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Author Topic: Computers  (Read 8023 times)

The long Build

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Computers
« on: January 20, 2012, 08:18:20 pm »

For those Intersted in Computers, I hope you might be able to give some Advice please

I built my PC in about 2006

It is using a Destop Board D945GNT/D945GTP
With an Intel Pentium D Processor

3.40ghz

4gb Ram 3.24 usable

Also om 30mb Broad band soon to be doubled to 60 !! for free apparently by Virgin


My questions are, is this a pretty slow set up by comparison to modern systems ? and could it cope with 60mb BB as at times it seems to struggle..  Other times its faster than a club 500 on a new set of Batteries..

Larry R.

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Martin (Admin)

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Re: Computers
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2012, 09:02:01 pm »

1. Windows XP or 7?
2. Slow doing somethings (internet) or everything?
3. What Antivirus?
4. Download & run this - http://www.glarysoft.com/products/utilities/quick-startup/
    ( Shows you how much crap your PC is running from startup! )
5. Even the fastest Broadband it a 100 times slower than your hard drive!

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The long Build

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Re: Computers
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2012, 10:22:56 pm »

Running on W7 Ie9

Using Norton and yes I know this does slow things down a bit, so before reloading it I stripped out Norton Completeley and loaded AVG, to be honest I saw no real difference..

Seems to get stressed out over the Internet, programmes seem ok..  Also varible times.

Early 2011 I had issues with the system overheating So I re-greased the Heatsink plate which stopped that happening, also I think at the time the unit was not as tight as it should have been.
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Computers
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2012, 10:42:42 pm »

If you haven't done so already. it's worth vacuuming out the inside of the case as dust gets in and forms a blanket over everything which causes overheating.

Martin - I've had a look at that program you suggested but does it really do very much more then msconfig.exe?

Colin
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Computers
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2012, 10:54:23 pm »

In my experience there are a few things which slow Microsoft systems down.

1 - a complex and messy registry. Comes from loading and unloading different software packages over the years. There are 'registry cleaners' but they are sometimes of limited value.

2 - a lot of 'spyware' and propriety toolbars loaded onto IE. Comes from clicking all those 'special offers'. Again, there are cleaners and products like SpyBot.

3 - Defragging is rarely of value, but is sometimes helpful, especially if you have fullish drives.

If you have built your own system then a rebuild might be the quickest and most reliable way to clean it up. Have two drives, keep your OS on one and your data on the other. Colin's point about dust - especially in the power supply grills and the various coolers on the motherboard - is also an important one.   
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The long Build

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Re: Computers
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2012, 10:56:23 pm »

I loaded the programme, I think it shows the use more the msconfig ?

Recently vacuumed inside and out..

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Martin (Admin)

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Re: Computers
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2012, 11:38:51 pm »


Martin - I've had a look at that program you suggested but does it really do very much more then msconfig.exe?



Yes, a bit more, it allows programs to exist in the starup groups, services, scheduled but doesn't allow them to run, ie. you can delete things like quicktime, java quickstarer, abobe arm, realplayer, ms office starter, etc, etc,  but it they just add themselves again.
(It's also safer than msconfig!)
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barryfoote

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Re: Computers
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2012, 08:11:20 am »

Cheers Martin, I have downloaded it to my laptop and PC. It is very easy to use. We will see how it performs..
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Circlip

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Re: Computers
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2012, 11:06:39 am »

Used to run AVG but like many others, it clogs up the gears. Changed to Avast (free version) about five years ago and Ccleaner (another freebie), works for me.

  Regards   Ian
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Subculture

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Re: Computers
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2012, 03:00:44 pm »

Unless you're into gaming, have a look at Ubuntu Linux. I've been using Linux for a while now, and find it trouble free.

Fast boot up, no bloat and it costs nix.

I use Firefox browser.
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The long Build

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Re: Computers
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2012, 04:23:57 pm »

In my experience there are a few things which slow Microsoft systems down.

1 - a complex and messy registry. Comes from loading and unloading different software packages over the years. There are 'registry cleaners' but they are sometimes of limited value.

Should have said CPU and board Built 2006, Hardrive replaced as I wanted to keep XP available , so Put new HD for OS and separate for files

2 - a lot of 'spyware' and propriety toolbars loaded onto IE. Comes from clicking all those 'special offers'. Again, there are cleaners and products like SpyBot.

Never click on the special offers..and regularly get rid of any other propriety toolbars , but suppose they could be running in the background

3 - Defragging is rarely of value, but is sometimes helpful, especially if you have fullish drives.

If you have built your own system then a rebuild might be the quickest and most reliable way to clean it up. Have two drives, keep your OS on one and your data on the other. Colin's point about dust - especially in the power supply grills and the various coolers on the motherboard - is also an important one.    

