desktop loading question

[charmmatick]

lately my desktop has been taking longer and longer to load. ive done spyware and virus scans but my computer is clean. should i reload windows xp onto it or is it a hardware problem like powersupply or other..

p4p800e mobo
3ghz HT
1 gig ram


any help is very much appreciated
thanx

 

[site3op]

It's not necessarily spyware. Any application you install can potentially slow down the Windows load time. There are a great many apps out there that default to start up when Windows loads (especially true with communication apps.) Check to see what is starting up with Windows and then go into those apps and disable automatically starting with Windows. You may also want to get a registry cleaner. These useful tools will clear up keys left behind by uninstalled programs. This is another culprit for slow load times...

 

[pscowboy]

Three strong recommendations, and a couple of maintenance tips.

1. Get Diskeeper ($20) and defrag everyday before you shut down. With regular use, this should only take a couple of minutes. The native defrag is Diskeeper Lite; it is not as aggressive as the full version.

2. Get Spy Sweeper ($30) and use it everyday. Get rid of the freebies. I'll bet this one will find lots of stuff AdAware & SpyBot miss.

3. Get Registry Fix($$) or Registry Mechanic($$) and run it every other day.

At least every three days go to Start - Run- (type in) %temp% and delete EVERYTHING in there it will allow.

At least every three days go to Windows/Prefetch and Windows/Temp and delete everything in there it will allow.

Run defrag after those operations.

Follow site3op's advice. Go into Add/Remove Programs and take out anything you don't use. Check Device Manager (right-click My Computer - Properties - Hardware) for problems. Disable stuff you don't use.

Another thing I do with my customers is a "Disaster Recovery" back-up every six months. NOT AN IMAGE RESTORE IN THIS CASE. (We use images as regular backups almost every day). I use Back Up My PC v6 (there are others). Important to note; you must use the DR option. Much faster and less work to do; restoration to exactly what you were. You'll need a floppy drive, four floppies, and an XP install disc with key. Be sure to delete the partition first, recreate it, then use long format. I find it refreshes the hd and tightens things up. Start to finish - 2 hours.

You've got to be pro-active in taking care of your comp every day. You can't just turn it on each day.