Computer is slowly dying

[Daryll]

Got a strange one here.
first the boring bit , AMD Semperon 2800, 2 gig ram. 2 x 250gig SATA drives.
All was well until about 3 weeks ago , when it seemed to take longer to boot , now from pushing the button to when I can access firefox takes about 6 minutes , also apart from firefox and media player, any program I open works for about 2 minutes then hangs, Program not responding message pops up, the hard drive is constantly read/writing , also the CPU moniter seems to be on 100% all the time, I use Avast anti virus , which is up to date , and the drive has been scanned for spy ware etc , If I have to buy a new base unit , so be it , but if any one has any ideas....

Cheers

Daryll

[DJWilson]

Does that anti virus search for hidden files?

There may be something undetected that is adding bits of hidden software to your PC which slows it down and sends out info to other PC's when your connected to the internet.

[A1DL]

have you tried clearing the cache? ;)

[One Vision]

Hya Daryll, were is your PC based?
Try NOT to place directly on the floor, especially if on carpet, as the PC will pick up the fibers.
It’s possible that the heat sink and fan on the processor need to be cleaned.
Once the heat sink gets clogged up with dust the fan is unable to cool the processor so is over heating so causes the machine to crash or in some cases just run very, very slowly as the system is unable to refresh its self.

Also it does depend what software you have installed.
If you have more than one anti virus or spyware software installed this can also cause big speed problems as you have both conflicting with each other as they are trying to do the same job at the same time.

Its hard to say 100% from here what the exact problem is, so is really a case of elimination.
I would first try un-installing some of the software like anti virus and anti spyware to see if you notice any difference.
If it doesn’t seem to make a difference then you could try a system restore to a time prior to noticing issues.

I would also take a look at the heat sink to see if it’s clogged up with dust.

Below is a not bad link to a; you tube demo; it’s not a bad one although when it comes to the power supply and the heat sink I would actually remove and clean properly.
To clean the heat sink, remove from the motherboard and then remove the fan and then give the fins a good rubbing with a stiffish paint brush so you can get deep in to the fins.
You can also do the same to the fan, and then vacuum them or blow them out with compressed air etc.

With the power supply I wouldn’t suggest using a standard paint brush “due to static” static shock could cause a significant surge to blow circuitry, so best to just take the top of and blow the dust out with compressed air (unless you earth yourself with an anti static strap and use an anti static brush).

Again unless you know what you’re doing and have prepared yourself against static, the rest of the internals like any cards including ram sticks, I would just give them a blast off with compressed air to remove the build up of the bulk of the dust.

Your main priority here though is the heat sink as I reckon that’s the source of your speed issues, so don’t get over confident and start doing too much or you may well blow something on the motherboard

Keep us posted :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QZ8j46GB2w&feature=related

[nigelwright7557]

Got a strange one here.
first the boring bit , AMD Semperon 2800, 2 gig ram. 2 x 250gig SATA drives.
All was well until about 3 weeks ago , when it seemed to take longer to boot , now from pushing the button to when I can access firefox takes about 6 minutes , also apart from firefox and media player, any program I open works for about 2 minutes then hangs, Program not responding message pops up, the hard drive is constantly read/writing , also the CPU moniter seems to be on 100% all the time, I use Avast anti virus , which is up to date , and the drive has been scanned for spy ware etc , If I have to buy a new base unit , so be it , but if any one has any ideas....

Cheers

Daryll

Could be a full hard disc ?

Could be anti virus thrashing the hard disc ? try stopping it to see if it becomes OK again.

Perhaps Windows has become clogged up ? reinstall Windows or just clear any caches.

[501damian501]

totally format your machine quick way, before you open up make sure you are wearing an wrist band becuase if the static.

i tihnk their might be sumthing clogging away in the background like a trojan or sumthing.

and to be honest with you semperon processors are a big no no, when it comes to AMD

also karl your telling him to remove his heatsink, and t does not mention about reapplying some thermal paste compound ???

[One Vision]

totally format your machine quick way, before you open up make sure you are wearing an wrist band becuase if the static.

i tihnk their might be sumthing clogging away in the background like a trojan or sumthing.

and to be honest with you semperon processors are a big no no, when it comes to AMD

also karl your telling him to remove his heatsink, and t does not mention about reapplying some thermal paste compound ???