I defrag maybe once a year just for fun (takes a long time,)but have a 320os Hd and 1tb files drive.. Recently deleted 10,000+ photos/files  %% %% they tend to get duplicated when posting on to sites as I only work from copies..  
Also regularly clear out the fan filters and vac the insides.
The laptop uses exactly the same software  but seems fine..CPU is I think Dual Amd  so not sure if that makes a difference


Must admit not sure about swapping as I have always been a fan of MS despite the flaws.

I have Avg and Norton running , Wonder if that could be a conflict..
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Colin Bishop

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Re: Computers
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2012, 04:42:00 pm »

Quote
I have Avg and Norton running , Wonder if that could be a conflict..

Quite possibly, it's not generally considered good practice to run two AV programs simultaneously as they can trip over each other and are frequently incompatible. (think acrylic and enamel  ok2)

I rely on Microsoft Security Essentials and the extra protection given by the firewall in my router. Not had any problems so far touch wood! Every now and again I run one of the Ad Aware type programs as a double check.

Colin
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Computers
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2012, 05:05:42 pm »

Must admit not sure about swapping as I have always been a fan of MS despite the flaws.

I have Avg and Norton running , Wonder if that could be a conflict..


Oooh, the colours!

As Martin said, whether it's good enough depends what you want the system for. Simple browsing should be fine. XP is starting to get a bit long in the tooth, at you will start to get compatibility problems as Microsoft starts to force people to change...

My experience over 20+ years of playing with Microsoft operating systems is that they all deteriorate and go slow, usually after 2 or three years, for a variety of reasons. Microsoft has been well served by this, because it has encouraged people to buy new systems (with a new OS) every few years.

I second Colin's suggestion not to run two AVs. I run Avast! on my Windows systems.

If I want a reliable system which won't slow down or need attention I use Linux. Ubuntu is now very impressive. You can simply set up your system to dual boot if you want, and have both OS on it. Ubuntu just works, doesn't need defragging or any of those other maintenance processes, because it's based on Unix (a mainframe OS) and so does things professionally...

Your machine will go back to the speed it had when you bought it if you clear the OS drive and rebuild it. I find that's much quicker than trying to find out what issues an old system has, clearing one and then finding the next...


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RaaArtyGunner

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Re: Computers
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2012, 10:57:26 pm »

Dodgy,

For us non geeks/techno types, when you say rebuild it, are you referring to all the software programs and not physically rebuilding the PC.
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Computers
« Reply #14 on: January 22, 2012, 02:36:11 am »

For us non geeks/techno types, when you say rebuild it, are you referring to all the software programs and not physically rebuilding the PC.

Just the software - not the physical bits.

To make a PC you:

1 - plug all the physical bits together. No need to separate these again unless a physical problem occurs

2 - load an operating system - typically from CD - onto your empty hard drive

3 - set up the OS the way you want it - network, screen drivers, patches, etc

4 - load each application and set up as you want


By rebuild I mean do items 2-4. An issue with MS Windows is a thing called the Registry. Briefly, a 'proper' system design would keep the operating system code quite separate from the application code, with the OS having the power to control and direct how the applications should run. Unix and Linux work this way, because they were designed properly, from first principles.

MS DOS was never designed with this level of sophistication, and as Windows developed MS needed to add some kind of application controlling process. They designed a database called the Registry which the OS could read to gather data about each application. But this design has a number of problems, and can easily get corrupted or filled with junk. I find that, if I load and unload software on a regular basis on a Windows machine, that it's a good idea about every two years to wipe my OS disk clean and then re-install the OS and applications. Other peoples mileage may vary...   
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RaaArtyGunner

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Re: Computers
« Reply #15 on: January 22, 2012, 06:13:17 am »

Just the software - not the physical bits.

To make a PC you:

1 - plug all the physical bits together. No need to separate these again unless a physical problem occurs

2 - load an operating system - typically from CD - onto your empty hard drive

3 - set up the OS the way you want it - network, screen drivers, patches, etc

4 - load each application and set up as you want


By rebuild I mean do items 2-4. An issue with MS Windows is a thing called the Registry. Briefly, a 'proper' system design would keep the operating system code quite separate from the application code, with the OS having the power to control and direct how the applications should run. Unix and Linux work this way, because they were designed properly, from first principles.

MS DOS was never designed with this level of sophistication, and as Windows developed MS needed to add some kind of application controlling process. They designed a database called the Registry which the OS could read to gather data about each application. But this design has a number of problems, and can easily get corrupted or filled with junk. I find that, if I load and unload software on a regular basis on a Windows machine, that it's a good idea about every two years to wipe my OS disk clean and then re-install the OS and applications. Other peoples mileage may vary...   

