Need help!! windows has become really slow...what to do?!

[rasheeq]

i use windows 7 32 bit. my pc specs are intel dual core 2.2 GHz processor, 2GB DDR2 667MHz ram, gtx 260 gpu and intel 965ry mobo.

my windows is around 7-8 mnths old and lately it has become very slow. takes about 2 minz just to start properly. i've removed all the unnecessary startup items. i have really settled in this copy of windows with all the installed games, softwares and other settings. i do not want to install a fresh copy of windows. so can u guys pls help me on how to make it a bit faster??

one more thing. nowadays almost all the games i play lag. from modern warfare 2 to cricket captain 2008...all the games start lagging after 5 minz n seems like suddenly it's running at 10fps!!! i dont think it's a driver issue coz all the games do the same thing. even freecell :| can u pls tell me what might be causing this and how to get rid of it?? i dont think it's a virus coz i use a licensed version of eset nod32 antivirus. again i'm not really willing to reinstall my copy of windows.

thnx

 

[isamuelson]

Worse comes to worse, do a clean install if none of what zipzoomfly mentions doesn't work.

Just because you have an antivirus doesn't mean you don't have a virus infection. Recently, my father-in-law was having problems with Run32.dll errors popping up because Windows was saying it couldn't find it. It was there, but it was corrupted in some fashion. Running a malwarebytes scan, it found a virus (can't remember off hand which one it was), yet he had a fully functioning, licensed and up-to-date copy of McAfee Internet Security yet he was still infected.

I tried to clean it, but it was too far gone, so I had to do a clean install. I then proceeded to download Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes (which he chose to purchase so it would have the protection constantly running as well as updating). His system runs fast now. Even before the reinstall, he only had a couple of programs installed. He plays Solitaire, Hoyle's House of Games, checks email and surfs the web. That's it. His 100 gig hard drive has well over 90% free on it. Yet, it would take forever to log in and boot. Now, XP boots in less than 30 seconds and when he logs in, it's quick and everything launches fast now.

So, don't assume that just because you have a virus scanner that you can't have a virus. New viruses come out every day and the publishers can only keep up so much and get patches out so fast. Some viruses can even get in and disable certain Antivirus programs to allow the infection and basically cripple to antivirus program.

Eternal vigilance is what is needed to ensure you never get a virus, which includes not downloading pirated software, installing "cracks" to circumvent copy protection, even on programs you've legally purchased, opening up suspicious email, surfing unsafe sites, etc.

 

[cassandraf_winteam]

Scan your computer with your anti-virus.

Do a disk cleanup.

Do a disk defrag.

Update your motherboards chipset drivers.

Update your nvidia drivers.

Overclock your cpu.

Hi rasheeq,

Zipzoomflyhigl gave you some great suggestions. This resource expands on his ideas (and gives you a few more), so you can get the most out of your Windows 7 experience - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Optimize-Windows-7-for-better-performance.

Hope this helps!
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[rasheeq]

thnx for the help guys

btw i think i've found out the reason for lagging and slowing down.after 30 minz both my processors show 100% usage even when i'm running cricket captain 2008 or just browsing/chatting...any idea what might be causing this??

 

[rasheeq]

Hi rasheeq,

Zipzoomflyhigl gave you some great suggestions. This resource expands on his ideas (and gives you a few more), so you can get the most out of your Windows 7 experience - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Optimize-Windows-7-for-better-performance.

Hope this helps!
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

when i try to go to the link it says :

"The resource cannot be found.

Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Requested URL: /en-us/windows7/Optimize-Windows-7-for-better-performance."

:S

 

[isamuelson]

Try this:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Optimize-Windows-7-for-better-performance

 

[cassandraf_winteam]

when i try to go to the link it says :

"The resource cannot be found.

Description: HTTP 404. The resource you are looking for (or one of its dependencies) could have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Please review the following URL and make sure that it is spelled correctly.

Requested URL: /en-us/windows7/Optimize-Windows-7-for-better-performance."

:S

Sorry about that - it is the link that isamuelson kindly sent

Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[isamuelson]

@cassandraf

Yeah, those periods at the end sure do like to cause havoc, don't they? [:isamuelson:9]

 

[rasheeq]

Best answer selected by rasheeq.