Thermal paste isn't vital "recommended" but not vital and was just trying to keep it simple.

[501damian501]

and who told you thermal paste aint vital ??, do you even know what thermal paste is for ?

[One Vision]

Well I hope so my friend as its my job.
Its only probably in the past 3-4 years its actually been used and more aimed at the AMD Athlon processors due to the high temps they run at.

By the way thermal paste is used to help distribute the heat evenly.
Why the potential insults?

[501damian501]

distribute more evenly ??
well this is what i think it does..

Thermal paste is used to fill in the gaps between the cpu and the base of the heatsink. Because these surfaces may not be completely flat, the bare contact between a cpu with the heatsink base will cause increased core temps because the "rough" surfaces will trap in air. Since air is a poor insulator, heat will not travel very quickly from the cpu to the heatsink, and thus overheating

[One Vision]

Which leads to the heat distributing more evenly over the whole surface which is exactly what I just said I.E to help distribute the heat evenly.

[Penfold42]

and who told you thermal paste aint vital ??, do you even know what thermal paste is for ?

Damian....can you please stop being aggressive in your post's......

Can post your questions in a non aggressive way.....

We are all on here to help....

Thanks.

[501damian501]

am not being aggressive, the geezer is telling people to remove their heatsinks without telling them to apply thermal paste before clipping the heatsink back into place.

[Penfold42]

With out taking this to far off topic....


am not being aggressive, the geezer is telling people to remove their heatsinks without telling them to apply thermal paste before clipping the heatsink back into place.

You may not think you are being aggressive .......but it comes across like that.......


and who told you thermal paste aint vital ???
Very stand off.....

do you even know what thermal paste is for ?
Insult.....

Do you not see that.....:confused: :)

Anyway back on topic...

[One Vision]

There were other things I didn't mention and I would imagine that with not touching the actual processor there would already be ample thermal paste on, I was trying to keep it as simple as possible.
A heat sink full of dust will do far more damage than not re-applying thermal paste.
But yes as the subject has been brought up yes it is "recommended" to re-apply thermal paste for reasons I pointed out.

[501damian501]

some paste only lasts afew years depending on what stuff you buy, this could be his problem

[One Vision]

I doubt it very much, the fact he has an AMD Sempron processor, indicates that he will not have had the system that long.
The only reason is "recommended" to apply thermal paste is that it helps prolong the life of the processor.
However by not using it doesn't mean that his system processor is going to over heat as its not.
Thermal paste is used purely as a matter of good practice as it helps prolong the processors lifespan.
Like I said up until relatively recently it was never actually used with the exception of say Mesh computers and other very pricey systems.

Clogged up heat sinks are one of the biggest issues alongside software issues for slowing the system down.

[PropellerHeadCase]

If it's not physical issues and the Malware angle hasn't been tackled yet I'd suggest running Spybot S&D and Malwarebytes' Anti Malware (both available free in one form or another) and both very thorough in their own ways. Run Spybot first as it's quicker and get's most things and then run Anti Malware which is much more thorough but also therefore much slower.

[One Vision]

If it's not physical issues and the Malware angle hasn't been tackled yet I'd suggest running Spybot S&D and Malwarebytes' Anti Malware (both available free in one form or another) and both very thorough in their own ways. Run Spybot first as it's quicker and get's most things and then run Anti Malware which is much more thorough but also therefore much slower.

Absolutely.
I reckon he may have spotted if it was malware etc. but you never know these days with the amount of stuff out there :)

[Tom]

Daryll - How about you do a full virus scan and after that do a full defrag of your computer.

There is nothing wrong with AMD Sempron processors. I had one in my old pc for years and worked very well for the high perforamnce games but anyway.

Also if possible, just give the insides of the computer case a good clean with a hoover p the slowest setting (on mine you can change the speed of the suction) and a paint brush. Cleaning the excess dust away can help with keeping the case cool.

With cars the engine needs to be warm to work best, but with computers, the cooler the better. Just an example. :)

[One Vision]

Daryll - How about you do a full virus scan and after that do a full defrag of your computer.

There is nothing wrong with AMD Sempron processors. I had one in my old pc for years and worked very well for the high perforamnce games but anyway.

