mine. And I can tinker with it. I'm a nerd, and I like playing around. I like using a computer in order to use a computer, rather than using a computer to work on something.
I'd rather sort out glitches with my PC,
than finish work on my Mac.
=P Maybe I should be a techie....
~~~~~~~~
LUPOS wrote:
Anywho, i'm certainly not in the market for a new comp right now anyway, but i will be sure to consider my optiosn more thuoughly next time "new computer day" rolls around.
>>>Nice to hear you maintain an open mind! ^_^ Watch out though, 'cos the Mac way is contagious. Although I would say, it will be interesting to see the Intel platform settle, and the Leopard V.S. Vista thing play out.
Anyway - sorry if I took it off topic. Hope whoever started this thread, has luck getting their P4 back up to full speed!!!
Tue, 19 Sep 2006 22:05
Thanks for all the suggestions - I picked up the system startup utility, and after looking at those things, it doesn't appear that there is anything - AVG and PCPitstop's online check showed an all clear, so I'm doubting that there's spyware or a virus involved.
Here's a crazy thing though - Once I turn on my Task Manager (using the old ctrl-alt-delete to bring it up) my system appears to cooperate more. Strange, no?
I also error checked my HDD, as suggested. it didn't come up with anything.
Defragging the drive was unnecessary.
On the whole, the computer is behaving itself now. Which of course, is great. for now.
The thing is, I'm finishing up my Master's Degree right now, as well as going through student teaching (for you non-yanks, here's the deal: I'm not yet a teacher, but will become one. so they stick me in a class with an experienced teacher, and let me run the class under their supervision for a while)
so obviously these problems are coming at a VERY inopportune time. Hopefully the gremlins have decided to pester someone else.
My Dad is retired, but has always used Macs, since 1984 we've had at least one in the house (well, I'm out of that house, but there's currently 2 there, and he's thinking of getting a new one)
Here's a crazy thing though - Once I turn on my Task Manager (using the old ctrl-alt-delete to bring it up) my system appears to cooperate more. Strange, no?
I also error checked my HDD, as suggested. it didn't come up with anything.
Defragging the drive was unnecessary.
On the whole, the computer is behaving itself now. Which of course, is great. for now.
The thing is, I'm finishing up my Master's Degree right now, as well as going through student teaching (for you non-yanks, here's the deal: I'm not yet a teacher, but will become one. so they stick me in a class with an experienced teacher, and let me run the class under their supervision for a while)
so obviously these problems are coming at a VERY inopportune time. Hopefully the gremlins have decided to pester someone else.
My Dad is retired, but has always used Macs, since 1984 we've had at least one in the house (well, I'm out of that house, but there's currently 2 there, and he's thinking of getting a new one)
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It started big time yesterday. I was tracking some scores on firefox, and had Outlook open - nothing seemingly major. Then, the system got totally bogged down, could not close windows, and got a "Windows is shutting down to prevent the world from ending" message. It shut down, tried to restart, and then "could not find operating system." It kept trying to restart, but was encountering some "unknown harderror" as it described it.
Obviously, it has found it again, but now my system is increadibly slow. Firefox, for example, is taking about 20 seconds to launch, although once it is open things are working pretty well.
Task Manager doesn't seem to have anything strange running, although there seems to be a lot of the same programs running under different settings (Under System, Local, and User, for example), even so, there I'm running with at least 250 free RAM, and additional space via virtual. the CPU percentage is always around 4%.
Any ideas? I'm sort of in the dark on this one.