Laptop slowed down

Hey guys!

Recently, my laptop has been performing terrible slow . I ran a through virus scan, but found nothing. Is formatting the OS only solves the problem?

 

Maybe try running CCleaner?
Piriform - Download CCleaner, Defraggler, Recuva, Speccy - Millions of users worldwide!

You also might want to go into the Task Manager and sort by memory to see what's taking up so much of it. Might also help to make sure you don't have a bunch of unwanted programs running in the background - sometimes they take up residence in your system tray.

 

First off, hopefully you did not use your real name for your forum account.

Second, we need more information. CCleaner is not a solve all solution. Please do not recommend a program that can clean the registry without first trying to diagnose the problem.

What OS do you have?

What are the specifications of the machine?

Have you installed anything recently?

When did you notice the slowdown?

What did you install or use the machine for before you started noticing a slowdown?


Using registry cleaners blindly can cause a lot of harm. In fact, CCleaner isn't harmless. For example, I had some issues with CCleaner wiping out registry entries for AutoCAD. Thus making a bunch of buttons and menus in the program non-responsive. Though AutoCAD is a program not many people use, it is an example of a program that can be damaged by using a registry cleaner.

 

Too much programs autostarting, haven't defragged fo a while, crappy antivirus hogging all the memory.

I would look into those first.

 

Use Hwmonitor to check the temps on that machine. Let us know the results with a screenshot.

 

I just love all the suggested solutions before anyone has a clue what the issue is. Every time this question arises everyone wants to rush to the endgame before diagnosing the issue. Bog is the only one thus far to try to ascertain symptoms. Samantha ignore all these "solutions" they are total shots in the dark.

Do what Bog suggests and then also do one more test. Right click on the task bar at the bottom of the screen and from the popup menu select "Start Task Manager". Not knowing if you are running XP, Vista or Win7 the next steps are not as specific as they might be. But you want to be looking at the tab labeled Processes. Then there will be a button or check box about showing processes from all users. Make sure it is checked or push the button. (You might get a "User Access Control" popup, but that is expected. Just say ok to that.) Next not the column labeled CPU. Click the top of that column and the processes will be sorted according to how much of the CPU they are using. Each time you click that column heading the sort order will switch from lowest to highest or vice versa. Sort the list so the highest is at the top. Now you will see on process labeled "System Idle Process" and it SHOULD have the highest value. It represents the percent of time the processes is idle, doing nothing. Note what other processes are at the top of that list. Write down their names and the amount of CPU they consume and report back the results here. Or take a screen shot and post it here in a message as an attachment.

Once we get an idea WHAT is slowing the machine down, someone can give you some INFORMED advice on the solution.

Gary

 

And here I was about to suggest to tap the side of the screen.

 

@ScuderiaConchiglia

Are you saying that I gave a solution? If you look at my post, I said not to use CCleaner. I asked the OP what her OS was and what she did before and after the slowdown. Again, I have not told the OP to do anything yet other than collect some information and report back.

Also, checking temperatures isn't a bad idea, but we have no idea what laptop the OP has. If the laptop is very old, chances are that the processor does not throttle down at high temperatures and instead the machine just turns off or the OS crashes.

 

take a deep breath guys.....

A 'slow' laptop could be anything including a munged power plan.

It might be better to ask a few more questions before throwing so-called 'solutions' at the OP, especially since she seems to be a bit shy about attempting any of your shoot from the hip answers.

 

Sorry, no I didn't mean to lump you in with the others who were shooting from the hip. Your inquiry for more info was spot on. I apologize.

Gary

 

Jeez guys, relax. No one's recommending she use Darik's Boot and Nuke or anything.

 

Hi metril!

Sorry for not posting much info .

My OS - Windows XP with SP3

Specifications - Lenovo 3000 G530 (Processor - Pentium 2 GHz, Memory - 2 GB, HD - 160 GB).

I didn't installed OS.

I didn't installed any new softwares, but I surf the web all the time.

I noticed the slowdown from past one month.

I figured out that dllhost.exe takes away most of the CPU and memory usage.

 

@Samantha Nolan

Did you run any Spyware/Adware scan?

What Antivirus software do you use?