Also if possible, just give the insides of the computer case a good clean with a hoover p the slowest setting (on mine you can change the speed of the suction) and a paint brush. Cleaning the excess dust away can help with keeping the case cool.

With cars the engine needs to be warm to work best, but with computers, the cooler the better. Just an example. :)

Hya mate, are ya not confusing the Sempron with the Athlon XP, Athlon or Duron processor?
The reason I say this is that the Sempron is a relitevly new processor and has only been around on the whole for about 3 years possibly a bit more.
The Sempron is also the budget processor from AMD, it was with the release of the Sempron when you started to see very cheap new PCs available on the market.

Am not trying to knock you down here mate but, I wouldn't just go through the inside of the case with a vacuum and paint brush.
Its a bit like crossing a motorway on foot, you get away with it say 10 times then all of a sudden you try again and get hit by a car.
One electrical spike from static on the open circuitry on the ram sticks, graphics card, sound card or even the motherboard itself could take the item or more out.

[Tom]

Hya mate, are ya not confusing the Sempron with the Athlon XP, Athlon or Duron processor?
The reason I say this is that the Sempron is a relitevly new processor and has only been around on the whole for about 3 years possibly a bit more.
The Sempron is also the budget processor from AMD, it was with the release of the Sempron when you started to see very cheap new PCs available on the market.

Am not trying to knock you down here mate but, I wouldn't just go through the inside of the case with a vacuum and paint brush.
Its a bit like crossing a motorway on foot, you get away with it say 10 times then all of a sudden you try again and get hit by a car.
One electrical spike from static on the open circuitry on the ram sticks, graphics card, sound card or even the motherboard itself could take the item or more out.

Nope it was a sempron. It was about 2 years ago but it still worked very well for a budget processor. :)

I now have an Athlon XP Dual Core 6400 as I needed more omph to do my music recordings. :)

As for the hoover, I have always done mine and never had a problem at all. I have been doing it for years. I now have 2x Nvidia 9800 GX2 running in SLI mode. Now, If I was worried about static then I would not use a hoover and a paint brush to clean out the pc case.

[Daryll]

Thanks for the reply guys :D .

At this moment in time , cleaned the inside of the case , The processor is running at the correct temperature (motherboard/bios has sensors) , the inside was clean, installed spyware detector , surprise surprise it found 11387 threats :eek: :eek: , however it hangs so I cant remove the threats, did some major software uninstalls , the machine is a tiny bit faster , but the task bart takes ages to load , still the same problems with programs ie: launch outlook express , it gets any emails no problem , but if I click on "file" "edit" etc it frezzes up :bang: .
Cant back up for same reasons , however I have dumped some files etc on to usb pen drives.

I think the power supply is on its way out as well , due to the fact that on occasions the on button does nothing until the IEC cord is removed and replaced , followed by the fans bursting into life and dying within seconds,

I could play with this for ages , but another base unit is a quick fix , there are a few P4 base units on the bay for around £50/60 , 1-2 gig ram 40-80 HDD cd re writer , as I dont do gaming theres no need for a top spec machine.

However I have the ultimate virus destroyer...................................

































Black and decker grinder :D :D

Cheers

Daryll

[501damian501]

from the sound of it, its not a virus detector you need, you need to get spybot SD, or how about just formating the whole hard drive, and that will get rid of any nasty viruses, spyware, ect ect

now you mention power supply, could the power supply be sending not enough power to the components, if you new what you was doing, you could get a multimeter out and do afew short and simple tests, but dont go jumping into that, you might blow yaself up mate hehe

from the sounds of it, delete all software off your computer, but not the spyware and virus ones, then reboot up in safe mode, then run the spyware and virus programmes, also go on to norton anti virus website and run their online virus checker, then come back and tell us what happening

[Marc J]

If doing an online virus scan, I'd recommend Kasperksy's (http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner).

EDIT: The Spybot S&D Forums are also very good and full of helpful bods. Run Kasperksy and get HijackThis (http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/threat_analytics/HJTInstall.exe), then pop over there and post your findings....but read this topic (http://forums.spybot.info/showpost.php?p=1150) first.

[Daryll]

Well this could be my last post for a few days :mad: .

Having followed all your advise the following is now happening..

