I don't want to spend all day maintaining a computer

Ever since I reformat this desktop (Sony RX850 P4 2.4 ghz, 512 MB RAM - 32MB Shared w/ Video Card, 80GB HD, etc) I'm having a ton of problems. I can barely run iTunes without some sort of major lag. Folders seem to have the ability to spontaneously delete files without my permission. When I try to access certain files, I get "access denied" messages. The computer randomly freezes, though I never got a BSOD. There are more problems, but they are similar in nature. My question is this: how can I keep this computer from for the maximum extend possible without maintenance? I'm finding myself dedicating 1/2 of the time on this computer using software like CCeaner, ad-aware, registry mechanic, etc.........Please help

 

i would check & see if:
. firewall jam processes? (in my case, ZA 7.0 really got my sys bogged down, going back to 6 or comodo or whatever fits u))
. virus scanner overjealous? (norton, mcafee do not do well for me, i m using avast)
. diskdefrag in real.time mode in background? (this can be a show stopper)
. too many un.needed start.up processes and services? (clean them up, cCLeaner is a good tool)
. mal/spyware present? (scan it once and leave it)

cheers ...

 

Usually a clean install of the operating system results in a fully functioning computer. If you have problems after a reformat, it may be related to missing drivers or wrong drivers. Make sure you download all of the necessary drivers (motherboard chipset, video, audio, etc) and then install them in the required order.

 

Open device manager and see if there are any ! icons which indicate missing drivers or hardware conflicts. Also update all your drivers (and bios), and open task manager to see which processes are running. (and disable unneeded ones)

 

It depends on what you're using the computer for, but if it is just to be a media server you could always throw Faronics's DeepFreeze onto it.

DeepFreeze keeps tracks of any changes made to the machine throughout daily use and wipes clean upon reboot. The only problem is that to make any permanent changes to the machine (e.g. Windows Update, Virus Definition Updates) or anything you're going to have to boot into a "thawed" mode.

 

You know, it's possible you contracted a virus. Even if you are running anti-virus software it can happen.

That type of behavior is not typical. Even if you have something taking up your processes, you still should not see "access denied" when trying to open files. Check to see that nobody can remote in and control your system. Also run some scanners. Otherwise, you may just want to re-try the reformat.

 

Take a look at XP's Event Viewer: Start---> Control Panel--->Performance and Maintenance--->Administrative Tools--->Computer Management.

If there's a hardware conflict or driver issue, the event viewer will let you know with a warning or error icon next to the corresponding event.

If you find any such errors, expand them to show as much info as possible, then take a screenshot and post it here. Someone like myself or Jalf might be able to discern the problem.

 

Wow, thanks guys. When I posted this, I thought it would just be considered as inherent problems of using windows.

I tried ZA 7, but couldn't even finish the installation without crashing, so I switched back to 6.5. It's been pretty good on the other computer, and I don't think it's that big of a resource hog. I have Diskeeper, but I disabled its real time defrag features. I also don't have desktop search or any kind of indexing/HD software running at start-up. I only enabled 2 entries on startup.

I installed all the necessary drivers already. I look under Device manager revealed that only the PCI modem (which I don't use) and an "unknown device" are not installed.

All of the drivers are the newest version I could find. I also updated the BIOS and every software I installed already. I checked under Task Manager and it said I have 23 process (including firefox) running.

I've considered the Deep Freeze option already, but it isn't plausible in my case.

There is certainly the possibility that I could have infected a virus, but ZA didn't detect anything. I also scanned with the Avast U3 edition, which came on my flash card, and it didn't find anything either.

No, I didn't find any errors.

 

Is the machine directly hooked up to the Internet, or is it connected to a wired (or wireless router)? Ttupa's proposal that someone has compromised your computer does make sense based on what you've told us, and it is possible (and better to be safer than sorry). If you are on a wireless network, try plugging the desktop directly to the router so you eliminate a possible route of external attack.

 

It is connected (by wires) to a wireless/wired router. The router is protected by a WPA encryption password and I turned off all file-sharing/remote assistances options.

 

How many processes does your PC start with? How much ram are you using after a fresh re-start.

Maybe try allocating more graphics ram, say 64 MB.

Install anything like "Turbomem" or anything else that claims to enhance performance? Make sure your CPU fan is still spinning along with all the other fans (power supply, chipset, intake, exhaust). Everything is dust bunny free by now, right?

Does your motherboard have some sort of monitoring software for temps and voltages? Load your CPU up with Prime 95 and make sure your temps and voltages are OK. This could EASILY be a power supply problem.

Make sure your CPU is actually at it's rated speed, sometimes FSB values get changed and nobody ever notices. Run some benchamrks like Sandra to see if your memory and CPU are performing like they should.

Run Memtest86 to check your ram.

Run HDtach on your disk drives. Disk drive manufacturers usually have a downloadable diagnostics utility that tests the drive.

When it starts to slow down, monitor the task manager. Check your processor usage and ram usage, look at which processes are using CPU cycles and memory.

Download, install and run AVG antivirus and AVG anti spyware, they are free. Run an online scan via Panda Active Scan, it's free. CCcleaner, adaware and reg mechanic aren't doing anything for you. Wiping cookies and null registry entries are the least of your problems.

 

23 processes

I don't think my graphic card will let me do that



Install anything like "Turbomem" or anything else that claims to enhance performance? Make sure your CPU fan is still spinning along with all the other fans (power supply, chipset, intake, exhaust). Everything is dust bunny free by now, right?

[/QUOTE]

I just cleaned the inside, but seeing how this computer has a very peculiar case (it opens on the top, each component is housed in a separate steel cage, etc) , I couldn't reach all the components. However, I did get most of it clean.

I checked, the temps are fine

.

They are ok as well

I have ZA, Spyware Doc, AVG anti-spyware, Ad-aware, Spybot S&D installed already

 

hmmmm...there is something that might be the cause. Your registry could be fairly fragmented. I have had that happen on new/fresh/re-install/etc of XP. You can download a really great tool from SysInternals called PageDefrag. MS bought SysInternals last year I think but the utilites are still AWESOME. Here is the link to PageDefrag:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/FileAndDisk/PageDefrag.mspx

I have it run everytime I boot/re-boot my system so my registry never stays fragmented.

It is just a suggestion because nothing else has helped...best of luck!!