Dodgy,

Thank you and understood.  O0 O0 O0
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funtimefrankie

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Re: Computers
« Reply #16 on: January 22, 2012, 09:18:25 am »

But, remember if reinstalling to a blank disc you need to make sure you still have all your original discs, and many programs will have updated themselves over the the internet, so they will then want to do that all over again.
Also remember that the personalisations will be lost, email accounts , any passwords that are automatically filled in, etc etc etc
Plus remember to save all you photos, data, documents that you have amassed over the years.
Allow a couple of days to get the computer back to where it was before you started
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RaaArtyGunner

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Re: Computers
« Reply #17 on: January 22, 2012, 09:25:14 am »

Thank you.

Boy, I am glad I have a computer  <:( <:(
I wonder what I did with my time before.  :(( :((
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The long Build

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Re: Computers
« Reply #18 on: January 22, 2012, 10:26:47 am »

Also if you are able to, Put the OS on 1 hard drive and keep the files on a seperate Drive, makes life much easier..

Also REgardless of which option to save files on you should always make regular backups..

Emails can be backed up but is a bit of a pain, however if using any of the main Providers (Virgin, Bt,Tiscali) sure others do it,  emails are also stored elsewhere but only receieved emails not sent ones.

I,m just going to clean and tidy bits and pieces , because the way my set up is I would have to reload, 98, XP and then W7 on the main system as the software is upgraded not stand alone, the laptop was upgraded from XP so there could be  aroute cause to the problem there as the Laptop seems ok.

As RearArtygunner says Rebuilding or even building a PC is Very Easy, as All the bits are plug and play, I was quite dissapointed when I did it, but at least I had the set up I wanted..
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Computers
« Reply #19 on: January 22, 2012, 11:18:58 am »


I,m just going to clean and tidy bits and pieces , because the way my set up is I would have to reload, 98, XP and then W7 on the main system as the software is upgraded not stand alone, the laptop was upgraded from XP so there could be  aroute cause to the problem there as the Laptop seems ok.


W98 is quite different from XP. It's DOS-based. There is no 'upgrade' path - you would just delete W98 and then install a new XP. So if you do end up 'rebuilding', you won't need the W98 stage...

What OS disks have you got?

Oh, and it's easy to trial Ubuntu - you can just download it, copy to a CD, then boot from the CD and run it from there without altering your machine or hard drive at all. Runs slower this way, of course, but it's fine for a trial...
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The long Build

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Re: Computers
« Reply #20 on: January 22, 2012, 11:48:10 am »

W98 is quite different from XP. It's DOS-based. There is no 'upgrade' path - you would just delete W98 and then install a new XP. So if you do end up 'rebuilding', you won't need the W98 stage...

What OS disks have you got?

You would think.., However for the Xp Professional to work I have to have an original OS system enstalled, in this case I was upgrading from 98, once it detects that I suppose it probably deletes it but none the less it needed to be on, also as the W7 Ultimate is also an upgrade it needed to detect XP as it is only an upgrade from XP and or VIsta not 98..

As the Laptop came with the Basic W7 it was pretty straight forward.. :-))

 
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The long Build

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Re: Computers
« Reply #21 on: January 22, 2012, 11:52:06 am »

Oooh, the colours!


You should have seen it when I had it in orange.. Blue would have been better , but then the wraith of the almightys would have fallen down upon me  :police:
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Circlip

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Re: Computers
« Reply #22 on: January 22, 2012, 11:59:39 am »

Yea but red don't arf rape the retinas.  :o

  Regards  Ian.
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dodgy geezer

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Re: Computers
« Reply #23 on: January 22, 2012, 12:41:30 pm »


You would think.., However for the Xp Professional to work I have to have an original OS system enstalled, in this case I was upgrading from 98, once it detects that I suppose it probably deletes it but none the less it needed to be on, also as the W7 Ultimate is also an upgrade it needed to detect XP as it is only an upgrade from XP and or VIsta not 98..

 

Good Grief!  I hadn't really considered those implications of Microsoft's continual efforts to trap people into only using their operating system before. And people actually put up with this?
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RaaArtyGunner

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Re: Computers
« Reply #24 on: January 22, 2012, 12:52:20 pm »


I,m just going to clean and tidy bits and pieces , because the way my set up is I would have to reload, 98, XP and then W7 on the main system as the software is upgraded not stand alone, the laptop was upgraded from XP so there could be  aroute cause to the problem there as the Laptop seems ok.


I used to do something similar, 97 to 98, until I got XP now I just reinstall XP.

XP, works fine for me, including Office XP and IE8, but then I am not that computer literate and need to seek guidance from time to time from a guru.
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