PC will not boot into safe mode.
Internet explorer will not load ( :D as I use firefox :D )
Cannot load any virus/spyware checkers.
the ones I do have now hang.
all downloads freeze after about 20% done.
firefox and this site are about the only things working , but I have lost all history,bookmarks etc.
I have just brought a small base from ebay , cant show a link because the address bar has just vanished :Censored: :Censored: .


where's that grinder :bang:

I`ll keep online as long as the thing is still working ..

Cheers

Daryll

[501damian501]

do you have any old back up discs ? or the orginal disk to windows, i tihnk your are going to have to complety format the hard drive, basicly that means everything will be deleted,

here is a link to how to do it basicly, http://lifehacker.com/software/windows/geek-to-live-how-to-format-your-hard-drive-and-install-windows-xp-from-scratch-157578.php theirs tons of websites on the net about it, i dare say you have a trojan or sumthing on your computer, in my eyes the best way forward to do format the hard drive, reinstall windows and start from fresh, like i first did state, cheers damian

p.s i hope you have a driver for the cd drive, if you need one lol

[One Vision]

Now there is a little more info to go of yes doesn't sound good and probably a format now needed (which is a last resort I may ad).
CD ROM drivers are generic so doesn't need specific drivers to run as long as you have the XP cd or withing the allocated area that is used for setup files these days were no cd is required.

Originally I only had a slow machine to diagnose from but now actual symptoms which is easier to diagnose.
Doesn't help when you have a smart ass doing google searches to try to catch you out or prove you wrong though when all ya trying to do is help somebody. :Censored:

[DJWilson]

As damian posted above about completly restarting your PC as if youve only just turned it on for the first time, if you didnt get a disc with it then in the manual it should tell you what to press during booting up,

for me when booting up I would need to keep pressing F10 until it took me to a blue screen for start-up.

Good luck.

[One Vision]

Nope it was a sempron. It was about 2 years ago but it still worked very well for a budget processor. :)

I now have an Athlon XP Dual Core 6400 as I needed more omph to do my music recordings. :)

As for the hoover, I have always done mine and never had a problem at all. I have been doing it for years. I now have 2x Nvidia 9800 GX2 running in SLI mode. Now, If I was worried about static then I would not use a hoover and a paint brush to clean out the pc case.

You couldn't have had a sempron for years then as they haven't been out that long 3-4 years of the top of my head.

All I say on hoovering out around open circuits is its not a good practice.
By rights you SHOULD use an earth strap to remove ram, graphics cards and whatever but there we go not many do.

[One Vision]

Just done a quick nosy on release dates of the Sempron to make sure I wasn't too far out which I wasn't as it was July 2004 onwards, so would have roughly been towards the end of 2004 before any systems in the UK would have been equipped with the processor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Sempron_microprocessors#Sempron

[Dillmiester]

Its a good job men arnt into knitting. Disagreements could get very dangerous...

[One Vision]

Only when it matters though lol
Some kid out there will be watching now as he goes upstairs to hoover his bedroom and thinks O that guy on that site said he has done for years so it must be ok, next thing you know boom new hair cut, as he has taken the side of his PC and stuck the end of the hoover inside to clean it out, maybe he was just one of the unlucky ones :p

If people want to do that to their own equipment then thats fine its their gear, but please dont pass it on as an ok practice as its not.

[501damian501]

and whos the smart arse doing google searches ?

[One Vision]

errrm

[501damian501]

i hope you aint digging at me here !

[One Vision]

I wouldn't dream of it :shh:

[501damian501]

hmmmmm

[One Vision]

:handbag:

[Daryll]

My favorite DOS command.

FORMAT C:/U

Sorted :banana: :banana:

I managed to back up about 40% of the old drive , thats no bad.

so far I have windows/firefox........er thats it , damm quick :D

Thanks again for all your help

Daryll

[One Vision]

format c: would have been ample as would simply booting from your xp disk to do a basic format.
Glad you got sorted

[501damian501]

i think i deserve some recognition here ! hehehehe

[One Vision]

i think i deserve some recognition here ! hehehehe

Ya see that's were we differ immensely, you help somebody coz you genuinely want to and not purely to fuel an ego

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I'm sure the help is appreciated guys, but please put your handbags down.

[One Vision]

:handbag:

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

:handbag:

Put them down, not pick them up! :p

[One Vision]

:coat:

[Arnold_disco]

Install Ubuntu