Computer never stops "thinking"

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miguelfire

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Dec 25, 2012
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Hello :)

I have an Acer Aspire with: Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5600, 1.83 ghz, 2 Gb DDR2 RAM, 120 GB HDD (5600 rpm), GeForce 7300 with 128 mb, Windows 7 Professional 64 bit

Since the last windows updates, my computer freezes all the time. It never stops processing (thinking). You just hear him working even if I am not doing anything! Firefox freezes all the time.
I already changed all the settings to performance, turned off services I dont need, defragmentated..... I dont know what to do more other than buy a new PC. Honestly thats the last option, I only use it for Internet, Movies and work. And for that it should still be enough.

Should I change to Windows 32bit? What about all the processes?:
3sIP2ri.png


thank you in advance!
 
Solution
BSOD BSTD
Those processes are all normal, so don't worry about that. I would recommend doing a clean install of windows (you will need the disc), make sure you install AVG free antivirus as soon as you have reinstalled. If its still slow then I think it will just be time to get a new laptop/pc.
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BSOD BSTD

BSOD BSTD

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Nov 21, 2013
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Those processes are all normal, so don't worry about that. I would recommend doing a clean install of windows (you will need the disc), make sure you install AVG free antivirus as soon as you have reinstalled. If its still slow then I think it will just be time to get a new laptop/pc.
 
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miguelfire

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Dec 25, 2012
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First, thank you for the answer. The thing is I just made a clean install 5 months ago...and didnt do sooo much with the PC. Shouldnt this PC be able to handle WIN7 if I dont do very difficult stuff ? And I noticed it much more since these WIN7 updates this april. Its just weird.
 
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Bstanton

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Oct 3, 2013
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There is a possibility that you have a failing HDD, that will certainly cause the freezing and may keep the HDD running frequently. The should be a hardware test available at boot, though I can't remember the key off the top of my head. It would be a good idea to run a test, but I would backup anything that you care about ahead of time!
 
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Vlad Rose

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Apr 7, 2014
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I have an old core duo laptop setup at home running Windows 7 and 1.5gb of RAM in it. I have noticed that whenever updates are done, the system behaves similar as well. Usually I just let it sit and it eventually stops. I am using it as a media streaming system only (Plex, Netflix, Kodi, etc).

My guess is that it is due to the caching and indexing Windows does in general. You can try disabling those services, but it may not help. I did notice that when I hooked up a 4gb flash drive as a ready boost option, it did help. The other thing is that I chose to run the free version of Bit Defender, since it's supposed to be lighter on resources and less obtrusive than the other free options.

You can also try running a spyware scan with Malwarebytes, but since your install is fresh, it probably won't find much.

Running the 64-bit vs 32-bit version of Windows shouldn't matter.
 
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miguelfire

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Dec 25, 2012
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thank you guys:
HDD was already checked, is in good condition
I already used spybots to check for Malaware, nothing was found

while the updates were being done I knew it would happen, but they finished so...

I now disabled Flash + Java on Firefox because windows were saying these scripts were freezing...I dont know if they freeze because they are the problem or because the computer is busy otherwise

is it normal that 90% of RAM are taken all the time ?! because the CPU is normally OK, the RAM is taken all the time....
 
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ahnilated

ahnilated

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Nov 9, 2006
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Yes, you will most likely see your RAM being used a lot. You could also check how big your swap file is. Normally they say it should be double (or close to), the amount of RAM you have.
 
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Vlad Rose

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Apr 7, 2014
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Yes it is normal for the most part. This is due to Windows 'Superfetch', which partially preloads commonly used programs into memory as well as leaving them in memory upon exiting. Windows releases that memory when it is needed. It is another service that can be disabled, but will cause commonly used programs to take longer to start.
 
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inzgary

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Sep 8, 2012
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With only 2GB of RAM the system is relying on the HDD as RAM and this really slows the PC to a crawl. The best thing you can do is add more RAM to this computer. It will speed things up dramatically and stop the constant HDD use.
 
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srobin

srobin

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take a look at the disk usage in task manager, read/writes. Looks like a lot of thrashing. I agree that 2GB is low and you could really benefit with another 2GB.

Avast (and other virus programs) can really cause lots of reads. Shut down Avast and see if that wells. Make sure you turn it back on.
 
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miguelfire

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Dec 25, 2012
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thanks for the support guys !

since DDR2 is really expensive at the moment (I already searched a lot) , I took an old USB stick and am using it as ready boost. So far the computer continues to think a lot, but seems to freeze less...lets see. Pitty this USB stick is not the fastest one.

Whats the difference in terms of speed from a very good USB 2.0 stick and a RAM ? Would it be worth to buy a stick, say with 16 or 8gb, very fast, inspite of RAM?
 
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miguelfire

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Dec 25, 2012
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Na I was mistaken, as I am writing this he is thinking like crazy and I have only firefox on.....since the windows update its just not the same anymore, this never happened
 
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